TargetX Communication Planner Quick Start Guide

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Overview

The Communication Planner consolidates Email and SMS campaigns into a single tool, enabling you to define Tracks and Steps tailored to your organization's requirements. Salesforce serves as the interface and repository for campaign data and images, while actual campaign execution and related processes remain outside its scope.

Campaign Builder is the primary organizational level in the Communication Planner, where you define Tracks, Steps, and Elements.

Quick Messages allow you to deliver content to a specific group of recipients as a one-time event.

Reports display Charts and Reports on your Campaign statistics.

Activity Center lets you view your Campaigns, Tracks, Elements, Status, and Sent details.

Template Builder is a tool for creating content/messaging for Email Templates. All campaigns and templates, including accompanying images, are securely stored within your Salesforce instance.

Folders enable you to organize your content for campaigns and templates efficiently.

Key Communication Planner Terminology

Term	Description
Campaign	A campaign is a high-level container for your communication plan tracks. Campaigns help you organize your communication with folders and tags and set an overall schedule. They also provide a space for you to set a description and goal for the campaign and track when your campaign goals are met.
Track	A campaign track is where you define your recipient population. Tracks allow you to specify a start and end date specific to the track and the run time of the communication. Track start and end dates must fall within the overall campaign start and end dates. Two types of tracks are available: Drip Tracks and Fixed Date Tracks.
Track Types	Drip Track: Drip Tracks are based on relative time, not a specific date. In a Drip Track, you set how many days will pass between each communication step. Fixed Date Track: Fixed Date tracks are based on absolute dates. In a Fixed Date Track, you set a specific date for each communication step.
Steps	Steps are the sequence of communication within a Track. Each step can contain multiple types of communication (called Elements), such as Email and SMS.
Element	An element is an individual communication component such as Email or SMS.
Template	Templates are the content you use when creating an email or SMS element. Templates are built in the template builder and can be reused across steps, tracks, and campaigns.
Saved Row	A saved row is a reusable section of your email template. Saved Rows are managed in the email template builder.
Saved-Synced Row	A saved-synced row is a section of your template that is reusable and global. If you edit and save a synced row, every template where that row is in use will be automatically updated with the new saved content.

Navigating Communication Planner

You can access each section of the Communication Planner in the left navigation menu. Define your Folders, create Email or SMS Templates, create Campaigns, or view Reports.

Campaigns

The Campaign list displays your Campaigns by name, description, tags, start date, end date, folder, owner, last modified, and status. Click the arrow in the header to sort by that column (ascending or descending). The list of campaigns changes based on the selected folder, with the default view showing All Folders.

Filtering Campaigns

You can filter the Campaign list page by date range, owner, status, and tags. When filtering by date range, you can use either the start date, end date, or both to narrow your search. The table below outlines examples using different date range filters:

Start Date	End Date	Results
March 1, 2024	<blank>	All campaigns with a start date on or after March 1st.
<blank>	February 28, 2024	All campaigns with an end date before or on February 28th.
March 1, 2024	March 30, 2024	Campaigns set to start and end within March 2024.

Tags are defined in Campaign details. To filter by a tag, click the + under Filter by Tags and begin typing the tag to use. Click the tag to add it under the Campaign Tag(s) label:

TargetX CP Filter by Tag.png

Once you’ve added your filter criteria, select Apply to enforce the filter and return to the Campaign list. Use the Clear Filters button to remove all your filter criteria and Apply. The Campaign History tab displays a summary of your Campaign’s details and a Version History.

For details on creating Campaigns in the Communication Planner, see Creating Campaigns.

Quick Messages

The Quick Messages tab allows you to deliver content to a specific group of recipients as a one-time event. They can be created and scheduled quickly, offering a streamlined way to communicate without needing a full campaign setup. Quick messages are ideal for campus alerts, announcements, reminders, special event invitations, and more.

Quick Message Tab

The Quick Message tab is on the Communication Planner's left navigation panel. From here, you can view existing messages, create new messages, and toggle between email and SMS quick messages. For details on creating Quick Messages, see Creating Quick Messages.

Reports

The Reports area displays analytics on your Campaigns. View by count (#) or percentage (%) and select the buttons at the top to filter by different time ranges. The chart displays the overall data for your Campaigns by sent, unique opens, unique clicks, bounce, and opt-outs. Hover over a timeframe to view detailed data:

Beneath the chart, you can view analytics for individual Campaigns.

Sent: the number of emails sent for the Campaign.
Unique opens: this is the number/percentage of unique opens for a given email out of the total number of emails delivered.
Unique Clicks: this is the number/percentage of unique clicks for a given email out of the total number of emails delivered.
Opt-Outs: the number/percentage of unsubscribed recipients out of total emails delivered.
Bounce: the number/percentage of emails bounced out of total emails sent.

Activity Center

The Activity Center is your operational Dashboard for tracking and troubleshooting running jobs. You can view your sent campaigns, tracks, track type, element type, and name, along with the status and send details. If a job fails, hover over the status icon for more information.

For Drip Tracks, an icon [] displays at the end of the row. Clicking the icon displays details on the Drip Tracks sent:

Templates

The Template section offers a choice between Email and SMS templates. Select the option in the left pane to display the list of templates previously created. Within the list view, you can edit, copy, archive, or delete existing templates or click the + button to create a new one. Use the folder picklist to select the folder you want to view; ‘All Folders’ will default.

When you create a new template and enter the details, you'll specify the Folder for storing your template and designate the Parent Object to be utilized, either Contact or Lead. The Parent object is referenced when incorporating merge fields into your template.

Note: you cannot change the Parent Object after you save the template.

Selecting Continue launches the Template Builder, which has numerous options for designing your templates:

Reusable content streamlines communication by allowing quick access to previously created materials. This saves time and maintains consistency across various platforms and messages.
Synced rows enable you to create reusable content for standard email template components. For instance, you can set up a Synced Row with your institution’s logo and header. All templates utilizing that Synced Row will automatically reflect the changes whenever the logo or header is updated.
Saved rows enable quick retrieval of essential information, such as critical messages or contact details, without repetitive data entry. This feature enhances productivity and ensures accuracy in communication initiatives.
Cloning templates simplify the creation of new communication plans by providing a framework that can be easily replicated and customized as needed. This promotes consistency in branding and messaging while saving time and effort in planning and execution.
Comments facilitate seamless collaboration among team members by ensuring everyone can access the most up-to-date information. This promotes transparency, reduces errors, and enhances overall efficiency in communication plan execution.
The ChatGPT editor helps you quickly add content to your Email Template using a built-in ChatGPT integration. For example, use the ChatGPT editor to write an email encouraging students to consider living in university housing or write an email encouraging students to attend their student success check-in.

For details on creating Email Templates in the Communication Planner, see Creating Folders and Templates.

Folders

The Folder list displays the name, date last modified, owner, and the area for which the folder is available, such as campaigns, email templates, or SMS templates. You can edit or archive existing folders from the list view or select + to create a New folder.

You can indicate that a folder is available for different types of communications. For example, a ‘First Year’ folder can include campaigns, email templates, and SMS templates, or you can create a folder only for one type, such as email templates, depending on your needs. If a folder is already used for a particular element, you can’t uncheck it in it. For example, in the image below, you cannot uncheck campaigns because the folder currently has four campaigns in the folder.

Note: archiving a folder will archive everything within the folder. For more information on folders, see Managing Folders.

Administration of TargetX Communication Planner

Administrative Topic/Link	This topic contains information on:
Transitioning to the Communication Planner	Transitioning to TargetX Communication Planner
Communication Planner Permissions	Configuring Communication Planner Permissions
Communication Planner File Image Library	Adding users to the File Image Library
Communication Planner Settings	Configuring Communication Planner Settings
Email Test Lists	Creating Email Test Lists