CAS OPERATIONS
Services Model
Communications
I want to email a newsletter to our community. How do I plan a successful campaign?
How can I ensure that recipients open and read our newsletter?
How can I ensure my newsletter meets accessibility requirements?
What are the best practices for managing digital images?
What are the advantages of using a third-party bulk email service?
Where can I learn more?
PREPARE (30 days before the send date)
EXECUTE (14 days before the send date)
- Week 1: Draft the content and share it with your team. If you plan to link to news stories, review CAS Comm’s editorial guidelines for website news storytelling.
- Week 2: Send your campaign.
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Build the email using a UD-branded template. CAS Comms provides template design to ensure proper branding. If your unit does not presently have one, please request one via the CAS Comms Project Request Form.
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Proofread, check links, edit.
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Test the email. Is it accessible? Is the strategy effective?
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Schedule and send the campaign.
EVALUATE (24 hours to one week after the send date)
- Check the analytics and evaluate whether you have reached your goals and objectives. Generate a report to share with your team.
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Keep your newsletter short, concise, and easy to scan. Following are some suggestions from the book Smart Brevity:
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Using less than a dozen words, write down the information you want your readers to remember.
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Your most important point should become the opening sentence.
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Avoid too much text and jargon.
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Take advantage of important elements: subject line, headlines, the first sentence, and images.
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Use headings and subheadings to help recipients easily navigate content.
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The subject line should be no more than seven words.
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Images should illustrate your most important points.
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Use short words that are vivid and precise.
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Use active verbs.
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Link to a website news story if a section exceeds 200 words.
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Bold important words and names.
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The following suggestions will help your audience fully engage with your newsletter’s content.
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Keep the email layout simple. Use a single-column layout (which is also better for mobile devices). Left-align email text.
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Use legible typography. Select an evenly spaced sans-serif font like Arial or Calibri. Avoid condensed fonts that are challenging to read. Make headings bold and use a larger point size. Use an appropriate font size such as headlines of 18 pixels and body copy of 16 pixels. Avoid using all capital letters and excessive italics or underlines.
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Use your email provider’s built-in styles for headers and body content, which help screen readers navigate content.
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Use high-contrast colors on opposite ends of the value scale for text and background colors.
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Don’t rely only on color. Ensure that color is not the only means of conveying information. For example, add underline to color-coded hyperlink text.
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Distinguish links from other elements. Use larger buttons, descriptive calls to action, and hover text or ScreenTips (small popup windows that display descriptive text when the cursor hovers over a link).
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Make sure your recipients can choose between HTML and plain text message formats. Plain text works best for screen readers.
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Avoid using tables and instead present data in paragraphs with headings. If you must use tables, create a simple table structure for data only, and specify column header information.
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All videos must have closed captions. Video and audio content must include transcripts.
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Test your email campaign to assess accessibility and troubleshoot any issues. Microsoft Outlook has a built-in accessibility checker under the “edit” tab. You can also validate the accessibility of your email campaigns by using https://www.accessible-email.org/.
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Visit the UD Accessibility page for policies, training, and a library of tools that support accessibility in University communications.
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Understand file formats and sizes; maximize quality, and ensure all images are accessible:
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Image quality: Use sharp, bright images with high contrast. Crop and edit them to cut out unnecessary elements and improve their overall composition.
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Credit the photographer in the news story.
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Use PNG, JPG, or GIF format. Use PNG to maintain transparency.
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Color mode or profile: To ensure your image displays accurately, use the RGB color profile or mode.
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Alt text: Provide alternative text for all images and graphics. Alt text describes an image to a screen reader user. Avoid using images of text. Make sure the alt text conveys the same meaning as the text embedded in the image.
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File size: Limit the maximum file size to 1 megabyte (MB) and 72 dots per inch (DPI). Upload images that are the same size or smaller than your content area or template.
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Image size: Email and landing pages have a limited width for images. Bulk email services will automatically size images to fit into an email. It’s best to use images with a maximum width of 800 to 1,200 pixels. Use the service’s photo editor to edit and resize images.
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If an image is too small (less than 500 KB), it may only work as a small thumbnail. Stretching a low-resolution image (less than 100 KB) may distort it, making it appear coarse, blurry, distorted, or blocky.
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Bulk email services like Mailchimp (recommended by UD) maximize the effectiveness of your campaign while upholding the reputation of UD. They offer the following advantages:
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Templates and features for responsive designs that adapt to multiple devices. They also comply with accessibility standards.
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Analytics to track open rates and clicks.
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Convenient management of email lists, allowing you to segment and tag your audience and avoid duplicate contacts.
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Data privacy protection that complies with federal and state privacy laws.
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Protection from risks of CAN-SPAM Act violations, which can result in penalties of up to $51,744 per email. Noncompliance also hurts email deliverability, with more emails landing in recipients’ spam folders. Features include:
- The “unsubscribe” button, a legal requirement in the U.S. and internationally.
- Mechanisms to promptly honor opt-out requests (within 10 business days by law).
- Footer text tells recipients where you’re located.
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Bookmark the following University policies and resources on appropriate use of mailing lists and digital media; data security responsibilities; and accessibility, development, editorial, and branding guides.
External Relations
- University-Wide Electronic Mailing Lists: Defines appropriate use of mass electronic mailings to large segments of the University of Delaware community and ensures consistency in the use of university-owned mailing lists.
- Use of Digital and Multimedia: Establishes a University of Delaware-wide standard of excellence for creation, use and management of all digital and multimedia properties.
Information Technology
- Data Governance: Defines the shared responsibility of all end users to protect and use University information appropriately.
- Information Security: Details the requirements for protecting all IT resources, including University information, devices, and systems.
Resources
- Visit the UD Accessibility page for policies, training, and a library of tools that support accessibility in University communications.
- Campus Partner DAR Resource Guide: Guidance and resources to support development and alumni outreach.
- The UD Brand: Resources for campus partners and stakeholders including the UD Style Guide, Editorial Style Guide, Digital Style, and UD logos.
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