Salesforce Marketing Cloud | Single Journey Sends

Within Salesforce Marketing Cloud there are varying bulk email send methods. This page provides instructions on setting up a "Single Journey" send. Sending with a single Journey allows emails to be sent to a specific set of email addresses. Ohio State's audience data comes from many sources. It is important to consider the email recipients' opt-in preferences by only sending to the email addresses provided for each email communication.

SFMC Single Journey sending instructions

The Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) method of sending called “Single Journey Sends” enables confirmation that the email message is sent to a specific list of recipients based on the email address field within the data extension (list). This method of sending applies to all Subscription, some Recruiting and some University Community message sends.

The first step is to build an email in SFMC Content Builder and save it to your college or unit's folder. If you are new to SFMC the New User Onboarding videos to review how to build an email in Email Builder/Content Builder.

Note: Test send your email and gain approvals before scheduling any email send.

If there are questions about the application of this sending method please reach out to OMC's Email and Automation team.

The method of sending from SFMC called “Single Journey Sends” provides confirmation that the email is sending to a specific list of recipients, based on the email address field within the data extension (list). Subscription is a perfect use case for this email execution method.

The below steps will support sending an email in the single send journey method. This process applies to use cases in the following business units (BUs) within SFMC: Recruiting, Subscription and University Community.

1 1. After the email test send is approved, navigate to Journey Builder > Journey Builder

The SFMC homescreen with Journey Builder highlighted in a yellow box — This is the home screen for Salesforce Marketing Cloud. Navigate to the Journey Builder area as highlighted with the yellow box.

1 2. On left click “Folders”, navigate to your college/unit folder (this step will save the journey to the proper folder)

Click Create New Journey button in upper right.

Note: If the journey is not created in your college or unit folder, you will be able to drag and drop it there later (if scheduled move after send).

Journey's Dashboard page with folder structure and "Create New Journey" areas highlighted with yellow boxes — This is the Journeys Dashboard screen. Navigate to the Folders area on the left in the "My Journeys" will be a folder for your college or unit. Select your area's folder. Once the folder is selected click "Create New Journey" blue button in the upper right corner of this window.

Single Journey is highlighted with a yellow box, indicating to select this option — Select on Single Journey

1 3. Select Single Send Journey

Name email and the Journey the same name following the UTM naming convention, this will assist with tracking the send:
- UTM code email naming convention
- unitcode_marketing-activity_fyXX_[additional-qualifiers]
  - example: usac_faculty-staff_fy25_newsletter-20240808
SAVE OFTEN from this point forward (upper right of screen).

Highlighting where to name the journey and to select the Data Extension icon — This image highlights where to edit the name of the Single Send Journey. Add the unique ID of the subscription DE to this name for quick reference. After naming the journey select the Data Extension icon.

1 4. Select Date Extension

Select DE/list: Data Extensions > College/Unit Folder > Choose correct audience
Click blue Summary button on bottom right
Click "Done" on journey setup screen

Window with folders for each unit and data extensions available. Noting an alert may appear if this isn't the first time this DE is being used to send. — Select your journey's data extension. It is located in your college/unit folder in Data Extensions folder. The unique id number will be in the name of the data extension for Subscriptions. Note: Alert may appear if this isn't the first time this DE is being used to send.

1 5. Click Email Icon

Navigate to the email already built Email Studio (we suggest it is built before creating the journey)
- It is possible to build your email by navigating to Email Studio's Content Builder from Journey Builder
- Always test and preview the email before sending (gain all approvals)
Click blue "Summary" button on bottom right

Select the email icon to the right. The Activity Summary will appear and show the button to "Select Message" — Select the email icon to the right. The Activity Summary will appear on the left and show the button to "Select Message" button. There is also a "New Message" button. It is strongly suggested to build the email in Email Studio/Content Builder and test the email to gain all approvals before building the journey.

1 6. Edit message configuration

Send classification – dropdown > Default commercial (Subscription or Recruitment, must have an unsubscribe) > Default transactional (University Community only)
Sender profile (envelope of email) > select appropriate sender profile for the audience and content
- Note: Check this everytime you send to be sure it hasn't changed due to other users in the business unit
Click blue "Summary" button

Edit message configuration: a. Send classification – dropdown > Default commercial (unsubscribe) > Default transactional b. Sender profile (envelope of email) > select appropriate profile for the audience and content c. Click Summary

1 7. Delivery Options

Subscription:
- Skip this section > Nothing to change here usually (suppress emails from sending to Sales Cloud should be checked when audience content is coming from the CRM, which is true for Subscription)
University Community:
- Manual List Upload > Unclick Send Tracking Results to Sales Cloud if the list was manually uploaded.
- Automated Data Extension (list, Connected Data) > suppress emails from sending to sales cloud should be checked when audience content is coming from the CRM, which is true for Connected Data, data extensions
Recruitment:
- Date Extensions are created from Salesforce CRM data
- Automated Data Extension (list) > suppress emails from sending to sales cloud should be checked when audience content is coming from the CRM, which is true for Connected Data, data extensions
Click blue "Summary" button

1 8. Click Schedule button

Choose "At a specific date and time" and enter the details for the send
- Check the Team-up Calendar for similar sends and do not overlap or send on blacked-out days
- Enter your email send in this calendar if you have not already
Select the specific date and time of this email send
Click Done
SAVE

Select the Schedule icon, choose at specific data — a. Click Schedule icon. b. Choose At a specific date and time and enter them c. Check the "Team-up" calendar for similar sends and do not overlap or send on blacked-out days. d. Select the specific date and time of this email send

1 9. Click "Settings" (gear icon) in top right, go to Journey Settings

Use email attribute from Entry Source, in dropdown select the proper field for the data:
- Subscription audiences > Email__C (data field containing email address)
- University Community or (parent) Ohio State University > hed__UniversityEmail (data field containing email address)
- Recruitment
This is important to ensure the email is sent to the proper email addresses.
Click Done
Click SAVE
Click Validate

Select the gear icon for settings. Journey builder settings are important to select the audience email addresses in the attribute column of the data extension

Select the email attribute from Entry Source, in dropdown select the proper field for the data — Use email attribute from Entry Source, in dropdown select the proper field for the data: i Subscription audiences > Email__C (data field containing email address) ii. University Community or (parent) Ohio State University > hed__UniversityEmail (data field containing email address) iii. Recruitment audience attribute selection iv. This is important to ensure the email is sending to the proper email addresses.

1 10. Validate and Activate the Journey

Click Validate
Activate the Journey, click the "Activate" button
- Activate will make the journey Live > Scheduled (rocket ship) > take a (screenshot > SAVE THIS for your records, it shows the audience DE, the email sent and the date/time of send)
- Click "Return to Journey"

Select validate button before activating the journey — Journey validate the selections for this journey before activating.

After activating the journey the rocket ship will appear to confirm.

Tracking:

To see the scheduled single journey send, there are two options:

In Journey Builder, select the Scheduled Single Sends option in the Journeys Dashboard
Or navigate to Email Studio > Tracking > Sends (this is for scheduling and engagement metrics after send

Select the Scheduled Single Sends option in the Journeys Dashboard — To locate tracking details in Journey Builder, select the Scheduled Single Sends option in the Journeys Dashboard

Reporting:

To see the engagement for single journey sends, there are also two options:

In Journey Builder, select the Recent Single Sends option in the Journeys Dashboard
Or navigate to Email Studio > Tracking > Reports (this is for engagement metrics after send)

Journey Builder, view reporting under Recent Single Sends — In Journey Builder, view reporting under Recent Journey Sends

Or navigate to Email Studio > Tracking > Reports (this is for engagement metrics after send)

If you need to CANCEL a send, go to Journey Builder:

Look for the scheduled journey:
Click the blue "Cancel" button

After cancelling you will need to build or duplicate the single send journey and start a new send rather than modifying it.