Email is a great way for educators to stay connected with parents, students, and colleagues. However, sending individual emails can be time-consuming. To save time, educators can use a mail merge to send out mass emails.
A mail merge offers several features that can be helpful for schools, such as the ability to easily manage contact lists, create custom templates, and track delivery rates and open rates, all from the comfort of Google Workspace. All of these features can help you save time and email more effectively.
This article will explore how educators can use a mail merge to keep communication straight in their schools. Let’s dive in!
When would you need to send a mass email for school?
Sending out a Google Classroom enrollment code
When you first create a Google Classroom, you're given the option to share an enrollment code with your students. This code allows them to join the class without needing a specific invite from you. If you have a large class, sending out the enrollment code via email can be a lot easier than trying to distribute it in person.
In this situation, instead of sending each email manually, you can send them all at once via a mail merge. Not only does this save you time, but it also ensures that your students receive the enrollment code promptly.
Send out class announcements or permission slips
If there is an upcoming event or field trip for your class, you'll need to send out an announcement or permission slip to the parents. Every educator knows the pain of making sure parents receive these. Sending it out as a paper slip almost ensures several of your students will lose it, and emailing parents directly can take a lot of time.
With a mail merge, you can send out these announcements to parents directly at one time. Sending out all of the emails at once will save you a lot of time and ensure that everyone gets the information they need.
Remind students and parents about an upcoming test
Let’s say you have a test or quiz on the horizon. To make sure studying is facilitated in the home, you need to make sure parents are aware. You might also want to send students a reminder outside of class to make sure they don’t forget.
A mass email can be a great way to remind them and their parents of the date, time, and subject of the test. This can help ensure that everyone is on the same page and no one forgets about the test.
A mail merge can make your emails for schools a breeze
Send out mass emails directly from your email list
A mail merge makes it possible for teachers to send out mass emails directly from their contact list. This can be a huge time saver, as it eliminates the need to individually email each contact. In addition, it can help to ensure that all emails are properly addressed and formatted.
Most services involve uploading your contact list to their service, but you may want to avoid giving out your private information. With YAMM, you don’t need to worry about that. All you have to do is allow the add-on access to your Google Sheet. Because YAMM is integrated with Google Workspace, the contact information is still just as private as Google makes it.
Personalize your emails for students and parents
When sending an email to students and parents, it's helpful to personalize the message so that the recipient knows that the email is meant for them. This can be done by adding the student's name to the subject line or body of the email.
Adding a personal touch to emails about class, upcoming tests, or grades helps to reduce confusion and creates a more personal connection with the students.
A mail merge makes it easy to do just that with custom fields, markers, and email templates. With custom fields, you can insert information that is specific to each recipient, making your email more relevant and personal. You can also customize the subject line of your email to improve open rates.
Track when your emails are opened
A mail merge allows users to track when their emails are opened. This can be useful for teachers to gauge whether or not their students are reading the materials they send out. It can also help you to follow up with the students if they do not respond to your initial email.
Also, you can see if parents opened your emails about important announcements. The parents who didn’t open your emails can be sent a friendly reminder or follow-up. If they ask a question that you answered in a previous email, you can point them in the right direction rather than explaining it again.
Make sure emails arrive in student and parent inboxes
Students and parents must receive important class emails so that there are no misunderstandings. However, if a class email ends up in spam, there's a good chance they'll never see it. By using a mail merge with personalization, you can increase the chances that they'll receive your emails.
How? Personalized emails don’t only increase engagement. If emails are personalized, they’re more likely to end up in the inbox of the recipient.
A mail merge is an effective way to make sure your class emails are received. Each email will be sent individually with the recipient's name included in the subject line and body of the message. This makes it more likely that the email will be delivered to the inbox and less likely that it will be marked as spam.
How to send emails for school with YAMM
Looking for the right mail merge? YAMM (Yet Another Mail Merge) is a Gmail extension that makes it easy to send mass emails. With YAMM, you can easily personalize your emails, attach files, and even schedule when your email should be sent.
Follow the steps below to set up your first mail merge:
Step 1: Install YAMM to your Google Workspace
First, you'll need to install YAMM on your Google Workspace. YAMM is a free add-on that works with Gmail, so you can use it without any worries. To install YAMM, just go to the YAMM's website and click on the "Install" button. It'll only take a few seconds for the add-on to be installed on your account.
However, please keep in mind that many school domains restrict access to add-ons. If you try to install YAMM and it doesn't work, it's probably because your school has blocked third-party add-ons. In this case, you'll need to coordinate with your administrators to get YAMM installed on your account.
Step 2: Create a contact list on Google Sheets
If you haven’t already, it's time to create a contact list. YAMM works with Google Sheets, so make sure your contact list is on there. Just create a new sheet and include the following columns:
- Email Address
- First Name
- Last Name
Step 3: Draft your email for students or parents
Next, you'll need to draft your email in Gmail. Compose your email on Gmail as you normally would. Instead of putting in any names in the subject line and body, include name tags like {%FirstName%} and {%LastName%}.
When you’re done with your email, save it to your Drafts folder. To make sure it works, don’t include any emails in the “To” field. Also, make sure to use the web version of Gmail.
Want to make your email shine? Try using a Gmail Layout to create a beautiful email that impresses parents and colleagues.
Step 4: Start mail merge and select template
Now, it's time to start your mail merge. To do this, go to Google Sheets and open the spreadsheet with your contact list and click on the "Extensions" menu. From there, select " Yet Another mail merge" and then click on the "Start mail merge" button.
On the next screen, you'll be asked to choose a template in the Email Template field and write the Sender Name in the From fields. You’ll use the draft that you created in the previous step.
Step 5: Send out your mass email
Now, it's time to send out your email. Just click on the "Send emails" button and YAMM will take care of the rest. Your emails will be sent out automatically, and you'll even get a report of who opened them and when. Each email will be personalized with the recipient's name, so you don't have to worry about them being marked as spam.
And that's it! You've now learned how to send emails to school with a mail merge.
Try out YAMM today for all your school emails
YAMM is a great option for educators who need to send mass emails to schools because it makes the process quick and easy. There's no need to worry about individual addresses in each email or attaching files one by one. YAMM can handle all of that for you.
And, since it integrates with Gmail, you can add YAMM to your workflow in no time at all. Plus, YAMM is free to use with up to 50 recipients per day. If you need to send to more people, upgrade to a paid plan starting at just $25/year.
So what are you waiting for? Install YAMM today!