Getting Started with Email

Set an Objective

The first step that you need to take when planning out your email is to set your objectives. Setting objectives is important because your objectives are the reference points that give the direction for your email planning and evaluate the success of your campaign.

Good objectives are precise, measurable statements that indicate the steps that you need to take to achieve your overall goals. The best way to set an objective is to write down a change or task, some quantifiable number required, and a timeline. You can follow this basic formula:

Objective
Evaluation
=
=
Change needed/task
Verb
+
Amount required
Number
+
Time needed to achieve change/task
Timeline

Here are a few examples:

  • To increase the open rate of our newsletter by 10% within six months.
  • To get 100 people to register for my event by November 5th.
  • To sign up 20 new people to our mailing list within a month.
  • To get feedback from 30 students about our recent information session by the end of the week.

Knowing your target audience

Before you write your email, you need to get to know your target audience. This is important because not only will you need to tailor your email to their needs, but your target audience will also determine which email tool is the best to use.

Some things to consider:

  • Whether your target audience is internal or external to the U of A.
  • Can your list be segmented? By segmenting your audience, you can target certain parts of your list with communications that are tailored to them.

Segmentation

Segmentation is a great way to increase engagement with your emails because you can target certain parts of your list with communications that are more relevant to them. Audiences can be segmented in different ways:

  • By their relationship with the U of A: Common segments include undergraduate students, graduate students, faculty, support staff, contract staff, research staff, residents, and post-docs.
  • By engagement level. For example, you can choose to target those who have frequently opened your emails in the past or target those that have not opened your emails before.
  • By location. For example, you can segment alumni by where they live.

Writing effective messages

Once you have your objective, the next step is writing your key messages. Messages are the things you say in your emails to achieve your objectives.

Keep the following in mind when writing your messages:

  • Messages need to be relevant to your audience. For example, if you’re emailing students, you should make sure that your messages are geared towards students, not towards faculty members or support staff.
  • Use plain language and avoid jargon. You want people to understand your message and be able to take action if required.
  • Remember that when you’re sending an email, you represent the U of A. Recipients can forward your email to others, and you have no control over this. Don’t include anything in your email that will reflect poorly on the institution.
  • Email is not secure, so don’t email private information, like patient information.

Is email the best way to deliver your messages?

Once you’ve decided on your target audiences and the key messages you want to say, you need to consider which tool best delivers those messages. Email is just one of many tools available at your disposal here at the U of A, and you should ask yourself whether it is the right tool for your particular needs.

Email is a great tool when you want to:

  • Send out information according to a set schedule.
  • Direct people to online resources, like the U of A website.
  • Get metrics about engagement levels like what percentage of people opened your email or which links people are clicking on.

Email is not the right tool to use when you want to:

  • Give bad news.
  • Send sensitive information that you wouldn’t broadcast publicly.
  • Have a back-and-forth discussion.

What does a good email look like

Now that you’ve decided that email is the right tool for your needs, you want to make the best possible email to deliver your messages. But what does a good email look like? A good email:

  • Is concise, easy to understand, and engaging so your audience can take action.
  • Makes your audience want to hear from you again.
  • Instills trust in the organization. Remember that when you’re sending an email, you represent the U of A. You want your email to uphold the institution’s reputation.
  • Follows the U of A’s “One University” visual identity guidelines.
  • Matches whatever you’re trying to achieve with your objectives.