Month: December 2022

Campus Mail Tips

December 15, 2022

There are over 39,000 University of Utah and U of U Health Care employees. If mail or packages are missing delivery information, it can be difficult to get the parcel to its correct destination.
Here are some tips to avoid having a delivery to your campus address delayed or rejected due to lack of information.

Information Needed on Mail/Packages

Before the sender sends mail/packages to your campus address, please be sure they have your complete information and include the following on the delivery label:

  1. Your full name
    ex: Eliza Dolittle
  2. Your department name spelled out
    ex: Auxiliary Business Development
    Do Not Use - ABD
  3. Your complete address, including room number
    ex: 1945 DeTrobriand St. #621
    Salt Lake City, UT 84113

What Happens to Mail/Packages that are Missing Information

If the delivery address is missing information or has a generic university address, it’s hard for our mail team to track down the recipient’s correct address. If they are unable to do so, your mail/packages may be returned to the sender.

Top image by Bench Accounting on Unsplash

3 Tips to Supercharge Your Outreach Efforts

December 15, 2022

Do you have trouble getting customers to understand important information about your services? Try these three things to boost your communication:

1. Host a Zoom Training or Webinar

Webinars educate people in a visual and audible format. This helps those who struggle to process and understand written material. Attendees can also ask questions from experts in real time.

Zoom is a great platform for hosting training sessions, and it’s free if you have a licensed university account. Another bonus is that many of your clients are likely already familiar with Zoom.

Depending on your license, you may be able to host a secure meeting for hundreds of participants without having to pay anything. To check how many participants can attend your meetings, log in to Zoom, go to your profile, scroll down to “License Type,” and view the participant number next to “Meeting.”

Host a Zoom Webinar like a pro

You might already know that Zoom has features like passcode protection, chat, and screen share. There are plenty of additional features that can turn a regular meeting into a professional training seminar.

  1. Require registration. Having people register makes your session appear more professional, helps protect the meeting from unwanted viewers, allows you to gauge the potential attendance, and provides you with contact information that can be used to send reminder emails (we send ours through Mailchimp). Zoom can automatically approve registrants, or you can do it manually.
  2. Brand the invite with your department or event logo.
  3. Choose to have your attendees’ cameras and mics on or off upon entry. This feature allows you to control the look of the meeting and make it feel like a paid webinar service.
  4. Live stream your meeting to places like Facebook or YouTube.
  5. If you’re planning multiple sessions using the same information and settings, you can save the meeting as a template.
  6. Sessions can be recorded and saved on your computer. Edit the recording and use it as an educational video on your website.

2. Create Informative Social Media Posts

Did you know that more people get their news from social media than from newspapers? You can use this to your advantage to reach your clients more effectively.

  1. Take sections from recorded webinars and make short videos to post.
  2. Use Twitter to post current articles about updated benefit information.
  3. Host regular roundtable discussions on Facebook Live—interview an expert such as a doctor, nurse, or a billing specialist with frequently asked questions.
  4. Post an infographic or short video defining a commonly misunderstood term. For example, you could define copays and describe how and when they apply.
  5. Create video playlists on YouTube or Facebook so people can browse and watch videos on the topics they’re most curious about.
  6. Don’t forget to be social. If your customers ask questions in the post’s comments, respond. You can also use their questions to create additional post topics.
  7. Post an image to promote an upcoming outreach event or training seminar.

3. Create Easy-to-Read Educational Handouts

Did you know that the average American adult reads at an eighth-grade level, and that some people struggle to understand standard medical terms? Help your customers by creating educational materials that are easy to read.

Tips to make your handouts readable

  1. Keep copy short and concise. Since people tend to skim text, you should utilize headers, sub-headers, and bullets to help organize the page and make it easier to take in.
  2. Use wide margins and leave white space between paragraphs (use short paragraphs when possible).
  3. Make the copy personal by using “you.”
  4. Focus on what they need to know rather than what is nice to know.
  5. Give specific guidelines and examples, such as “Eat 2 cups of vegetables every day.”
  6. Use images, graphics, and charts to illustrate a point.
  7. Provide a glossary defining commonly used medical terms using simple language.
  8. Provide handouts in both English and Spanish.

Our designers can help you create flyers, brochures, and other handouts. To get started, call us at 801-581-6171 to speak with a Project Coordinator.

Top image by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels

Increase Your Performance on Social Media

December 15, 2022

You might think, “Hey, children and teenagers use social media, so it must be easy.” But for marketers, using social media as a business tool can be tricky. With other departments and algorithms to compete with, it's no surprise to feel a little lost.

This article is literally full of tips to help your department perform better on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter.

*To avoid scrolling, click on the network name listed above to jump down to its tip section.

Facebook

Facebook is the most popular social media network with 1 billion users visiting the site every day. Here are 7 tips to help your content compete in crowded newsfeeds.

1.Produce quality content that encourages interaction from users

  • Video content works best producing higher organic engagement.
  • Top performing videos use square or vertical format because they take up more of the screen.

2. Go live

Live video promotes live comments. This creates a sense of community. Facebook’s algorithm prioritizes posts that generate meaningful engagement.

3. Post high-quality images

  • Posts that use images get more engagement than posts without.
  • Low-quality images, badly lit images, or video with low-quality audio can harm your brand.

4. Use Facebook insights to help you schedule posts

  • Facebook analytics allows you to see the peak days and times your followers are online.
  • Posting content before many of your followers are browsing Facebook can land your post at the bottom of their newsfeed.
  • Try to post about 15 minutes before prime viewership time for a better chance your content is seen when they jump online.

5. Get people talking

  • Facebook will show your post to more people if it inspires users to interact with each other.
  • Here are a few ways to motivate users to respond:
    1. Include questions in your posts
    2. Post about trending topics people want to share their opinion on
    3. Answer every post comment in a timely manner
    4. Do live videos and talk to your followers in real-time
    5. Start an ‘Ask me anything’-style thread
    6. Ask for follower feedback on ideas, projects, or products
    7. Share content on Stories that tugs at your followers’ emotions

6. Start a contest

The chance for followers to get free things is a great way to get people interested in your content. Contests that encourage followers to comment on your post can boost organic reach.

7. Ask followers to turn on notifications

On your Facebook page, there is a setting followers can select to make sure they see everything you post. A tip is to tell them about this setting in the copy of a hit video or post. If they enjoyed the post, they will be more willing to want to follow your page for future posts.

 

Reference: https://www.falcon.io/insights-hub/topics/social-media-strategy/increase-organic-facebook-reach-tips/ 

Instagram

Instagram is a visual network most popular with the younger generation. Here are 8 tips to help your profile look and perform its best.

1. Using hashtags in your tags will increase your reach

Research hashtags to know which ones to use. Do this by looking at the type of content similar to yours and the number of likes on its top-performing post.

2. Post about 1-2 times a day (or more)

Use the insights feature on your Instagram business account to learn when your followers are most active. This will help you know the ideal time to post.

3. Use long captions to tell stories

  • Storytelling is a way to connect with followers. Long captions with elements of storytelling make brands appear more human and authentic.
  • For inspiration, reference brands that embrace storytelling, such as Airbnb, Patagonia, Nike, and Red Bull.

4. Stay consistent, visually

  • It’s recommended to have a visually consistent feed that matches your brand’s identity.
  • A new trend is that Instagram users prefer candid shots that are more natural looking, have earthy tones with a low-key editing style.

5. Focus on user-generated content

  • Using a campaign-specific hashtag for a campaign or contest can help generate user content and get followers involved with your department.
  • User-generated content saves marketers money and allows you to deliver content that is already approved by your audience.

6. Add subtitles and closed captions to videos

  • 40% of Instagram stories are viewed without sound.
  • Captioning videos increases the average video view time by 12%.
  • 80% of people said captions would make them more likely to watch the entire video.
  • Facebook has an auto-caption feature which you can use. Save the video and post it on Instagram.

7. Try the Boomerang feature (aka, Instagram’s version of GIF)

GIFs are shared more than still images and are easier/cheaper to make than producing videos.

8. Use emojis (wisely)

  • Emojis help build an emotional connection with followers by adding personality that helps brands appear fun.
  • Millennials and Gen Z see messages without emojis as “more cold”.
  • It's recommended to make sure you understand the meaning of emojis to ensure usage is appropriate. Also, it's suggested to identify if your brand should use emojis; for example, would a financial aid service use them? Maybe to relate to a college audience, but they may not be suitable when connecting with retirees.

 

Reference: https://www.falcon.io/insights-hub/topics/social-media-strategy/21-tips-increase-instagram-engagement/

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is mostly used as a networking site, but luckily there are not many people or businesses creating content specifically for LinkedIn. This means there is less competition to have your profile seen. Here are 7 tips to help marketers stand out and generate leads.

1. Post about 30 times a month at a good time

  • Accounts that post 30 – 50 times a month see an average of 56 engagements.
  • It's recommended to post in the morning that way you can check the post and engage with comments throughout the day.

2. Share video and visual content

Consider posting videos, images, slides, or podcasts. Research shows that articles with imagery get 94% more views.

3. Post content directly to LinkedIn

  • LinkedIn prefers that users upload content to LinkedIn rather than sharing a link from another platform. For example, if you created a video, upload it to LinkedIn rather than sharing the Vimeo link.
  • Include captions on your videos as many users want to watch videos on silent mode in the office.

4. Share others’ content and engage

  • To increase your profile’s performance, it’s recommended to share helpful insights created by others. These insights could be content from industry thought leaders, credible news sources, or info about your industry’s trends.
  • It’s also suggested that you engage with others by adding your opinion to what you shared. This will help set your profile apart.
  • Here are some ways to engage:
    1. Ask a question
    2. Reply to someone else’s comment
    3. Give your unique insight about an article
    4. Describe a similar scenario you were involved in
    5. Respectfully suggest a different point of view
    6. Send personalized connect requests like, "Hey, I saw your post about your thoughts on the president's new school guidelines. I’d like to connect with you to hear more about what you think."

5. Be human

Rather than posting directly about your product, department, or event, it's recommended to engage in thoughtful conversations to avoid appearing too sales pitchy. If people find value in what you say and share, they’re more likely to visit your website.

6. Utilize live video

LinkedIn live videos see seven-times more reactions and 24-times more comments than regular video.

7. Use hashtags

Hashtags let you tag content and gives people you are not connected to the potential to see your content.

Here are some suggestions about using the right hashtags:

  1. Find, track and use hashtags your target market is listening to.
  2. Keep track of hashtags on an excel list that monitors the hashtag, growth rate, growth follower #, followers.

How to find hashtags:

  1. On the bottom left of your LinkedIn homepage, click on “Discover more” under “Followed Hashtags” to see a list of popular hashtags related to the ones you follow.
  2. This page shows the number of people that follow the hashtag.

Twitter

Twitter is what many call, “a thought sharing network.” With 68.7 million Twitter users in the U.S. sharing their thoughts and opinions, no wonder why it’s hard to have your voice heard in your audience’s newsfeed. Here are 15 tips to help you get noticed.

1. Make a Twitter schedule

If you read our marketing tip article in the IMPRINT fall issue, you probably saw that in order to be successful on Twitter, you have to post multiple times a day. It's recommended to create a Twitter schedule to outline your posts and manage content themes you plan to target.

2. Set up your Twitter profile

  • Your handle should be short, easy to remember and recognizable.
  • Use your departments logo, or an image that best represents your department
  • Add your departments website link to your bio. Also add an explanation of your department using short sentences.

3. Speak your mind using visuals

Use images, GIFs and videos to capture your audience’s attention while they scroll through their newsfeed. Visual content also allows you to fully express your opinion without having to stick to a 280-tweet character limit.

4. Use hashtags

Tweets with hashtags can attract twice as much engagement, but don’t use too many.

5. Pin tweets on you Twitter profile

Select the best performing tweets to pin on your profile. Pinning tweets will place them at the top of your Twitter feed and will attract more impressions and engagement.

6. Track @mentions

This will help you see what your audience is saying and can increase your response time to provide support if your student, patient or customer is having a problem.

7. Create tweet variations

If your department has a blog, tweet variations emphasizing a different key point from the blog can extend the lifespan and reach of that content. You can write 10 tweets over the span of 30-90 days to maximize reach and boost engagement.

8. Use emojis

Tweets with emojis attract 25% more engagement.

9. Use gated content

Gated content can increase engagement and traffic to your website.

How it works: gated content is only accessible to users after completing an action, such as retweeting your tweet about a blog post. Completing this action will give them access to your posted content.

10. Engage with audiences

It's known that asking questions in your posts can result in audience insight. Learn more about your audience by utilizing features like Twitter polls. It allows you to ask specific questions and help you analyze user opinions. Use these analytics to plan content strategy.

11. Run a contest

Contests or giveaways can increase profile engagement and attract more followers. For example, you can ask users to follow you and retweet a post in exchange for the chance to win a prize.

12. Shorten response times

Twitter is an outlet for people to talk directly to their favorite brands. Responding quickly to your followers’ comments will build deeper relationships with them and they will be more willing to engage with you later on.

13. Run digital events

Utilize live video tutorials, Q&A sessions, or workshops to help your audience see the faces behind your department. This will help nurture emotional connections with your audience.

14. Measure your success

Visit Twitter analytics weekly to analyze what posts your audience did/didn’t like. You can use this data to revamp your twitter strategy.

15. Speak to your target audience

It’s suggested to make sure every Tweet speaks to your target audience. Doing this will spike engagement because your content will be more relevant and valuable to them.

 

Reference: https://www.trackmyhashtag.com/blog/twitter-marketing-tips-2021/
https://business.twitter.com/en/blog/twitter-resolutions-new-year.html

Top image by cottonbro studio on Pexels

4 Ways to Get People to Open Your Emails

December 15, 2022

Let’s be honest—how often do you open your inbox and immediately delete every marketing email? If you’re doing this, it’s a safe bet your audience is probably doing the same thing. We’ve put together some tips to help you get your emails opened and read.

1. Send emails people want to read

Knowing what people want to see in their inbox will help you decide what to write and how to market the email. Some things that will grab your readers attention are:

  • Timely, useful, and necessary information
  • Fresh news that is helpful and relevant
  • Personal invitations
  • A reward or benefit for taking an action

2. Avoid sales-pitchy subject lines

No one likes feeling like they’re getting a sales pitch, so it’s no surprise when they delete emails that look like spam. These are some examples of what you should avoid in your subject line:

  • Long, wordy subject lines
  • Requests for donations
  • Anything with an exclamation point
  • The word “free” or “percent off” specials

3. Send the email from your name

People are more likely to open an email that comes from a person rather than a company. Email marketing services (Mailchimp is a popular one) allow you to customize the “from” field in your email, so recipients can see a person’s name as the sender.

4. Send on the right day at the right time

Timing can be more important than you would expect in getting the best open rates. A study analyzing 5.5 billion emails done by GetResponse found the following results:

  • The best day to send emails is Tuesday
  • Subscribers will most likely read emails sent before 10 am
  • About 22% of all email opens occur during the first hour of delivery
  • Only 19% of emails are opened after 24 hrs

 

Top image by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels

Printing Tips

December 15, 2022

We at Print & Mail Services want your print projects to look their absolute best! These tips can help you set up your print jobs to go off without a hitch.

  1. Add 0.125 inch bleeds
    All print documents with pictures or colors that go to the edge require a minimum ⅛” bleed. You can learn more about adding bleeds here.
  2. Make sure images are at least 300 ppi
    Images that are lower resolution may appear pixelated or blurry when printed.
  3. RGB vs CMYK
    For print projects, convert colors to CMYK before printing. For online design projects, use RGB.
  4. Talk to your Project Coordinator about the best paper stock for your job
    Some types of paper will produce higher quality prints with crisper images and richer colors.

Top image by Kenny Eliason on Unsplash

How to Write a Must-Read Email Subject Line

December 15, 2022

If marketers got a dime every time we were told to use interesting subject lines when sending marketing emails, we would... well, probably not be rich, but we'd at least have a pretty good dime collection going. But it’s one thing to be told what to do, and it’s another thing to know how to do it.

Here are tips with examples on how to write click-worthy email subject lines.

1. Create curiosity

Asking a question will intrigue your audience and persuade them to open your email to learn the answer.

Examples:

  • What does sleep have to do with weight gain?
  • What should you do if someone shows signs of a stroke?

2. Lead with a benefit

People are more likely to read your email if it benefits them.

Examples:

  • 4 ways to double your Instagram followers
  • How entrepreneurs find business opportunities

3. Borrow credibility from a well-known source

Referencing a public figure in your industry is a great way to grab your audience's attention and get reads. People like to know how successful people think and want to learn from their experience.

Examples:

  • Spielberg's top 5 creative secrets
  • Dr. Mario Capecchi’s tips for academic success

4. Use numbers

Numbers help manage readers' expectations and foreshadow what's in-store before they read the email.

Examples:

  • What 90% of new employees do wrong
  • 7 investment tips from millionaires

5. Be newsworthy

Providing up-to-date information about new developments in your industry is an ideal way to get your email opened. Combining these subject lines with the curiosity tactic is a grand-slam for your open rates.

Examples:

  • Is this new app Zoom's replacement?
  • Did you hear what U of U Health just announced?

6. Sell Speed

People like instant gratification, so using a subject line teasing that readers can achieve a benefit in a short amount of time is a great hook.

Examples:

  • Get promoted in 3 months
  • Improve your writing in one day

Top image by Andrea Piacquadio on Pexels

Better ROI with Direct Mail

December 15, 2022

Creating the perfect marketing message takes time and money; it’s crucial not only that your audience engages with your message, but also that you measure its outcome.

For many marketers, digital platforms are the communication outlet of choice. There are several good reasons for this: most audiences spend their workdays on a computer (making them easy to reach), it’s relatively inexpensive, and it’s easy to track the campaign’s success using analytic tools.

Unfortunately, COVID-19 has thrown a wrench into this strategy.

The Issue with Digital Marketing

When COVID-19 hit, connecting virtually became a necessity and it changed the look of our inboxes. Normally, the bulk of emails are work-related, with the occasional marketing message scattered here and there. Since the pandemic, inboxes are bombarded with webinar invites and near-daily marketing messages from hovering companies competing for your attention. It’s no surprise a single message gets lost in a sea of unopened and deleted emails.

How to Compete in a Digital World

Consider looking into traditional marketing platforms and use direct mail to reach your patients. With other companies focusing their efforts online during the pandemic, there has been a significant drop in marketing mail—which is great news for you! With less marketing mail delivered to patients’ homes, your piece has a much better shot at getting through to your audience.

Benefits of Direct Mail

Direct mail has an average ROI of 29%. Recipients respond to the targeted message, personalized details, and the sensory response they get when receiving a tangible mail piece made for them.

Marketers like direct mail because it’s also relatively inexpensive to print, has an increased response rate of up to 43% when tied with digital marketing, and with help from Print & Mail Services, is easy to mail.

The Issue with Direct Mail

Some may be wary of using direct mail because they don’t know how to track their campaign’s success. Don’t be discouraged; it’s actually quite simple. Here are some tips to help you collect data to measure your direct mail campaign’s reach.

4 Ways to Track the Success of Direct Mail

  1. Trackable URL
    Create a campaign-specific landing page and add the URL to your direct mail piece (but don’t use it anywhere else). You’ll be able to use your site’s analytic tools to determine how many people visited the page.
  2. QR Codes
    Add a QR code to your mail piece that goes to your campaign-specific landing page when scanned on a smartphone. Track the page visits with your website’s analytics tools.
  3. Coupon Codes
    Include a coupon code used only in your direct mail piece that recipients can redeem in your facility, on your website, or over the phone. If you accept codes over the phone, be sure your staff asks for the coupon code each time.
    Idea: Use coupons to advertise deals on elective medical procedures or promote an item patients can receive if they come to a patient outreach event. You can also use coupons as raffle tickets; have patients call in to get their coupon number inserted into a raffle.
  4. Trackable Phone Numbers
    Create a unique phone number for your campaign to document calls made by someone who’s seen your direct mail piece. There are call tracking software companies that can set up a number that automatically forwards calls to your business line.

Where to Get Help

Print & Mail Services is on campus and can assist you with your direct mail needs. We can help design, print, and mail your mail piece. Call 801-581-6171 to talk to a Project Coordinator.

Top image by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash

FedEx Shipping Tips

December 15, 2022

If you need to ship a FedEx package domestically, here are some tips to help you choose the best delivery service option, which could save you some money.

FedEx Ground Options (day definite)

FedEx Ground

  • Delivery in 1–5 business days, or 3–7 business days if shipping to Alaska or Hawaii
  • FedEx Ground is the most cost effective
  • We recommended this service if shipment contents are not time-sensitive

FedEx SmartPost

  • Delivery in 2–7 business days
  • Used for shipping low-weight packages to residences; PO boxes, and APO, FPO and DPO destinations

FedEx Express (time definite)

FedEx Same Day

  • Door-to-door delivery in just hours
  • Picked up and taken to the airport

FedEx First Overnight

  • Delivered by 8am in most areas
  • This service can be expensive

FedEx Priority Overnight

  • Delivered by 10:30am to most businesses
  • This service is 90% cheaper than First Overnight

Standard Overnight

  • Next business day delivery by 4:30pm to businesses

FedEx 2Day AM

  • Second business day delivery by 10:30am to businesses

FedEx 2Day

  • Second business day delivery by 4:30pm to businesses

Express Saver

  • Third business day delivery by 4:30pm to most areas

Top image by Bannon Morrissy on Unsplash

Choosing the Right Social Media for Your Department

December 12, 2022

With so many social media channels out there, we're often asked which platforms marketers should spend their time and efforts on. There’s no simple answer—what's great for one business might not be the best choice for another. We put together stats about some of the most popular networks to help you choose the right one for optimal growth.

Facebook

Facebook is by far the most popular social network: it’s the third-most visited website after Google and YouTube, and it’s the second-most downloaded app after TikTok. Best of all, it allows targeted advertising. But with so many active users, there’s a lot of competition to have your content seen, often requiring a large ad budget and consistent effort to create engagement.

LinkedIn

People mostly use LinkedIn for networking, to learn about their industry, or to see new career opportunities (versus for entertainment or shopping, like on other social platforms). It’s great for marketers because the audience includes decision-makers from multiple industries. LinkedIn is almost three times more effective at generating leads than Twitter or Facebook, and U.S. audiences view it as more trustworthy than other social media networks.

Instagram

Instagram is more popular with younger generations than Facebook, and has the fourth-most users of any mobile app. It’s a visual app, allowing companies to “show” rather than “tell” about their products. High-quality photos and videos that showcase your brand are encouraged. Videos perform well on Instagram, with Stories being the most popular type of content. For optimal engagement, marketers must post consistently to be seen by audiences.

Twitter

Twitter is ideal for sharing thoughts, asking questions, creating polls, and promoting events. Many users get their news from this platform (17% in the U.S. and 59% overall report using Twitter as a news source). Messages are limited to only 280 characters per tweet. Marketers should plan to post multiple tweets a day to compete with the “noise.” Ads on Twitter perform 1-3% better than on Facebook.

Top image by Tracy Le Blanc on Pexels