Marketing and Communications works within client budgets to meet print, production, media, and other associated needs.
The office provides strategic marketing development through a variety of resources: editorial support (i.e., copywriting, editing, and proofreading); design; photography; digital support (i.e., website, video, and social media); media planning; and external printing services. MarComm also produces University-wide communication vehicles including Noteworthy and posts on electronic campus signage, handles inbound marketing initiatives, and maintains the University’s Brand Identity Guide and Merchandise Brand Guidelines.
All services are free of charge. The following procedures and guidelines will help you take advantage of the services we offer. Please read them carefully and contact your department liaison or a marketing account director for further assistance.
Details
Electronic campus signs (digital signage) promote University activities, events, deadlines, and educational opportunities by providing information to internal audiences. The goal is to increase awareness and attendance, along with overall support for the University’s brand.
General Information
There are 17 e-boards available for posting on the Queens campus and one on the Manhattan campus.
The e-boards measure 1920 pixels high by 1080 pixels wide. Images should be 72 dpi. Orientation is horizontal.
Each announcement will appear on the screen for eight seconds.
Please allow three to five days for design and posting. Please include the date range during which you want the post to run and on which e-board the post should appear (i.e., Queens only, Manhattan only, or both). Time-sensitive events may receive priority posting.
Best practices for e-boards include the following:
Simple – Messages should be clear and direct and follow University editorial and brand guidelines.
Succinct --Too much text and too many images will decrease readability. Remember, the slide is only visible for eight seconds at a time. Only include relevant details.
Timely -- E-board messages are posted for a maximum of two weeks prior to an event (exceptions may apply at times).
Submit a Request
To submit a request, please provide information to the marketing liaison designated for your office or college. The liaison will contact the appropriate account director in Marketing and Communications. Marketing and Communications makes the final decisions about what content is posted on the e-boards.
Announcement
Schools, Colleges, and departments may include announcements in Noteworthy, a weekly communication that is produced by the Office of Marketing and Communications (MarComm).
Examples of announcement content include policies, faculty trainings, human resource trainings, workshops, celebratory/appreciation month events, lectures, surveys, and the like. If appropriate, an announcement can appear in a maximum of two editions of Noteworthy. During the summer, Noteworthy will be produced on an as-needed basis.
All content must be sent to your MarComm Account Director no later than Wednesday morning and the announcement link must be approved by 9 a.m. Thursday to be included in Monday’s Noteworthy.
If you would like to send a communication to students, please contact Scott A. Wallick, Director of Student Communications and Web Content, Division of Student Affairs.
Team Up
To promote events, Schools, Colleges, and departments should utilize Team Up, St. John’s official calendar solution. Training on Team Up is available from the Office of University Events. Noteworthy features a selection of upcoming events and directs readers to the main event calendar, giving colleagues a streamlined way to share details of your event with the University community.
Internal Communications
Please note that there are several instances where individual internal communications will still be sent, including emergency communications, senior management group updates, strategic priority, In Memoriam notices, and other urgent updates. The Office of Marketing and Communications reserves the right to determine what is designated as an internal communication.
- Submit requests directly to your Account Director via the School/College/department marketing liaison or the dean/vice president.
- All copy is subject to review and editing by the Office of Marketing and Communications.
- When multiple requests for internal communications are received concurrently, order and time of release is determined by MarComm.
This policy assures that St. John’s University’s internal community is notified of significant events and situations in a timely fashion.
Required email content to submit with your Internal Communications request:
From: Name and title of the person. For emails to all employees, this must be a vice president, academic dean, or higher.
To/Audience: State which group should receive the email: administrators, staff, faculty, full-time faculty, adjuncts, or all. Groups can also be segmented by campus. For email to students, please contact Scott A. Wallick, Director of Student Communications and Web Content, Division of Student Affairs, at [email protected].
Subject: Summarize the email clearly in 50 or less characters.
Dates: Please supply three dates for mailing.
Body copy should be provided in a Word document. Photos are optional and should be relevant to the email content.
Before contacting Marketing and Communications, please make sure you have a general sense of your project’s scope, including these parameters:
Print Preparation
What format will best meet your objectives—brochure, postcard, flyer, or other?
What is your overall budget?
What is your target delivery date?
Proofreading
Prior to the design phase, all text you submit for your projects is reviewed for content, appropriateness, grammar, and University style. The Office of Marketing and Communications reserves the right to edit all text in line with the University’s editorial style. Marketing and Communications will not make factual changes or check factual information. It is the client’s responsibility to supply accurate text and check facts.
View the University’s Brand Guidelines (PDF) for complete Editorial Guidelines.
Design and Production
The Office of Marketing and Communications manages more than 1,000 projects per year for departments and colleges throughout the University. Our success—and yours—is made possible by a clearly defined production process.
FIRST PROOF
Expect to receive a first proof within five to seven days after submitting your text and completed forms. Depending on the scope of the project, more time may need to be allotted. For the target delivery date to be met, this proof must be reviewed, signed, and returned to an Account Director within two to three days. Any changes to the design and text should be clearly indicated. Please review your proof carefully, checking the content for accuracy and placement of artwork.
FINAL PROOF
Within five days of submitting your changes to the first proof, a second and final proof is sent to you for your approval and sign off. This is your last opportunity to make revisions before the project is sent to print. The final proof should be reviewed, signed, and returned to your Account Director within two days. If you require extensive changes at this stage, you must submit revised text. Your project will lose priority status and the delivery date of your publication will be impacted. The Office of Marketing and Communications will provide a maximum of two proofs for review on any given project. Although we provide proofreading support, the ultimate responsibility for proofreading at each stage of design belongs to the client.
Once a print project is approved for printing, it will take three to five days to send to print.
Print Production
Before beginning a project, Marketing and Communications can seek unofficial printing quotes at the client’s request. We are unable to provide a more precise estimate until the actual item has been designed and the printing specifications have been established.
Please note: If you must add elements after receiving the initial estimate, costs may change substantially. Therefore, in order to obtain an accurate estimate, please provide specifics as early as possible.
Printing costs are often high and unpredictable. Paper is expensive, and small details of seemingly little consequence can add significantly to the price of a project. The quality of the paper as well as the number of colors, method of reproduction, format, timing and quantity each have a substantial impact on printing costs.
After all corrections are proofed and the design is finalized, allow approximately 10 working days to print, on average. For projects with complex design formats or high quantities, printing can take longer. Marketing and Communications supervises the printing and delivery of any project requiring the services of an off-campus printer.
Delivery and Mailing
Completed projects are delivered to your area or according to the delivery instructions you provide at the start of the project. If pieces need to be labeled and mailed, please contact Printing and Distribution Services directly.
On average, our production team requires four to six weeks to produce print collateral. Some projects may require more time, depending on their complexity. Once you have considered these issues, please reach out to your Account Director in Marketing and Communications to discuss the project in more detail.
Sample Time Estimates
- Postcard: four weeks
- Flyer/poster: four weeks
- Application: four–six weeks
- Banner: four–six weeks
- Brochure/booklet: six–eight weeks
- Invitation/program: eight–10 weeks (depending on event and mailing schedules)
- Bulletin/viewbook new text and design: six months
Please fill out this Resource Request Form (PDF) for your photography, videography, and writing needs.
Photography
Marketing and Communications is staffed with one on-campus photographer reserved for office needs and activities. Their primary focus is to build out the office’s portfolio, support brand awareness, and provide imagery for stories deemed priorities by the office.
Marketing and Communications does not have the capacity to fulfill every request for a photographer. There is a University photo gallery with photographs available to University clients. At times, however, we may be able to accommodate some requests. Please view these photography options:
Requesting Photography Services
To submit a request, please complete and submit the Resource Request Form (PDF) to the marketing liaison designated for your college or office.
The liaison will contact the appropriate account director in the Office of Marketing and Communications. Please note: due to the volume of queries, requests should be submitted as far in advance as possible.
*Please allow three business days for the Office to review your request.
Alternative Options
If the office photographers are unavailable, please consider having the department or college take the photographs (see below for photo tips) or hire a freelance photographer. A list of freelance photographers is available upon request.
Photo Tips
When taking your own photographs, consider the following suggestions:
- Think about ways to illustrate the idea with a single photo
- Shoot multiple times so you can choose the best one
- Shoot close-up, middle distance and overview
- Plain background is preferred if possible
- Do not put subject in front of window
- Do not place subject against a wall, but at least a foot or two away
- Shoot in the highest resolution
Always remember to obtain a photo release (PDF) or photo release for minors (PDF).
Videography
The primary focus of the digital media department in Marketing and Communications is to expand the office’s video portfolio to support brand awareness and provide video for stories deemed University priorities.
The Office of Marketing and Communications does not have the capacity to fulfill every request for videography. At times, however, we may be able to accommodate targeted video projects.
Requesting Video Services
To submit a request, please complete and provide the Resource Request Form (PDF) to the marketing liaison designated for your office or college. The liaison will contact the appropriate account director in the Office of Marketing and Communications.
Alternative Options
If the office videographers are unavailable, please consider hiring a freelance videographer. A list of freelance videographers is available upon request.
Video Tips
When taking your own videos, consider the following:
Know Your Message – Have a clear understanding of what needs to be communicated. This should be more than “spreading the word.”
Know the Outcome – What do you want your audience members to feel after watching the video?
B-roll – Illustrates the subject matter in order to enhance the audience’s understanding and appreciation of the topic.
Audio Level – Ensure that subjects are clearly audible. Choose environments and position microphones to reduce background noise. Monitor value and quality of sound recording.
Shelf Life – Policies, faculty, and priorities may change. It’s not beneficial to keep outdated videos in circulation.
Dress – Make sure participants are appropriately dressed, if important for presentation.
Writing
The Marketing and Communications editorial team develops content for an array of print and online projects for the University.
Marketing and Communications does not have the capacity to fulfill every request for a writer. At times, however, we may be able to accommodate some requests. Please view these editorial options:
Requesting A Writer
To submit a request, please complete and submit the Resource Request Form (PDF) to the marketing liaison designated for your college or office.
The liaison will contact the appropriate account director in the Office of Marketing and Communications. Please note: due to the volume of queries, requests should be submitted as far in advance as possible.
*Please allow three business days for the Office to review your request.
Alternative Options
If a writer is unavailable, please have someone from the department or college draft the story or consider hiring a freelance writer. Text should be supplied as a Word document and it will be proofread and edited per St. John’s University’s Editorial Style Guide. You can also complete this form and a writer can craft a feature based on the information provided.
After establishing a plan, please complete and submit a Project Request Form to the appropriate Account Director.
If you have trouble viewing the form, you must log in. Further Instructions are provided here.
Consistent with the compassionate concern for others central to our mission as a Catholic and Vincentian institution, St. John’s regularly publishes notifications of deaths concerning University employees and their families., The procedure is as follows:
At the request or with the consent of an employee or an employee’s family, the University community emails notification of the death of a full- or part-time employee or a member of the employee’s immediate family. Notifications will also be sent for retired employees and emeriti employees. The following information should be provided:
- Name of deceased
- Relation to employee
- Name, address, and phone number of funeral home
- Date(s) and times of wake
- Date and time of funeral Mass or service
- Name and address of church or place of service
- Name and location of person to whom expressions of sympathy may be sent. (Since home addresses are not published, include name of a University person who should receive cards to forward to family.) If services are private, or have already taken place, notices can be published about where to send expressions of sympathy.
E-mail the bulleted information above to Victoria Santangelo at [email protected] and to Lucy Traverso at [email protected].
Information regarding the death of a student should be forwarded to the University Chaplain, Fr. Hugo Medellin, CM at [email protected] and 718-674-0515.