Questions this guide will answer:
How can I create dynamic content blocks?
How do I add dynamic content regions to my email message?
Dynamic content is like advanced personalisation.
You make HTML dynamic content blocks and name them after expected custom field values in the list(s) you intend to send to.
The campaign, then pulls in content block(s) which match each contact’s custom field values. Instead of just putting the field value into the message, like standard personalisation.
An easy example is for different pets of different recipients, where a list has a field called “pets” and there is content to be personalised for “cat”, “dog”, “parrot”.You get to the Dynamic content blocks page from the Messages page sub-nav menu.
Go to Messages > Dynamic content blocks.
You will be taken to the Dynamic content blocks page.
Where you can make your first dynamic content block, click the button to enter the editor.
All you need to do here is give it a name and add the html content.
This name must match exactly with the custom field values on your list
The plain text version of the copy will be created automatically when you save & finish.
Dynamic content regions
In the HTML editor (and legacy visual editor) there will be an option in the sidebar for Dynamic Content regions.
Clicking this will open your Dynamic regions window.
If you do this in a new message, that has never been saved, you will be asked to save it in order to access the regions window.
The region's window will show you this message’s current regions for you to see and manage, if you have any.
You can only create new dynamic regions, if your profile has at least one dynamic content block.
If you have at least one dynamic content block, the first time you open the dynamic regions window, your message will obviously not have any regions, so you will be asked to make one.
Clicking “New Dynamic content Region” opens the editor window.
The top half of the editor asks for:
A region name
This will be used like a personalisation tag in your message, so cannot have spaces.
A list field name
This is a free text box but will offer suggestions from existing fields as you type.
It must match exactly the list field name you wish to use.
A Fallback setting
If a contact in your list has no value in that field or a value that doesn’t match any of your blocks you can choose to hide the region, or pick a default block to show in its place. This is also the case if the list you choose to send to doesn’t contain that field.
To choose a fallback content block, click “change” in the fallback section.
The fallback window will open and you can change it from “Hide this region” by selecting any other block.
You can search by block name and step through pages if you have a lot of blocks.
Once you have selected the block you want, hit Finish to return to the region editor.
You will see your new fallback setting and you can now hit save/finish.
If you are expecting each contacts’ field to only have one value for the linked field, you are free to leave the rest empty.
If you want to frame the content block(s) within the message you may want to add some HTML to the header and footer.
If you have a scenario where a contact’s field could have more than value eg: they could have a dog and a cat, the contact’s ‘pets’ field might contain: “cat,dog”.
If you have a block for both values, this would cause the content region to pull in both blocks.
You may have built each content block to sit in its own row of sorts, with line breaks or tables etc.
Alternatively you may want to put something in the region’s divider to manage this; be it just a line breaking “<br>” tag or you may add the wrapping table code in the region’s header, divider and footer to ingest content blocks containing only text based content.
You have lots of control with this.
Once you have completed your region, hit ‘Finish’ to save and return to the regions window.
From here you close to return to the canvas. You have the option to copy the region tag for pasting into the content but you can access each messages’ regions tag list from the canvas too.
Once on the canvas again, you can paste the region tag if you copied it or you can type an open brace character ‘{‘ as you would for personalisation to find all of your regions at the bottom of the suggestion list.
Once your tag is in the canvas, you can use the preview and testing tools to see how the region renders in its fallback state. So it will be either hidden or it will show you the fallback block if you have chosen one.
You can schedule a campaign to a test list, with contacts holding sample field values for some of the blocks you expect to pull in.
Whilst messages are locked when part of a campaign or automation, content blocks are not, so the fallback block for a message’s region can be edited without having to do anything to a live campaign or automation.
Dynamic content is only accessible to you for the HTML code editor – which has a wysiwyg overlay (and the legacy ‘visual editor’).
Content blocks also have APIs available, so it is possible create a level of sync between your CMS and your profile’s content blocks.