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Communications

Learn to schedule, manage content, and control the status of communications within the Communicate App.

#scheduling #content-management #communications #draft-mode

Communications

Scheduling, Content Management, and Status Control

Communications encompass the individual messages, posts, emails, and other outreach tied to your campaigns. In the Communicate App, efficiently scheduling and managing these communications is essential for running successful campaigns.

1. Scheduling Communications

When creating a new communication, you have the flexibility to link it to a campaign or leave it standalone. You can easily adjust the date by clicking on it to select any day within the same week, with new communications defaulting to the first day of that week. Additionally, you can link or unlink Campuses (available on the Plus Plan), and quickly add images or copy by clicking the "+ Content" button.

Communications can be scheduled through two primary interfaces: the Calendar view and the Communications Schedule within a Campaign Page.

Using the Calendar

  • Adding a Communication:
    To add a new communication, hover over the cell in the Calendar that corresponds to the desired week or day and channel (such as Email or Social Media). Click the “+” button that appears, enter the name of the campaign the communication belongs to (the app will assist by filtering campaign names as you type), and click “Save.” The newly added communication will automatically adopt the color assigned to its campaign, making it easy to identify related communications.

  • Moving and Duplicating Communications:
    Communications can be moved to new dates within the visible columns of the Calendar by dragging and dropping them. This allows for intuitive rescheduling across different weeks or days. However, communications cannot be moved outside the campaign’s date range; attempting to do so will trigger a warning and the communication will remain in place.

    In addition to moving, you can duplicate communications directly within the Calendar by holding the Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) key while dragging. Dropping the communication on a new date or channel creates a copy that retains all the content and properties of the original but can be edited independently. You can duplicate within the same channel on a different day or into a different channel altogether. The duplicate appears immediately in its new position, while the original remains unchanged.

    Dragging a communication into a different channel column automatically updates its assigned channel. If you also move it to another column within that drag, both the channel and date update together so the communication reflects its new schedule immediately, without any extra edits.

  • Editing a Communication:
    Clicking on a communication in the Calendar opens a modal where you can view and edit its content. More details on content management are provided in the following section.

Using the Communications Schedule (Inside the Campaign Page)

  • Quick Scheduling:
    The Communications Schedule at the bottom of the Campaign Page offers a streamlined way to schedule multiple communications for a single campaign. Above the calendar, a bank of icons represents each of your Channels. Dragging a channel icon into a desired date cell schedules a communication, and the icon remains available for scheduling additional communications on other dates.

  • Duplicating Communications:
    Similar to the Calendar, you can duplicate communications within the Campaign Schedule by holding Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while dragging a communication to a new date or channel. Dropping it creates a duplicate with all the same details, which can be independently edited. The original communication stays in place.

  • Removing Communications:
    To remove a communication from the schedule, click the “X” inside the communication entry.

  • Template Application:
    If you have templates set up, you can click the “+ Apply Template” button and select a template from the dropdown list. This automatically adds all associated communications to your schedule, which you can then adjust or remove manually as needed.

2. Content Management

Effective content management ensures your communications are consistent and visually engaging. The Communicate App simplifies adding and editing content for each communication.

Adding and Editing Content

  • Accessing Content:
    Clicking on a communication in either the Calendar or the Communications Schedule opens a modal where you can manage its content.

  • Titles:
    To help differentiate between similar communications, you can add specific titles. For example, multiple Facebook posts might be labeled “Image Carousel” or “Invite Graphic.”

  • Quick Info:
    The modal displays key details including the communication’s date, channel, and associated campaign. Clicking the campaign name takes you directly to the Campaign Page.

When viewing a communication, you can link or unlink Campuses (Plus Plan feature) and associate or disassociate it with campaigns; any communication not linked to a campaign is treated as standalone. You can adjust the date by clicking on it to select any day within the same week. Additionally, you can add comments to collaborate with your team, assign the communication to a specific team member using assignments, and track their progress.

Images

  • Adding Images:
    Click on the campaign content area to view all images already added to the campaign. Selecting an image assigns it to the communication. You can also upload a custom image directly to the communication; this image will remain exclusive to that communication and won’t be available for other communications or campaigns. The maximum file size for images is 10MB.

Copy

  • Adding Copy:
    You can add text copy to your communication by using copy already added to the campaign or by creating custom copy specific to this communication. If you choose to use campaign copy, you can preview and edit it within the communication’s modal. Any changes made here do not affect the original campaign copy; the modified version is saved only to the communication.

3. Draft, Active, and Delete

The status of a communication—whether draft, active, or deleted—affects its visibility and readiness for execution.

Draft Mode

  • Setting to Draft:
    Communications default to active status. If a communication requires further preparation or isn’t ready for deployment, you can set it to draft mode within the details modal. Draft communications appear gray in the Communications Schedule and are hidden from the Calendar unless you enable the drafts view.

  • Activating Drafts:
    To activate a draft, open its details modal and switch it back to active. This restores its visibility in the Calendar and updates its color to match the campaign.

Deleting Communications

  • Deleting from the Schedule:
    To delete a communication, either open its details modal and click the “Delete” button or click the “X” next to the communication entry in the Communications Schedule. Deleting a communication also removes any custom content associated with it, such as unique copy or images not part of the campaign’s general content. Only content originally added to the campaign remains available for future use.

Additional Resources

For more detailed guidance, explore our Documentation. If you have further questions, reach out to us at [email protected].

Start organizing your communications more effectively today.

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