Carlson, along with most of the University of Minnesota, uses a web-based program called Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SMC) to manage its mass email for internal and external audiences. Salesforce Marketing Cloud was previously known as ExactTarget. This platform is different from Salesforce, which is used as a database or customer relationship management (CRM) tool by several departments at Carlson.
The University of Minnesota Office of Information Technology administers SMC for the entire University. At the school level, the Carlson Marketing & Communications department manages the SMC platform with support from the Carlson IT department.
Most units in Carlson have someone trained to use SMC. If you do not have a trained SMC user or that person is unavailable, contact Savina Proykova ([email protected]).
Salesforce Marketing Cloud Overview
Advantages of SMC
SMC has several advantages over personal email accounts, including:
- Mail list management: SMC provides a shared space to manage lists of email addresses and recipients. Keeping a list in SMC avoids the problems of sharing spreadsheets, and SMC automatically tracks bad email addresses and unsubscriptions.
- Centralized workspace: SMC is a web-based program, which means that multiple people can contribute to an email and that images, content and sent messages are available even if the original author is unavailable.
- Higher delivery rates: Messages sent to a large number of recipients are often flagged as spam and sent to the recipient's junk mail. SMC avoids this problem by creating individual messages for each recipient.
- Tracking: SMC can track both the number of people who open a message and the number of times a link in the message is clicked. These metrics allow us to measure the success of a mailing and to improve our messaging over time.
- Mass mailing: Many mail clients, including Gmail, have a daily limit on how many messages any user may send. SMC allows us to contact very large groups, like our alumni or prospective student population.
Guidelines for Using SMC
In addition to the mass email responsibilities outlined on the email page:
- Each department at Carlson is responsible for sending its own emails. Faculty and staff of Carlson can use the SMC platform. Student employees are also given access as needed and only if a faculty or staff member approves their access. Students do not need to have FERPA/HIPAA training to get access to SMC.
- Manage passwords closely and keep your password secure. You will log in to SMC via Single Sign On (SSO). It’s important to keep your password secure and follow UMN guidance on when to change your password. Carlson cannot reset passwords. You must contact SMC support ([email protected]) for assistance with passwords.
- Log in to SMC to keep your account active. Your SMC account automatically expires after 90 days of inactivity. Carlson cannot reset your account. You must contact SMC support ([email protected]) to reset your account.
- Let the Marketing & Communications team know if you or anyone in your department no longer needs access, including student workers. You are responsible for contacting Savina if you no longer need access to SMC.
- 2 additional measures are in place to ensure that people who have access to SMC are those who need it:
- Accounts will expire after 90 days of inactivity.
- You will receive an email annually from Savina to confirm who on your team needs access.
- 2 additional measures are in place to ensure that people who have access to SMC are those who need it:
- Follow the University’s Mass Email Requirements and include the Minnesota Carlson wordmark in the header of the email. Carlson SMC users have access to pre-made email templates that follow these requirements.
- Use the Carlson-branded email templates, assets and modules to maintain brand consistency across all school communications.
Templates
Creating content in SMC requires you to set up sending information (To, From, Subject), a header and footer, any graphics, and email text.
Our version of SMC has custom templates that match Carlson branding and are designed for mobile phones and dark mode. You must use those templates when sending email from SMC. There are many “modules” that allow you to add content for your needs, such as headers, intro text, photos, events, 2- and 3-column text, etc. Learn more about these templates in the Carlson SMC training.
In addition, the Marketing and Communications team has created a library of templates to create custom email hero images and graphics in Canva. Contact Nick Khow ([email protected]) to learn more and get access.
Alumni Emails
To load a list from the alumni and donor database (DMS), you must request a data query from Institutional Advancement. Learn more about external emails.
Trainings
All Carlson SMC users are required to complete 2 trainings:
- University of Minnesota SMC course (4-6 hours, self-paced via Canvas)
- Carlson SMC course (2-4 hours, self-paced via Canvas)
- Savina will give you access to the Carlson course.
You can also refer to the UMN SMC Self-Help Guide.
Accessibility
Digital accessibility is important for people with disabilities to be able to fully access our content. You are responsible for ensuring the emails you send from SMC meet digital accessibility requirements and laws.
Carlson email templates in SMC have been designed for accessibility. Even though the templates are formatted for accessibility, you still need to use the SMC templates appropriately to ensure compliance. The Carlson SMC course in Canvas includes a module about digital accessibility and explains how to create our templated SMC emails in an accessible way.
It is incumbent upon you to ensure that the content and information being presented via email can work with the end user’s accessibility tools. For example, ensure that images have proper alternative (alt) text, ensure that text is contained within the email itself (i.e., it can be copied and pasted) vs. being put into an image/JPEG file that a screen reader cannot read, etc. Learn more about email accessibility.
Communication & Updates
After gaining access to Marketing Cloud, you will be placed in the University of Minnesota Salesforce Marketing Cloud Users Google group. Central IT uses this group to send timely updates regarding the SMC platform, particularly if there is an outage or other issue.
You may also periodically receive emails regarding the SMC platform from Savina Proykova through the Carlson Marketing Cloud Users Google group. You can request to join this group by emailing Savina ([email protected]).
Support & Requests
The table below outlines the support that is available:
| Topic | Status | Turnaround Time |
|---|---|---|
| Design/templates | If you would like to request a new template/module be added to SMC, please fill out the MarComm project request form. Based on the complexity of the module and the need for external coding/development resources, we may not be able to accommodate the request. | Up to 4 weeks to hear back on the project request; if approved, time to complete the request will be communicated to you. |
| Testing | All users can send test emails to themselves to ensure proper display across devices. You are encouraged to have someone else review for typos and confirm links work correctly. Given the volume of emails sent from Carlson, MarComm does not test all emails. However, Savina will review your first email to provide feedback and ensure it meets brand, mobile, and accessibility standards. For high-volume emails, MarComm can run rendering tests on various devices and clients. | 1 business day for first email review; no review or testing afterward |
| Training | Available via self-help guides | Most resources available on demand; Savina also shares best practices via email updates |
| Troubleshooting | Contact Savina ([email protected]) if you're having trouble using the SMC platform or any branded modules | 3 business days |
| General support | If your need is not covered above, contact Savina ([email protected]) via email | Initial response within 3 business days |