eMailSignature recently held a 20 minute workshop on best practices for managing email signatures at colleges and universities. What You'll Learn in these 20 mins: - Universities are struggling with the brand challenge created by non-uniform email signatures - The problem largely stems from adoption - Technology does exist to fix this problem - We also cover best practices for creating, sharing and managing those signatures Who should check this presentation out? - University communications and administrative departments - IT teams being asked to investigate email signature management - University departments looking to manage their brand effectively

1. 20
Minute
Workshop:
Managing
Email
Signatures
at
Colleges
&
Universi<es

2. What
We’ll
Talk
About
Today
• The
Brand
Challenge
with
Email
Signatures
• Why
is
this
S<ll
a
Problem?
• Best
Prac<ces
for
Crea<ng,
Sharing
and
Managing
Email
Signatures
• What
to
Look
for
When
Considering
a
Solu<on
• Q&A

3. The
Email
Signature
“Brand
Problem”

4. Why
is
this
an
Issue?
Non
Standard
Signatures
Dilute
the
Brand
of
the
College/
University
– Higher-­‐Ed
ins<tu<ons
are
as
compe<<ve
as
any
commercial
industry
– Brand
is
the
promise
of
service/product
a
student,
staff
member
can
expect
Compliance
is
Also
in
Play
– Public
ins<tu<ons
are
oPen
required
to
include
statements
regarding
equal
opportunity,
confiden<ality
and
even
expected
response
<mes,
as
part
of
every
communica<on
Everyone
is
a
Customer
– External
recipients
include
prospec<ve
employers;
grant
providers,
alumni
–
all
funding
sources
for
the
university
at
some
level

5. Many
Universi<es
are
Tackling
the
Challenge
with
Great
Guidance

6. So,
Wait,
There’s
S<ll
a
Problem?

7. Are
We
Expec<ng
Too
Much
of
People?

8. It
Needs
to
Be
This
Simple

9. Best
Prac<ces
Create Share Manage
• Choose
standard
fonts
and
weights,
s<ck
to
university
colors
for
accent
colors
• If
Gandhi
or
Albert
Einstein
didn’t
aXend
your
college
or
university,
it’s
safe
to
say
that
quo<ng
them
is
probably
unnecessary
• Grow
your
community
(at
the
university,
department
or
major
level)
• Keep
it
legal
–
if
the
university
has
compliance
statement
requirements,
keep
those
up
to
date
• Add
a
call
to
ac<on
if
suitable

10. Best
Prac<ces
Create Share Manage
• Choose
standard
fonts
and
weights,
s<ck
to
university
colors
for
accent
colors
• If
Gandhi
or
Albert
Einstein
didn’t
aXend
your
college
or
university,
it’s
safe
to
say
that
quo<ng
them
is
probably
unnecessary
• Grow
your
community
(at
the
university,
department
or
major
level)
• Keep
it
legal
–
if
the
university
has
compliance
statement
requirements,
keep
those
up
to
date
• Add
a
call
to
ac<on
if
suitable
• Deployment
and
adop<on
is
the
key
• Focus
on
the
outward
facing
departments
first
(admissions,
placement,
alumni,
fundraising)
• Lower
the
bar
to
entry/adop<on;
keep
the
steps
to
a
minimum…
• …or
even
beXer,
don’t
require
them
to
do
ANYTHING
• Leave
some
room
for
the
end
users
to
update
(social
media,
mobile
phones,
etc.)
some
of
their
own
informa<on
–
this
may
increase
adop<on!

11. Best
Prac<ces
Create Share Manage
• Choose
standard
fonts
and
weights,
s<ck
to
university
colors
for
accent
colors
• If
Gandhi
or
Albert
Einstein
didn’t
aXend
your
college
or
university,
it’s
safe
to
say
that
quo<ng
them
is
probably
unnecessary
• Grow
your
community
(at
the
university,
department
or
major
level)
• Keep
it
legal
–
if
the
university
has
compliance
statement
requirements,
keep
those
up
to
date
• Add
a
call
to
ac<on
if
suitable
• Communica<ons
Teams:
Centrally
manage
the
deployment
and
upkeep
of
signatures
• Limit
the
requirements
of
IT
(machines,
people,
<me)
• Measure
the
use
and
effec<veness
of
signatures
• Consider
alterna<ves
signatures
or
add-­‐ons
for
topical
situa<ons
(sports,
fundraising,
awards,
etc.)
• Deployment
and
adop<on
is
the
key
• Focus
on
the
outward
facing
departments
first
(admissions,
placement,
alumni,
fundraising)
• Lower
the
bar
to
entry/adop<on;
keep
the
steps
to
a
minimum…
• …or
even
beXer,
don’t
require
them
to
do
ANYTHING
• Leave
some
room
for
the
end
users
to
update
(social
media,
mobile
phones,
etc.)
some
of
their
own
informa<on
–
this
may
increase
adop<on!

12. What
to
Look
For
in
a
Vendor
• The
ability
to
centralize
the
crea<on,
sharing
and
management
of
the
email
signature
process
• Low/No
end-­‐user
burden
(no
more
“copy
and
paste”
or
9
step
processes)
• Minimal
IT
requirements
• Ability
to
go
beyond
the
signature
block
to
drive
ac<on
with
the
intended
recipients

13. What
Did
We
Talk
About
Today?
• University
brands
are
as
valuable
as
consumer
brands
and
should
be
treated
accordingly
• Guidelines
alone
aren’t
enough
to
ensure
end
users
act
• The
barrier
to
adop<on
doesn’t
need
to
be
lowered,
it
needs
to
be
removed!
• The
en<re
‘create-­‐share-­‐manage’
process
can
be
administered,
centrally,
with
low-­‐IT
overhead

14. Thank
You!
mp@emailsignature.com
www.emailsignature.com
@emailsignature