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EMAIL GUIDELINES FOR MAILCHIMP CAMPAIGNS

To ensure the success of your email campaigns using Mailchimp, we have established a set of guidelines to streamline the process. Here's what you need to know:

  1. Mailchimp Training: Before diving into your email campaign, every team member must undergo Mailchimp training. We offer a variety of training sessions tailored to different skill levels. To access these valuable resources, click on the following links:
  2. Annual Re-Certification: There will be an annual re-certification process where Mailchimp users will need to complete a refresher training and assessment to maintain access.
  3. List Request from CMT: Once you've completed your training, the next step is to request a mailing list through our Constituent Management Team (CMT). To initiate this process, please fill out the TFS Request Form, accessible here. This step is crucial to maintaining accurate and compliant recipient lists.
  4. Managerial Review: Before submitting your email to CMT, it's essential to have your manager review the content. Your manager's sign-off is required before CMT will proceed with sending the email. This ensures that all communications align with our organizational goals and standards.
  5. Acknowledgment: When your manager reviews and approves the email, they must acknowledge the completion of the review process. This acknowledgment is mandatory before CMT can send out your email.

By following these guidelines, we can collectively maintain a high standard of communication and uphold the integrity of our brand. If you have any questions or need assistance at any step of the process, please do not hesitate to reach out to advancementservices@ucr.edu.
 

Submit TFS Ticket

Timeline expectation for mailing requests: 10 business days/2 weeks.

Submit Ticket

Image/Logo Request

Submit a project request with University Relations brand team through Workfront.

Submit Request
MailChimp QA Content Checklist
  • Step 1: Email topic developed, and audience criteria identified.
    • Step 1a: Submit media request to University Relations for logo/image/video support (Optional).
    • Step 1b: Submit TFS request to CMT with audience criteria to begin work on the recipient list two weeks prior to the desired send date (Required).
  • Step 2: Work on email content, branding, and design.
  • Step 3: Send test email and get approval on email content.
  • Step 4: Notify CMT of content approval and confirm desired send date for the email campaign.
  • Step 5: The email is scheduled to go out on the agreed upon date/time by the CMT team and/or University Relations team.
Mailchimp Fundamental Training
Email Best Practices
Subject Lines

Good subject lines grab the attention of your subscribers and give them a reason to check out your content. Be direct and descriptive, or avoid misleading and overly clever subject lines.

  • Limit subject lines to 32 characters – Mobile users see only 30-35 characters. Use sentence case. All caps may trigger spam filters, and title case seems less friendly.
  • Be descriptive
  • Use emojis carefully

Best Practices for email subject lines

Preheaders

Email preheaders are one of the first things your readers see, so getting them right is important.

  • Limit to 30-80 characters.
  • You might think a call to action is only for the end of your emails, but they can be very effective in preheader text as well. You can use your preheader to let people know why you’re sending them an email and what they might consider doing after reading your email.
  • Incentivize your audience
  • Summarize the body
  • Personalization

Preheader best practices

Test email content

Before you send a campaign, be sure to test your content so you don't send emails with missing data or broken links. Mailchimp's preview and test tools help make sure your images load properly and that all the hyperlinks and buttons in your campaign work. It's considered best practice to send a few test emails to yourself, to ensure everything works and looks the way you want. Try out Mailchimp's Inbox Preview feature to see what your email will look like across different email clients and devices.

Preview and Test Your Email Campaign
Email Campaign Testing Tips
Test with Inbox Preview

Getting started with Merge Tags

The information you collect through your Mailchimp signup form is saved in an audience field and tied to a unique label, called a merge tag. Use merge tags to insert personalized or dynamic content into the emails you send.

Merge Tags in Mailchimp

Merge Tags Cheat Sheet

Mailchimp offers merge tags for all kinds of dynamic information. Paste a merge tag into your email to send personalized content to your subscribed contacts.

  • *|FNAME|* - Inserts your contact’s first name, if it's available, in your audience.
  • *|LNAME|* - Inserts your contact’s last name, if it's available, in your audience.
  • *|EMAIL|* - Inserts your contact’s email address.

Merge Tags Cheat Sheet

Accessibility

Accessibility is a term often used in web design, but what does it mean for email marketing? It comes down to simple changes you can make in your content to remove barriers for people with disabilities.

  • Use descriptive subject lines
  • Structure your email properly
  • Use headers
  • Surface your message
  • Use color contrast
  • Use proper alt text for images
  • Use meaningful link text
  • Include a plain-text version

Accessibility in Email Marketing

Frequently Asked Questions