Salesforce Marketing Cloud question and answer page for bulk email.
Salesforce Marketing Cloud | Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Revision
Below you will find answers to some of the most common questions you might have about email!
Before jumping in, reminder that an email’s purpose is to invoke an action (i.e. page views, purchases, donations). The content should not only live in an email, but it should also live on a webpage. Email is about the recipient more than it is about the person wanting to send the email.
Some tips:
- We have 6 seconds for users to read the email and take an action. Content should be easily skimmable and actionable for this reason.
- We need the recipient to click on a button or link to know that they are engaging with the email.
- When the content is too long the email will be truncated in the inbox. Inbox providers such as Microsoft, Apple, Yahoo, Gmail control this.
- Email file size can prevent the email from being delivered and may not render well once it is delivered. This happens if there is too much content, too many images, or if the image file size is too large. We recommend 5 or less images each being less than 1 mb.
SFMC Practice and Data Handling
Salesforce Marketing Cloud Client Behavior
To cancel an adhoc send, in Email Studio, go to Interactions. In the dropdown select Salesforce Send Emails, then click View Active Sends button. Finally you’ll see Active Salesforce Sends and you can cancel the send! Click on the checkbox next to the email you desire to cancel, then click Cancel Send at the top. Make sure you click in on the email first to ensure you are cancelling the right send.
Interactions > Salesforce Send Emails > View Active Sends
In University Community, it is recommended to cancel the send, make your changes in Email Studio, and then setting up the send again as if it is new.
To cancel a single journey send, go to Journey Builder Look for the scheduled journey and click the blue "Cancel" button. See here for more information: https://omc.osu.edu/tools/sfmc/salesforce-marketing-cloud-training-single-journey-send
There are a couple reasons Salesforce might be giving you trouble.
1. Ensure you using the single sign-on link for SFMC: Salesforce Marketing Cloud Login. Your log in should be your name.#@osu.edu and your password.
2. Try switching your browser to Chrome if you haven't already as it seems to run Salesforce the best.
3. Clear your browser’s history/cache then quit the browser and log back into SFMC.
4. A reboot of your computer may be needed to allow for updates.
5. Check your browser screen is not enlarged or reduced and the magnification is at 100% (weird, yes – this is a known issue with SFMC).
When looking at your link properties for the phone number, select "Other" in the first dropdown titled "Link to". Ensure the phone number being used have the country code as the first number to work on mobile devices correctly. Some mobile devices will make this clickable by default and on a desktop, it will depend on applications and settings for each computer.
tel:+16142922281
<a href="tel:+18881235467">1-888-123-5467</a>.
This is what the code behind this looks like for phones and sms.
<a href="tel:+11234567890">Call Phone Number</a><br>
<a href="sms:+11234567890">Send SMS</a><br>
Test emails may display visual differences such as borders, spacing, or alignment that do appear in the final send. These differences are often caused by outdated or deprecated content modules or duplicating an older email. To avoid issues start building the SFMC email from a current template or build from scratch using shared branded modules from the Ohio State email design system.
To avoid issues with the email code start building the SFMC email from a current template or build from scratch using shared branded modules from the Ohio State email design system.
This is not a best practice and should be avoided. Duplicating older emails is not recommended. Using an older email to begin working on a new email can cause issues. The duplicated emails may contain outdated code and modules, or legacy footer content that can cause formatting, accessibility or compliance issues. Plus you may leave old content and links in the email and not be aware of it. Best practice is to start from a current template or build from scratch using shared branded modules from the Ohio State email design system.
Most email providers don't support embedded video, so the message could get flagged as spam. Instead, we recommend creating an image that links to an external URL of your video. This image can be an animated .gif that mimics the video content. It is helpful to have a play button included on the image to invite clicks.
Images and animated .gifs need to follow accessibility guidelines. See this webpage for more information: https://omc.osu.edu/communities/email-community/email-accessibility
This will be reviewed by Mindy Loschiavo, Associate Director of Email and Automation.
The immediate way to do this is to copy the HTML out of SFMC and update the links (links expire after 365 days). Create a webpage to archive the newsletters.
There is a solution for this in SFMC. To include a “view online” weblink somewhere in the email content use the AMPscript (%%view_email_url%%) merge tag added to the code. This would produce an HTML file of the email. Placement of this link should be strategic for your team’s use and not something the end user would need see readily. We suggest adding the merge tag to the bottom of the email or within the footer. This placement prevents the recipient from leaving the email too early allowing for the action intended by the content.
In Salesforce marketing cloud, there's inbuilt page for viewing online - %%view_email_url%%
Here's the anchor tag.
<a href="%%view_email_url%%" target="_blank">View this email online.</a> To place this code snippet in the footer the code will look like this, copy and paste <p><u><a class="appleLinksDark" href="%%view_email_url%%" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px; font-weight: normal; color: #646a6e; padding-top: 0; padding-bottom: 0; padding-left: 0; padding-right: 0;" target="_blank">View this email online</a></u></p>
Below is the commented code for easier reference in the HTML
<!-- ====================== START Inbox information ====================== --><tr>
<td align="left" style="padding-top: 20px; padding-right: 0; padding-bottom: 20px; padding-left: 0;">
<table align="left" border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="m-width100" role="presentation" style="text-align: left;" width="600">
<tr>
<td style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px;" valign="top">
</td></tr><tr>
<td style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-weight: bold; color: #646a6e; padding-top: 0; padding-bottom: 0; padding-left: 0; padding-right: 0;">
<p>
<u><a class="appleLinksDark" href="%%view_email_url%%" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px; font-weight: normal; color: #646a6e; padding-top: 0; padding-bottom: 0; padding-left: 0; padding-right: 0;" target="_blank">View this email online</a></u></p><span class="appleLinksDark" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px; font-weight: normal; color: #646a6e; padding-top: 0; padding-bottom: 0; padding-left: 0; padding-right: 0;">To ensure that our messages are sent straight to your inbox, please add our return email address to your address book.</span></td></tr><tr>
<td style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; font-weight: bold; color: #646a6e; padding-top: 20px; padding-bottom: 0; padding-left: 0; padding-right: 0;">
<span class="appleLinksDark" style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 22px; font-weight: normal; color: #646a6e; padding-top: 0; padding-bottom: 0; padding-left: 0; padding-right: 0;">Official messages from The Ohio State University may be sent from email addresses ending in t.osu.edu.</span></td></tr></table></td></tr><!-- ====================== END Inbox information ====================== -->
Screenshot of what it looks like in Salesforce Marketing Cloud:
Salesforce Marketing Cloud Strategy, Metrics & Enterprise Decisions
Here are some resources you may find helpful as you get started:
It should be immediate, but in some cases there may be issues with Workday not syncing properly with the Salesforce CRM. If someone is not receiving an email, ask for help from the identity management team by opening up a ticket with OTDI at this email OTDI-8help@osu.edu or at this webpage: go.osu.edu/IT.
This is an important question and usually we suggest using the college name and not an individual’s name. The reason for this is that most individual names may not be recognized by the recipient. However, a combination of name and college is entirely acceptable, although the entirety of the “From” name may not be visible in some email clients.
Here is the ink to Request a new sender profile webpage.
There is not a confirmed date to stop using the other tools (Constant Contact, Mail Chimp). Ohio State decision makers are involved in the renewing of contracts for the other platforms. For data and branding purposes it is suggested that all colleges and units plan to shift to SFMC and the earlier the better. For more information on Salesforce please see this webpage: https://omc.osu.edu/tools/sfmc
Please note, SFMC (Salesforce Marketing Cloud) and Salesforce CRM have different data sources and purposes. SFMC is for Advancement (Alumni, Donors, Friends) purposes and Ohio State internal communications. The CRM is for recruitment and student communication purposes.
Delivery failures to osu.edu addresses can occur if the recipient is no longer an active faculty, staff or student or they are new to Ohio State so their account has not yet synced to Salesforce Marketing Cloud. Syncing to SFMC can take up to a week and sending to email addresses that do not have an inbox yet can inactivate this contact in the backend SFMC data. Wexner Medical Center email addresses may need to have their name.#@osu.edu email address forwarding function setup to receive important internal communications. To setup email forwarding for Wexner Medical Center staff only open an OTDI support ticket.
Email address (mailto) links are not tracked in the same way as standard web URLs. Salesforce Marketing Cloud reporting will not capture engagement data for “mailto:” links, which can impact click-through metrics results. If it is important to track this engagement a SFMC cloud page containing a form for the recipient of the email to write and submit an email response can be created and linked to. Contact emailmarketing@osu.edu for more information on the cloud page solution.
The email community has been evolving key metrics with the open rate not being dependable. Reading through search results, it can be confusing as it appears there is confusion within articles in the wild. The email and automation team has researched the details for recent and historic standards.
Click-through-rate is the best indicator of engagement as the delivered number is accurate. Click-through-rate is different than click-rate. Click-rate/Click-to-open rate is the metric dependent on opens.
The metric for opens is not a metric marketers should be depending on. Opens should still be considered, but the weight is skewed, due to MPP and other open tracking being manipulated in the inbox. There have been fluctuations in the open rate per chatter on LinkedIn and other forums for email, with the changes in security for the big 4 inbox providers (Gmail, Yahoo, Apple and Microsoft) having impact.
If the click rate is low when calculated with delivered that means that the segmentation could be more strategic. The audience is not engaged with the subject line/preheader or the sender profile is not recognizable to the recipient. Once they open it, the click is gauging interest in the content. Testing could help decipher what the audience is more interested in. Page views are a good metric to measure conversion. Maybe for audience members that are not engaged a different strategy is needed to re-engage.
For more information on web analytics go here: https://omc.osu.edu/analytics-overview/data-dictionary
For articles about metrics and open rates, see below:
https://www.usergems.com/blog/forget-open-rates
https://www.litmus.com/blog/measure-email-marketing-success
https://beefree.io/blog/8-email-marketing-metrics-that-actually-matter
Click-through rate
The click-through metric tells how many folks clicked on the links you dropped in your email. It is a direct indicator of engagement, showcasing the effectiveness of your content and the resonance of your call-to-action. It's like the applause after a killer performance - you want lots of it!
Why click-through rates matter:
- Audience engagement: CTR shows the level of interest your email generates. A higher CTR indicates that your audience finds your content compelling and is motivated to take further action.
- Content Relevance: Check the links that get the most clicks. You can tell the specific content that resonates with your audience by analyzing the links that receive the most clicks. This knowledge is invaluable for tailoring future emails to match their preferences.
- Call-to-Action (CTA) Check: A solid CTR means your CTA is compelling, making people tap their screens. If your CTA is clear, compelling, and strategically placed, it should drive a higher click-through rate.
How to calculate CTR
Divide the unique clicks by the number of delivered emails, then multiply by 100.
Yes. Excluding subscribers who have already opened an email requires additional configuration in Salesforce Marketing Cloud. This cannot be done with a standard single send alone, but it can be accomplished using one of the following approaches:
- Build a simple journey (rather than a one-time single send) and turn it off after it runs through the audience once.
- Use AMPscript exclusion logic within the email activity to prevent certain subscribers from receiving the send.
- Use suppression data extensions or SQL queries to pre-filter your audience.
In some cases, support from the SFMC team may be required, particularly when SQL queries or advanced configurations are involved.
Using AMPscript for exclusions
AMPscript can be used to exclude subscribers at send time if a specific condition is met. A common approach is checking whether a subscriber exists in a suppression data extension.
Example 1: Excluding subscribers on a suppression list
ROWCOUNT( LOOKUPROWS( "Suppression_List", "Email", AttributeValue("email") ) ) > 0
Explanation:
- Suppression_List – Name of the data extension containing suppressed email addresses
- "Email" – Field in the data extension that stores email addresses
- AttributeValue("email") – Retrieves the current subscriber’s email address
- ROWCOUNT(...) > 0 – If the email exists in the list, the subscriber is excluded
Example 2: Excluding based on a custom field
AttributeValue("DoNotSend") == 1
Explanation:
If the subscriber’s DoNotSend field is set to 1, the script evaluates as true and excludes that subscriber from the send.
How to add an exclusion script
- Navigate to Journey Builder.
- Open or create a Single Send Journey.
- Configure the Email Activity.
- In the email configuration, locate Advanced Exclusions or Exclusion Script.
- Paste the AMPscript into the exclusion field.
- Save the journey and activate it.
Note: The Exclusion Script option may not be enabled for all accounts or activities. You may need to contact Salesforce Marketing Cloud Support to enable it.
Additional options and resources
- Use the Delivery Options area within the Email Content configuration to manage exclusions.
- For large audiences, Salesforce recommends using suppression data extensions instead of complex AMPscript for performance reasons.
Helpful Salesforce resources:
Email Sending, Design, and Policy Questions
If you have Outlook-related issues that are not addressed in this section, please contact the IT Service Desk at OTDI-8help@osu.edu
Outlook Formatting & Client Behavior
It is your Outlook settings! To adjust do the following.
In Outlook options:
File, Options, Mail, Compose Messages then Editor Options.
Inside Editor Options, there are 3 tabs in the upper left. Go to Advanced and scroll down to the bottom that has Advanced Typography. Unselect the "Use Hyphenation" checkbox.
Check out this video for a tutorial on how to add images to your outlook emails.
Email Strategy, Metrics & Enterprise Decisions
The medical center marketing team only supports email for OSUWMC patient marketing messages such as our patient and family newsletter, Health & Discovery email, MyChart welcome, and enhancement and institution-wide info such as vaccines and Medicare enrollment. Reach out to Karri Benishek karri.benishek@osumc.edu for further information on email support.
All bulk email send requests or questions are to be vetted through the marketing and communications area of your college or unit. Your marketing and communications team may reach out to the Office of Marketing and Communications Email and Automation team for further support at emailmarketing@osu.edu with your email questions. If you are interested in learning more before reaching out, look at the following links:
Audiences available within the SFMC Business units
Bulk email sends should follow the Federal CAN-SPAM Act for solicitations and invitations. It is also recommended to comply with Ohio State branded email templates and other email best practices.