20 Minute Workshop: Managing Email Signatures for Colleges & Universities
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Transcript of 20 Minute Workshop: Managing Email Signatures for Colleges & Universities
What We’ll Talk About Today
• The Brand Challenge with Email Signatures • Why is this S<ll a Problem? • Best Prac<ces for Crea<ng, Sharing and Managing Email Signatures
• What to Look for When Considering a Solu<on • Q&A
Why is this an Issue? Non Standard Signatures Dilute the Brand of the College/University
– Higher-‐Ed ins<tu<ons are as compe<<ve as any commercial industry – Brand is the promise of service/product a student, staff member can
expect
Compliance is Also in Play – Public ins<tu<ons are oPen required to include statements regarding
equal opportunity, confiden<ality and even expected response <mes, as part of every communica<on
Everyone is a Customer – External recipients include prospec<ve employers; grant providers,
alumni – all funding sources for the university at some level
Best Prac<ces
Create Share Manage• Choose standard fonts and weights, s<ck to university colors for accent colors • If Gandhi or Albert Einstein didn’t aXend your college or university, it’s safe to say that quo<ng them is probably unnecessary • Grow your community (at the university, department or major level) • Keep it legal – if the university has compliance statement requirements, keep those up to date • Add a call to ac<on if suitable
Best Prac<ces
Create Share Manage• Choose standard fonts and weights, s<ck to university colors for accent colors • If Gandhi or Albert Einstein didn’t aXend your college or university, it’s safe to say that quo<ng them is probably unnecessary • Grow your community (at the university, department or major level) • Keep it legal – if the university has compliance statement requirements, keep those up to date • Add a call to ac<on if suitable
• Deployment and adop<on is the key • Focus on the outward facing departments first (admissions, placement, alumni, fundraising) • Lower the bar to entry/adop<on; keep the steps to a minimum… • …or even beXer, don’t require them to do ANYTHING • Leave some room for the end users to update (social media, mobile phones, etc.) some of their own informa<on – this may increase adop<on!
Best Prac<ces
Create Share Manage• Choose standard fonts and weights, s<ck to university colors for accent colors • If Gandhi or Albert Einstein didn’t aXend your college or university, it’s safe to say that quo<ng them is probably unnecessary • Grow your community (at the university, department or major level) • Keep it legal – if the university has compliance statement requirements, keep those up to date • Add a call to ac<on if suitable
• Communica<ons Teams: Centrally manage the deployment and upkeep of signatures • Limit the requirements of IT (machines, people, <me) • Measure the use and effec<veness of signatures • Consider alterna<ves signatures or add-‐ons for topical situa<ons (sports, fundraising, awards, etc.)
• Deployment and adop<on is the key • Focus on the outward facing departments first (admissions, placement, alumni, fundraising) • Lower the bar to entry/adop<on; keep the steps to a minimum… • …or even beXer, don’t require them to do ANYTHING • Leave some room for the end users to update (social media, mobile phones, etc.) some of their own informa<on – this may increase adop<on!
What to Look For in a Vendor
• The ability to centralize the crea<on, sharing and management of the email signature process
• Low/No end-‐user burden (no more “copy and paste” or 9 step processes)
• Minimal IT requirements • Ability to go beyond the signature block to drive ac<on with the intended recipients
What Did We Talk About Today?
• University brands are as valuable as consumer brands and should be treated accordingly
• Guidelines alone aren’t enough to ensure end users act
• The barrier to adop<on doesn’t need to be lowered, it needs to be removed!
• The en<re ‘create-‐share-‐manage’ process can be administered, centrally, with low-‐IT overhead