Chapman Family,


You’re probably frustrated with the number of emails you’re receiving about campus events and announcements. You might even be guilty of deleting some without even reading them. If so, you’re part of the majority.  In the last year, we’ve received numerous requests to send out
internal
mass emails on behalf of various schools/colleges, departments, and offices.  While we’re happy to help promote news and events internally, it’s important to begin limiting the overall number of emails.  We believe that sending fewer emails will raise the readership on the more targeted emails that we do send out.  We have not come to this decision lightly and considered many facts prior to reaching this conclusion.

Here are approximate numbers based on the last year of
internal
mass emails:

  • Full-time Faculty - approx. 2.28 mass emails per day from CU

  • Adjunct Faculty - approx. 1.5 mass emails per day from CU

  • Students - approx. 1.56 mass emails per day form CU

  • Staff – approx. 1.86 mass emails per day form CU

Would you like to provide us with more information?  If so, please take our “Internal Mass Email Survey.” 


We believe that the number of internal mass emails is so high that many of our Chapman family members ignore the majority of our communications.

Approximately six months ago, we consolidated the Happenings email and the weekly events listing into one email (the ‘this week at Chapman’ email) that does two things:

  • Encourages our Chapman family members to visit the Calendaring office’s “25 Live” listing of events

  • Highlights 3 Chapman Happenings stories and encourages Chapman family members to visit SMC’s blogs.chapman.edu.


We consider this consolidation a success and notice that every Monday, when the email is sent out from “thisweek@chapman.edu”, readership of the Happenings blog spikes.  When mass emails are sent out on only one topic, readership of the blog post or webpage linked from the email does not spike to the same degree, if at all.

Screen shot of webpage analytics

View Web Coordinator Andy Anderson’s report.

To further complicate the issue, the volume of email requests has become larger than the current Web and Interactive Marketing staff can accommodate.  Approximately 20-30% of their jobs have been dedicated to emails in the last six months.  Their primary objective should be to the University’s website, blogs, and other Chapman sites that relate to marketing and social media.


Strategic Marketing and Communications Recommends the following:


SMC has been brainstorming solutions to this problem, and we believe that the best course of action is to consolidate the emails that we send into a maximum of two per week.  Our research suggests that over-saturation will continue to lead to irritated Chapman family members and ignored emails.  We know that consolidating emails has been successful for us in the past, and unfortunately, SMC does not currently have the resources to send a unique internal mass email per request.

New Protocol Effective February 4:


Starting February 4, SMC will send only two
internal
emails per week.

*NOTE: the following applies to emails sent from Strategic Marketing and Communications only.  Other departments are subject to their own rules and regulations (so you will still probably get more than two emails per week from Chapman in general).


In order to be included in the Thursday “Chapman Update” email, please have everything to your account manager by Tuesday at 5pm.  For a full list of rules, requirements, and guidelines, please visit
the SMC section of the Chapman website
.

 

Would you like to provide feedback?
Take our “Internal Mass Email Survey?”


 

Best wishes,