Slate Video

Slate Video allows admissions staff to create and send personalized video messages to email recipients, including prospects, applicants, current students, and alums. Create and send videos from wherever a one-off communication can be sent, including person records, call lists, and from within Slate Voice.

Email and SMS videos enable admissions staff to personalize messages and reminders directly to prospective students, helping to keep them engaged throughout the admissions process. Dynamic content snippets are customized content that can be included in messages, including those sent through Deliver.

Configuring Slate Video

Configuring your Slate instance for Slate Video allows you to create and send videos wherever a one-off communication can be sent, including person records, call lists, and within Slate Voice.

Configuring Slate Video is accomplished through the use of portals. Additional knowledge base articles, including Portals and Creating a Custom Portal, can provide additional insight into Slate portals.

The basic steps to configuring Slate Video are:

1. Create a new portal.

2. Create a new view for the portal.

3. Create the portal's default method.

4. Set the new view as the default.

5. Configure the portal layout.

Refer to the following sections for details on how to accomplish each step.

Step 1: Creating a new portal

📝 Note

This portal is now the template through which all personalized Slate videos will be shown to students if using Dynamic Content Blocks, meaning that any additional content added to this portal will appear for everyone.

1. Click Database on the Slate navigation bar.

2. Select Portals in the Portals section.

3. Click New Portal. An Edit Details popup appears.

4. If using folders to organize your content (recommended), select an existing Folder or select Other and enter a new folder name.

5. For Key, enter video_portal.

6. For Name, use an appropriate name for the portal. For clarity, use a name that describes the portal's function, like "Personalized Video Portal."

7. Leave Default View blank for now.

8. Set Security to Person. A Secure Link option appears.

9. Leave Secure Link blank.

10. Set Anonymous Access to Allow access only for identified users.

11. Click Save. The Video Portal Personalized page appears.

Step 2: Create a New View for the Portal

1. Under the Views section of the new portal, click "New View." An Edit View popup appears.

   

2. For Name, enter an appropriate name (such as "Default") for the view.

3. Click Save. The portal editor appears.

   

4. In the breadcrumb area of the page, click the link for the portal that you created (in this case, "Video Portal Personalized") to return to the portal page.

   

Creating the portal's default method

1. Under the Methods section of the new Portal, click New Method.

   

2. Use the following settings for the new Method:

   • Name: "Default" (or any other name you want)

   • Type: GET

   • Output Type: Default Branding

   • Action: (leave blank)

   • View: Select the View you just created

3. Click Save. The Portal Method page appears.

   

4. In the breadcrumb area of the page, click the link for the portal that you created (in this case, "Video Portal Personalized") to return to the portal page.

   

Set the new view as the default

1. From the overall portal management page, select your newly created portal ("Video Portal Personalized" in this example). The portal page appears.
   

2. Click the Edit button in the top right corner of the portal management page.

3. Select your newly created view for the Default View setting.

4. If it has not been done automatically, change the Secure Link setting at this point to Enable access via a secure link; otherwise students will be directed to a login page when they click on the video thumbnail rather than being taken directly to the portal.

5. Click Save.

Step 3: Configuring the portal layout

1. Click on the view you previously created. The portal editor appears.

   

2. A Slate Video widget is now available for you to drag and drop into place within the body of the Portal. This is the widget Slate will use to display and play the personalized video that was created and included in an email or SMS communication to a Person Record.

   

3. Click the first (one column) row layout. The new one-column row appears on the portal editor.

   

4. Click the Slate Video widget or drag it into the row you just created. An Edit Part popup appears.

   

5. For Name, provide an appropriate name.

6. Click Save.

   

Slate Video with email

To send a video message in an email, navigate to a person’s record and click their email address in the Connect section of their Dashboard tab.

Type your message, and when you’re ready to add the personalized video:

1. Click the Video Camera icon. This opens the video preview from which you can start recording. Ensure your computer/browser has access to both your audio and video connections.

2. To start recording, click the Record button.

3. When you’ve finished recording, click the Stop button

4. Should you need to do another take, simply click the Restart button and repeat the processes.

   

5. When you’re satisfied with the video, select one of the three automatically generated frames to serve as the thumbnail image for use within your email. Thumbnail options, from left to right, include the first frame of the video, a frame taken around the middle of the recording, and the last frame of the video.

6. Click Insert.

   

A thumbnail image with a play button overlay will be added where your cursor was placed. To send the message, click Send.

When you click Send, the message immediately begins to be transcoded. When the recipient clicks the video thumbnail, they are taken to a standard portal page, styled with your institutional branding, where they can watch the video message.

See an example below:

Slate Video with SMS

Send a personalized video message through SMS from anywhere the one-off SMS message popup is found—including on a person’s record, within Slate Voice, and within Slate Voice as part of a call campaign.

To support overall deliverability, a shortened link will appear in place of a thumbnail image, directing the recipient to a portal where they can watch the video.

To send a video message with SMS:

1. Within the Send Message SMS popup, type a message.

2. Place your cursor where you’d like the video link to appear and click the Video Camera icon. Be sure to check that your computer/browser has access to both your audio and video connections.

3. To start recording, click the Record button.

4. When you’re finished recording, click the Stop button.

5. Should you need another take, simply click the Restart button and repeat the process.

   

6. When you’re satisfied with the video, select one of the three automatically generated frames. While not included as a thumbnail in the SMS message, this will be the cover image when the video is loaded in the Slate Video portal.

7. Click Insert.

A shortened link is appended to the text message at the location of your cursor.

When the recipient of the message clicks the link, they're taken to a standard portal page, styled with your institutional branding, where they can watch the video message.

Only one video message may be included per message. If you wish to replace existing video content with a new message, you must first remove the existing Slate Video link.

Slate Video as part of an Inbox snippet

Incorporate Slate Video into Inbox snippets to:

• Embed video content in context of other personalized merge fields within a message

• Pre-design the layout, copy, and branding of a message

• Direct video recipients to a customized portal, rather than the standard Slate Video portal

To send Slate Video as part of an Inbox snippet:

1. Go to Inbox.

2. Select Snippets.

3. Click New Snippet to create a new snippet, or click an existing snippet to edit it.

4. In the snippet editor, click Export.

5. Search for and select the export Portal Link with Slate Video. Click Continue.

   

6. Double click the export. Under Configuration, select your desired destination portal from the list. Click Save. 

   

7. In the body of the snippet message, insert the merge field {{Person-Portal-Link-with-Slate-Video}}​ at the point where you want your video link (if using SMS) or thumbnail (if using email) to appear. Click Save.

8. Navigate to a record to which you'd like to send a SMS or email video message.

   

9. From the right-hand navigation in the Send SMS Message or Send Email popup, select the desired snippet from the list (ours features the Video Camera icon. A video preview window appears.

10. Record your video message. Ensure your computer/browser has access to both your audio and video connections.
    

    

11. Click Insert. The link (if using email) or thumbnail (if using SMS) merges dynamically into the appropriate place within the snippet.

    

The list of portal options will be limited to portals that include the Slate Video widget.

Slate Video with Deliver

To add Slate Video content to a Deliver mailing:

1. Go to Deliver. 

2. Click New Mailing, or edit an existing mailing.

3. Click Edit Message on the right.

4. In the message text, place your cursor where you'd like your video thumbnail to appear. Then, click the Video Camera icon. The video preview window appears.

5. Record your video message. Ensure your computer/browser has access to both your audio and video connections.
   

   

6. If your Deliver campaign is an email, select one of the three automatically generated frames to serve as the thumbnail image for use within your email. Thumbnail options, from left to right, include the first frame of the video, a frame taken around the middle of the recording, and the last frame of the video.
   

7. Click Insert. The thumbnail of your choice is inserted at your cursor position.

8. Click Save.