Marketing Email - Create

Marketing emails can be created from the Marketing Communications page. An organization might create a marketing email to promote an internal product, announce new online training, or inform employees of an upcoming mandatory security course. There are many ways organizations can use marketing emails to provide employees with important information.

To create a marketing email, go to Admin > Tools > Core Functions > Marketing Communications. Then, click the Create New Email link.

Title and Address

Complete the following information in the Title and Address section:

Field Name Description

Select [Template]

This field displays if at least one marketing communication email template is defined from the Marketing Communications page. Select a template from the drop-down. The email populates with the values defined for the template. The template values can be changed when configuring the email.
Email Title Enter a title for the email.
Active Check the Active box to activate the email. If checked, the email becomes live upon clicking Save.
From Address

Enter the from address, or select one of the default addresses in the drop-down menu. Note: You must have the appropriate permission to edit this field. In addition, the Allow user to change email address setting must be enabled in Email Preferences.

  • Default addresses can be configured for the From Address field through Corporate Preferences. Administrators can only select default email addresses that are active in Corporate Preferences. See Corporate Preferences.
  • Email addresses must be entered in a valid email address format.
Reply-To-Address

Enter the address to which recipients can reply to the email, or select one of the default addresses in the drop-down menu.

  • Default addresses can be configured for the Reply-To Address field through Corporate Preferences. Administrators can only select default email addresses that are active in Corporate Preferences. See Corporate Preferences.
  • Email addresses must be entered in a valid email address format.
Type

By default, marketing emails are Promotional emails. The Type field is read-only and not editable.

Recipient and Language

Complete the following information in the Recipient and Language section:

Field Name Description
Send To

Select either a specific user to receive the email or select a specific organizational unit from the drop-down.

If multiple organizational units are selected, then the email is sent to all users within any of the selected organizational units.

Language

Select a language from drop-down. Emails only fire to recipients who are defined in the Send To field if the template matches the user's language preference when the action is performed.

  • Only one language may be associated to each email template.
  • When an email is triggered, the system must check the language of the recipient.
  • The email is only sent to users who are using the language specified for the email.
  • The email tags always appear in English. However, if the administrator clicks the Display a list of tags link, then the descriptions of the tags appear in the language of the administrator who is viewing the tags.

Include users not using this language - This option is unselected by default. This option is only available when multiple languages are enabled for the portal.

  • When this option is selected, the system does not validate the recipient's display language before sending the email. This enables administrators to create a single email trigger that will be sent to recipients regardless of their configured language. For example, an email that is created in English (UK) will be sent to recipients of any language configured for the portal (e.g., English (US), Japanese, Polish, Thai) that meet the selected availability criteria. Important: The subject and message of the email are not translated to the recipient's language. If multiple emails are configured for the same trigger such as one in English (UK) and one in Polish, and one trigger has this option selected, it is possible for some users to receive multiple emails for the same action. This duplication can be prevented by adjusting the availability of the email with this language override option selected.
  • When this option is not selected, the recipient only receives the email if they meet the availability criteria for the email trigger and if the recipient's display language matches the language configured for the email trigger. If no users in the availability have a display language that matches the language set for the email, then the email status remains in a Queued status to allow the email creator to edit the email.
  • When editing an existing email and changing this option setting, all future emails including those that are currently queued will respect the updated setting.

Message

Complete the following information in the Message section:

Field Name Description
Tags Click the Display a list of tags link to view tags available to use in the Subject or Message fields. When the email is sent, the tags are replaced with actual information. The tags must be entered exactly as they are listed, and they are case sensitive. For example, to dynamically address the email to recipients, enter "Dear RECIPIENT.NAME" at the top of the Message field. The field would be replaced with the relevant information.
Subject Enter a subject for the email message. The subject displays to the recipient when they receive the email. Tags can be used in this field.
Deep Link

The Deep Link section allows administrators to add deep links to marketing emails . The following options are available:

  • Base URL - This is a required field. Select the base URL from the drop-down. The following options are available:
    • Default - This option is selected by default. When selected, users must log into the system upon clicking the link in the email.
    • SSO URL - This option only displays if at least one base URL is configured on the Deep Link page. When selected, users are not asked to log in to the system upon clicking the link in the email.
    • Self-Registration URL - This option only applies to anonymous self-registration URLs.
  • Page URL - This is a required field. Select the page URL from the Page URL drop-down. This drop-down displays all existing page URLs from the Page URL tab. Once the page URL is selected, additional options may be available to configure. For example, if the Launch Training page URL is selected, an option displays to select the learning object to which the deep link will take the user. Note: When configuring the email, if the Send To field is set to a self-registration group, then the Register User and Launch Training Page URL type does not appear as an option in the deep link drop-down.
  • Image - This field is optional. This field allows administrators to add images that can be used in the email or email template. By default, "No Image" is selected in the Image drop-down. To add an image, select Add New from the drop-down, and then upload an image. Once an image is uploaded and the links are generated, the image cannot be deleted. The images are stored in the WYSIWYG image manager for emails. See the WYSIWYG Tool Considerations below for important considerations when using the WYSIWYG tool.
  • Alternate Text - This field is optional. Enter the text that will display in place of the link and/or when the link is hovered over. When the alternate text is inserted into an email, the text displays at the top of the message body in the Message box. The text can be moved anywhere in the message. When users view the email, the alternate text displays as a link. Alternate Text Example:Closed An administrator would like "Click Here" to appear in the message in place of the HTML link to an online course. He enters "Click Here" in the Alternate Text field and inserts the link into the email. The alternate text "Click Here" displays at the top of the message body. He moves the alternate text to a logical place in the email message. When users receive the email, they click the Click Here link in the email, and the course launches.
  • Note: If an image and alternate text are included, then the image is what displays in the email, and the alternate text displays when users hover over the image. If the image does not render properly in the email, then the alternate text does not display.

  • Link Expiration Date - This field is optional. Check the box to make the link finite. When checked, the numeric text box is enabled to the right of the checkbox. Enter a date in the text box or use the calendar option to select a date. The date must be in the future. The link expires at 11:59 p.m. in the user's time zone on the date defined. Note: This is not the time zone of the administrator generating the links. This is the time zone of the user who accesses the link.

Once all required fields are completed, click Insert to add the deep link to the email. There may be several minutes of processing time to add the link once the Insert button is clicked. By default, the link displays at the top of the message body but can be moved anywhere in the email.

Considerations
  • Anonymous deep linking is supported where users are routed to their applicable end point. Availability is still defined by the anonymous user group. If a user is routed to a page to which they do not have access, then an alternate page displays in place of the link.
  • If a deep link is generated with a base URL for which the recipients of the email do not meet the availability criteria, then the base URL reverts to the default URL for those recipients only.
  • When a user receives an email containing a deep link for an outdated version of a curriculum, clicking that deep link redirects the user to the Training Details page of that training. Then, at the top of the page, the user sees a notification message stating that the training is out of date, and the user can click a link to access the latest version. This behavior is applicable to curricula only.
Message

Enter the message for recipient. The following options are available for configuring the message:

  • Tags - Tags may be used in this field. To view a list of available tags, click the Display a list of tags link.
  • WYSIWYG Tool - The WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) tool provides configuration tools, such as images, fonts, colors, formatting, and tables. There is also a Copy from Word feature that enables administrators to import from Microsoft Word, preserving the formatting used in the Word document. HTML code can also be used. The system only accepts certain customizable HTML elements in the WYSIWYG Editor. Elements that are not acceptable display as text. See Safe Listed Customizable Elements.
  • The top toolbar of the WYSIWYG tool contains configuration options. The bottom toolbar is used to switch from design to HTML mode, as well as preview the email.

    See the WYSIWYG Tool Considerations below for important considerations when using the WYSIWYG tool.

When configuring emails, a message appears in red at the top of the page, alerting you that files uploaded through the Image or Document Manager are stored on a publicly accessible server. The maximum file size is 3MB.

Send Date In the date and time drop-downs, select the date and time at which the email will be sent.

Save/Cancel

Once all fields have been completed, click Save. Or, click Cancel to cancel creating the email.

Expired/Deleted Links

When a user clicks a link that no longer exists because the link has expired or the link has been deleted from the Deep Link page, the user is navigated to the portal's Welcome page, which displays a link expiration message. The expiration message is hardcoded and displays "The page you are looking for is no longer available."

Active Status

Marketing emails are active by default. The active status cannot be modified.

Troubleshooting

For email troubleshooting, see the Email Troubleshooting Guide in the OnDemand Support folder.

WYSIWYG Tool Considerations

The following are important considerations when using the WYSIWYG tool:

  • The Telerik editor demo website (http://demos.telerik.com/aspnet-ajax/editor/examples/default/defaultcs.aspx) is provided for reference purposes only. The editor available in Email Administration is a different version than the demo editor on the website, and there may be features that work differently or are missing. Hence, all features of the editor may not function in the same way as demonstrated in the demo editor.
  • Editor Limitations:
    • Microsoft Outlook does not display media files embedded in the editor.
    • The paste feature may not paste some HTML content when done in the Design mode, for example "iframes." This can be done via HTML mode instead.
    • Some media file codes are taken in by the editor but may not display in the emails received by the user.
    • HTM files successfully uploaded via the Document Manager in the editor may not be displayed accurately in Outlook.
    • Preview may not be identical to how a specific email client renders the email.
    • "Paste" may not always paste the entire HTML content in design mode.
    • "Select All" does not select all the content in design mode.
  • Known Browser Limitations:
    • Firefox
      • The remove alignment button is not compatible with Firefox.
      • "Select All" does not select the horizontal lines when the editor is used in Firefox.
      • The Add button within Document Manager does not allow for multiple selection of documents in Internet Explorer and Firefox.
      • The "Remove Alignment" feature may not work as expected in Firefox.
    • Internet Explorer
      • In Internet Explorer 8, the HTM file that is uploaded may show as distorted in design mode.
      • In Internet Explorer, when a user uploads a HTM file using the Template Manager while setting up an email, the uploaded HTM file may have a slightly different layout and formatting.
      • The Add button within Document Manager does not allow for multiple selection of documents in Internet Explorer and Firefox.
  • CSS Limitations: Some features such as tables, CSS classes, and styles may not be displayed as expected in certain email programs. As a best practice, please avoid the use of the CSS options.
    • The CSS class is not applied for the Document Manager if they are nested CSS classes.
    • The following reference link provides details about which email clients support which type of CSS: http://www.campaignmonitor.com/css/. Users can view the email using a browser to show the entire contents of the email properly.
  • Portal Security - If you have not requested to allow HTML tags, CSS, JavaScript, etc on your portal, you may see that some parts of the system no longer allow unsafe elements. You can opt out of this security measure by logging a case with Global Customer Support to enable bypass XSS validation. By bypassing this validation, Cornerstone will require you to agree to the security risk exposure this may cause. For more details on supported customizable elements: See Safe Listed Customizable Elements.

Note: A detailed demo of all features in the editor is available at http://demos.telerik.com/aspnet-ajax/editor/examples/default/defaultcs.aspx. Descriptions of each option in the toolbar are provided at http://demos.telerik.com/aspnet-ajax/editor/examples/default/defaultcs.aspx.

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