1. iModules Standards Update 2018 iModules Editors and Managers

2. Introduction
This guide is a companion piece to the iModules Standards Update 2018 – Managers and Editors. It includes material found in the Marketing Style Guide, the Advancement Style Guide and the Master Brand Style Guide (when that becomes available. )
Rely on the Style Guides for information about :
content creation
brand statements
campaign strategy
imagery
colors
fonts
layouts

3. Review - Email Marketing Style Guide
This style guide is in draft format – additional changes may still be made.
This guide is intended to be supplemental to the Advancement Style Guide and the Master Brand Style Guide (when that becomes available.) Rely on those guides for information about content creation, brand statements, campaign strategy, and imagery.
Key differences:
The digital version of the Skidmore wordmark does not use the world “College”
Departments and sub-brands are identified with text headlines, not logos
Color palette is limited to avoid rendering issues on mobile devices
must use web-safe fonts
Subject lines and preheaders are a priority

4. Revisit - Email Marketing Best Practices
Mobile presentation is the first consideration
Sidebars start after the text, to ensure that the recipient sees a greeting before the sidebar content
Brevity will be very important to uphold the clean and bold look of the templates
When using a multi-column layout, careful attention must be paid to balancing the text lengths across the columns
Links should be large enough to click easily on mobile devices - link to a phrase of 3 or more words for best effect.
Single column layouts rely on responsive coding to provide the appearance of multiple columns while ensuring graceful resizing on all viewing platforms

5. Revisit - Email Marketing Best Practices
Single column layouts rely on responsive coding to provide the appearance of multiple columns while ensuring graceful resizing on all viewing platforms
Place the emphasis on the graphics to tell a compelling story
Graphics should reinforce the branding on print and web pieces, without necessarily seeking to exactly duplicate it
Images should be chosen to fit the space they will occupy in the

6. Revisit - Email Marketing Best Practices
Use a preheader on all s to avoid auto-fill errors
Preheaders are intended to provide a second reason for recipients to open your , so a well-crafted preheader can increase your opening rate.
Various clients will fill in preheaders differently, so it’s better to craft a purposeful preheader rather than rely on what the client might provide.
With
Without

7. Revisit - Email Marketing Best Practices
Treat each as a unique message – do not copy and re-use old s
You can still perfect the first in a series, and then copy it for setting up the rest.
If it is a repeat or reminder, look at the statistics of the first sending to decide what to change – subject, preheader, images, and layout can all be changed to present a fresh look at the material, rather than being repetitive.
Individually-crafted s take advantage of updated saved content blocks.
When iModules updates to the new system, we will no longer be able to copy and re-use s from the old system

8. Resources
Help documentation for iModules is found at
Information about Skidmore standards is found at
Note links in right navigation for Advancement Style Guide, and other resources related to the 2018 branding update
The Marketing Style Guide will be added to the right navigation when it is fully approved
Note links in the left navigation for general Skidmore graphic standards. These will be updated in the future when the Master Brand Style Guide becomes available.
Custom programming and assistance is always available

9. iModules Editing – Best Practices
Delete your old drafts. The Drafts folder is reviewed periodically and old s will be deleted.
Do not make changes to the Skin Builder or Custom CSS – those contain the brand standards that apply to fonts, colors, and links
Do not use old saved content blocks with new templates, or vice versa
Use the Setup/Proofing checklist to make sure you have everything in order before you begin
Use the Naming Conventions so that your can be clearly matched with your recipient list

10. iModules Editing – Best Practices
Most saved content is generic, but some is specific to a template:
2018 General Content can be used on all s created with the General Use 2018 template.
2018 Department-Specific content includes Presidents Society, Young Alumni, and Reunion
Regional Events and CEC have their own saved content that will not work in other templates.
Saved Content – Not Editable is for use in all templates:
Two types of footer – with social media and without.
Only one header – the Skidmore wordmark.

11. iModules Editing – Step by Step
Choose a template
All are under “Mobile Ready Single Column” and the names end with 2018.
General Use 2018 can be used for most s
CEC, Commencement/Reunion, and Regional Events have their own templates
Fill out the Details page carefully
Use the information gathered for the Setup/Proofing checklist to set everything up
Use the Naming Conventions so that your can be clearly matched with your recipient list
Category = unsubscribe category, so choose carefully
Choose the correct footer for the template you are using (No address – Ologie)
Change the View this … line to be “webpage” instead of “web page”

12. iModules Editing – Step by Step
Edit Content
Choose Saved Content blocks
Preview on the iModules help website, and then choose the blocks that are appropriate to the content
Use alternating color blocks to break up your into smaller sections, and avoid having a top-heavy look
Read this help page for how to add Saved Content blocks to your
Edit Text
When copying text from a Word document, remember to use the Paste as Text button
If pasting into a text-with-image block, you may have to paste the top paragraph in separately from the text below it.
There are limitations on changing font sizes and colors
Brand standards have set our font sizes and font colors to provide a visual flow through the from top to bottom
clients will not always respect a font size that is added to the text as a style, rather than being built into the table frame of the saved content block.

13. iModules Editing – Step by Step
Edit Links
The Skin Builder and Custom CSS do most of the work for styling our links, but not all clients will honor the code placed there. If it is important that links be exactly as you want them, you must add extra code directly into the HTML. One on one tutorials are available to help you get comfortable with this technique. The code used is shown below – replace xxxx with the code that matches the color you need.
<a xxxxx href=“
style=“color: #006a52;” (black)
style=“color: #22372b;” (green)
style=“color: #ffffff;” (white)
style=“color: #ffffff; text-decoration: none;” (only used for white text on a button)
You should always fill out the Title box for your link. This provides extra information to desktop users who hover their mouse over the link, and also to read-aloud programs for the visually impaired.
Links should be large enough to click easily on mobile devices - link to a phrase of 3 or more words for best effect.

14. iModules Editing – Step by Step
Edit Images
Always resize images before uploading. Academic Technologies can give you access to Lynda.com if you need to learn to use Photoshop, or you can ask for help from a graphic designer
Read this FAQ on how to replace placeholder images
Commonly used hero images can be found in the / /hero/ folder
Whenever you add an image to your , make sure to fill in the Alt Text, Title, and Description boxes. (They can be the same text.) These provide a fall-back in case your recipient doesn’t load the images, so make sure that it’s descriptive and will convey the right message to the recipient. They also provide information to read-aloud programs for the visually impaired.
Example for a portrait: Portrait of Anne Palamountain, founder and lifetime sponsor of the Palamountain Benefit.
Example for a program button: All in to Win: Help your favorite team meet their fundraising goal!

15. iModules Editing Proofread your email
Use the Setup/Proofing checklist to be certain to check all aspects of the
Be sure to check the appearance on desktop and mobile devices (if available.) Communications can assist with checking your mobile versions.
If you are using role-based content, you might wish to send role-based previews, so that your reviewers can see what content each role will get (requires multiple previews.)
Send your at the date and time indicated by your content provider.
Screenshots and statistics are sometimes requested by content providers, so check your department’s guidelines to know what’s expected.