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Campaigns

Learn to manage, schedule, and organize your campaigns effectively within the Communicate App.

#campaign-management #event-planning #content-management #scheduling #organization

Campaigns

The Backbone of Your Communication Strategy

Campaigns in the Communicate App are the foundational elements that support every communication effort. Each communication must be tied to a campaign, making the campaign the central "what" and "when" of your communication plan.

1. Quickly Create a New Campaign

You can create a new campaign in two ways:

  • From the sidebar: Navigate to the Campaigns section and click the "+ New" button.
  • From the Timeline (Quick Add): On the Timeline view, use the date row (the row of day cells under the week labels) to click and drag a date range. When you release, the Add Campaign modal opens with the start and end dates already set. Fill in the rest and save; you stay on the Timeline. See the Timeline doc for step-by-step instructions.

When creating a campaign (either way), here are the essential steps:

  • Title: Name your campaign based on the event or initiative you are communicating. For example:

    • Easter
    • VBS
    • Youth Camp
    • For recurring events, consider adding a tag (e.g., "Sep," "Oct," "Nov") to differentiate them.

  • Start and End Dates: Define the duration of your campaign. This typically starts with the date of your first communication and ends on the event day.

  • Category: Select a category to help organize and filter your campaigns.

  • Color: Assign a color to visually distinguish your campaign in calendar and timeline views.

Once these details are in place, you can immediately start scheduling communications.

2. Campaign Page

The Campaign Page serves as your creative brief or promotional plan...a centralized location for all the information related to your campaign. It includes several key sections:

  • Campaign Info: This is where you manage the essential details of your campaign, including the title, dates, category, and color.

Event Details

  • Event Info: Enter basic information about the event or service you are communicating. These details are for reference and do not affect the campaign or communications.

    • Dates & Times: Input the event date and time (e.g., Easter Sunday at 9 AM to 12 PM).

    • Description: Provide a brief description of the event...what it is, what will happen, and what attendees should expect.

    • Target Audience: Define the audience for this campaign (rich text supported). You can include multiple audiences (e.g., Adults, Youth, Entire Church). This is a reference point to help you strategically communicate with the right people at the right time.

Campaign Content

  • Images: Upload relevant images such as graphics, designs, or email headers. Each image can be tagged by channel type to streamline the scheduling process. The maximum file size is 10MB per upload.

  • Copy: Add the text you'll use in communications. Copy fields support rich text (bold, italic, underline, bullet and numbered lists, links). Use the toolbar above the field to format; empty fields show a gray placeholder (e.g. "Copy goes here…"). It's a good idea to create different versions:

    • Long Copy: For emails or detailed announcements. Example: "Join us this Easter Sunday for a celebration of the resurrection! Our services at 9 AM and 11 AM will include special music, an inspiring message, and activities for kids. Come and be part of this joyous occasion!"
    • Medium Copy: For social media or website announcements. Example: "Celebrate Easter with us this Sunday at 9 AM or 11 AM. Special music and activities for kids!"
    • Short Copy: For text messages or brief mentions. Example: "Easter at 9 & 11 AM this Sunday. Join us!" Content is stored as HTML so formatting is preserved when you use it in communications. Existing plain text is still supported and can be edited.

Communications Schedule & Calendar Options

  • Drag-and-Drop: Use the drag-and-drop feature to quickly schedule communications.

The “Other Comms” toggle in the Options dropdown shows small gray channel icons representing other communications outside the campaign; hover over these icons to preview the communication. You can turn this toggle on or off via the Options dropdown.

The “Event Dates” toggle displays event labels directly on the calendar for reference, based on the event dates you’ve set.

Quick Scheduling Tip:
Tip: You can drag and drop communications directly from the “Available Channels” list into the Calendar to schedule them. To duplicate a communication, hold Option (Mac) or Alt (Windows) while dragging, then drop it in the new week or channel. This makes it easy to repeat communications across multiple weeks or channels.

Notes Section

You can add general notes to a campaign by clicking the notes icon to the right of the campaign name. The Notes modal uses a rich text editor (bold, italic, underline, lists, links) so you can format reminders, context, or key planning thoughts. Notes are saved within the app but are not included in PDF exports.

Draft and Active

  • Use the toggle at the top of the Campaign Page to set the campaign as "Draft" or "Active".

    • Draft: Setting a campaign to draft mode will also set all associated communications to draft.

    • Active: Switching to active will give you the option to either activate all communications or leave them as drafts for manual activation.

Sharing

  • PDF Export: Download a PDF version of the campaign, including event details, images, and a communication schedule, to share with your team.

  • Share Link: Generate a read-only link to share the campaign details with anyone, even if they don’t have an app login.

Assignments and Comments

You can now assign team members to a campaign and track their progress using the assignment dropdown in the top right corner of the campaign page.
You can also leave comments on campaigns to coordinate with your team — click the comment button in the top right to open the discussion panel. Learn more in the Assignments and Comments guides.

3. All Campaigns List

This section provides an overview of all campaigns, with options for sorting, searching, and managing them:

  • Sorting & Searching:

    • Campaigns can be sorted by title, color, category, start date, or end date.
    • Use the search bar to quickly find a campaign by typing in its name.

  • Duplicating:

    • Duplicate an existing campaign along with all its data and communications. After duplication, you can adjust the dates and other details as needed.

  • Archiving:

    • Archiving a campaign will remove it and all associated communications from the calendar and timeline. The campaign will remain accessible in the archived section and can be reactivated later. Note: When reactivating, all communications will default to draft mode.

  • Deleting:

    • To delete a campaign, all communications must be removed first. Once deleted, this action cannot be undone. We recommend archiving campaigns instead of deleting them, so you can still access their content later if needed.

4. Timeline

The Timeline is a powerful view for managing your campaigns across a calendar layout. It allows for quick adjustments to campaign dates and ensures that communications maintain their relative positions. More details can be found in the Timeline document.

5. Scheduling the Campaign’s Communications

There are two main ways to schedule communications for a campaign:

  1. Via the Calendar: Use the "+" button in any calendar cell to schedule a communication directly.

  2. Inside the Campaign Page: Utilize the Communications Schedule section for drag-and-drop scheduling within the campaign. Both methods are covered in detail in the Communications document.

Additional Resources

For more detailed guidance, explore our Documentation. If you have further questions, reach out to us at support@communicate.app.

Start organizing your communications more effectively today.

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