Email Policy

Scope & Applicability

All broadcast email originating from any College department, or from any authorized College employee acting in a professional capacity, are included in this policy. This policy applies to all faculty and staff sending bulk email messages (100+ recipients) to the Endicott community at large, including faculty, staff, students, parents, and alumni. Academic departments sending messages to their enrolled students, or other faculty members, can do so through their Endicott Gmail accounts or via messaging in Canvas.  

Definitions   

Authorized user(s): College personnel specifically authorized by CCM to distribute broadcast email.  

Broadcast or bulk email: Email intended as a one-way message sent with broad distribution, including announcements, College updates, newsletters, and similar widely distributed messages.  

Who can become an authorized user?

Many of Endicott’s academic and administrative staff who communicate frequently to students, faculty, staff, parents, alumni, and external contacts currently have Emma accounts. These accounts are opened by CCM and maintained collaboratively with authorized users.

If you feel that you send enough email to become an authorized user, please contact your account manager to discuss account access and Emma training. Otherwise, your account manager can help you send occasional bulk emails as needed through the CCM account.

What is the process and policy?

Only authorized users may create, send and/or approve the distribution of broadcast email from an endicott.edu address.

CCM has final authority over the release of all broadcast emails, regardless of which authorized user initiated the communication.

Authorized users must accurately represent the College's services, brand, and style standardsin broadcast emails and restrict bulk email within three message classes:

• Urgent, meaning emails that pertain to critical, time-sensitive matters, like security alerts issued during emergency situations.
• Vital, meaning important, non-emergency messages that support official College business.
• Strategic, meaning informative messages that advance various aspects of the College’s programs, services, and goals.

If you wish to send broadcast email, and are not already an authorized user, contact your account manager. When planning a bulk email, work with your account manager to determine the best communication tool and mailing list, if applicable.

For announcements that do not meet the appropriate bulk email criteria, other options for dissemination include: departmental newsletters, direct mailings, campus TV screens, social media, web pages, or intranet. Events that are included on the Events Calendar should be added to Around the Nest and Blue Buzz weekly enewsletters (email submissions to communications@endicott.edu for Around the Nest and bluebuzz@endicott.edu for Blue Buzz).

All broadcast emails that fall into the “vital” or “strategic” categories must be scheduled with your CCM account manager at least one week prior to sending.

All content, regardless of category must be approved by an authorized user’s department supervisor, then proofread by the CCM account manager. CCM account managers must approve email content and scheduling prior to deployment via a test email.  Authorized users should always include their CCM account manager and their direct supervisor on an email test. Test emails for approval must be sent three business days prior to a release of the email.

Why implement a bulk email policy?

It can be easy to forget that community-wide email distribution includes a very large number of recipients. If different departments want to communicate to the same groups, recipients can be easily overwhelmed, and emails ignored.

Sending campus-wide emails may seem like the best method, but more often than not, there may be better, more targeted options. Certain communications may reach an audience more directly through intranet postings, web pages, social media, non-bulk Gmail emails, etc. We encourage everyone to submit announcements and events to our campus-wide enews outlets, Around the Nest (faculty and staff) and Blue Buzz (students) instead of sending one-off emails.

It’s important to make email communication as streamlined as possible to increase reader engagement, which can be tracked through data like open and click-through rates.

A creatively designed, branded email will result in increased reader engagement and a higher response to your call to action (CTA). Given an ample amount of time (about five weeks’ notice), CCM writers and designers can help you develop an Emma email campaign that gets results.

All electronic communications are expected to comply with federal and state laws, as well as College regulations and policies, including those governing public computing resources, security considerations, and ethics in computing.

If you are considering mass mailing or need to disseminate information but aren’t sure of the best method, reach out to your account manager for direction and help.

What are some best practices to consider?

When developing a bulk email message, follow these best practices.

• Contact your account manager well in advance for Emma emails that need both writing and design expertise (five weeks minimum). For simpler emails that do not require design but need writing services, one to two weeks’ notice is requested. If you are developing your own message and layout, please give your account manager two days or more to review and respond to your test email.
• Plan ahead; do not rush blasts right before something is due or an event is starting.
•  Identify target audience for message; ensure message is tailored appropriately.
• Be brief, self-explanatory, clear, and concise. (Not sure what to write? CCM can help.)
• Consolidate content with others when possible, to avoid duplication and over-sending.
• Avoid excessive emails on the same topic.
• When including links to a website, embed URLs within relevant words or phrases instead of pasting long web addresses.
• If your target audience is not already available as a list in Emma, work with your account manager to determine who at the College can help you gather appropriate emails.
• Write your message following the College’s Editorial Style Guide and review for grammar, spelling, and information accuracy.
• Include a short, direct subject line and preheader text. (75 characters or fewer)
• Always have a clear call to action (CTA) such as, “RSVP Today” that links to a form, or “Contact the dean at [email address] to learn more.”
• Work with your account manager on appropriate use of images and graphics; if you need a graphic created, allow ample time for the College’s design team to create something branded and relevant.

If you have any questions regarding this policy or email best practices, contact your account manager.