How to implement and optimise dynamic content

Intro

Dynamic content is a tool often overlooked or under-utilised by marketers. The capabilities of dynamic content are extensive and need to be included. With features such as specific content blocks, countdown timers and customer specific information how can you not want to use it?

But with only 23% of marketers having the capability to provide, we can see why you might find it hard to get into and understand.

Well, we can help.

How it works

Let’s start with how it works; dynamic content is applied through variables and conditions that go and ask questions within your data. For example, if you set a condition of cat owner or dog owner the question will be asked of your customer data, then the result returned and only the cat owners will be able to see the cat content and the dog owners the dog content.

The difference between conditions and variables, often a tricky subject for marketers! Conditions affect a whole block of content, where variables affect one specific element. For example, if you created two different banners and headers for an email, and then said one was for men and one was for women, when you sent it only the relevant parts would be visible to the men and women.

Variables differ, they are more basic and add personalisation to emails. Common variables are your name, title and date of birth. These are used to engage the audience and talk to them as an individual.

Within dynamic content, we can also do more simple aspects, such as pulling customer specific information into the email to be included in pictures or the text. Such as names, customer login sections and birthdays! Here below we can see the email in the form when you create it, then what the customer receives!

Features

Don’t worry about the codes; they soon change to this in the consumer's mailbox!

Why would you use dynamic content?

Dynamic content takes personalisation to the next level. We’re beyond the time where putting someone’s first name is good enough, and it won’t stand out in the mailbox. Spreading content with the hope that it’ll resonate with some of your audience isn’t the strategy to employ. Creating a 1-2-1 conversation is what consumers crave, and what they need.

And, it makes you stand out.

Think about it, who do you remember more, the person who served you at the supermarket or the guy stacking the shelves? A mailbox is similar to this. There are the certain individuals you engage with and pass through to your memory, and the individuals who were stacking the shelves are the brands who you skip past, or delete.

Takeaway

Look at your current metrics, see how you’re getting on. Look at your open rates, click-throughs and how many times your call to action is being taken. This gives you a solid indication on how your consumers are reacting, and the opportunity to build.

Concentrate on the relevance of your email, reduce the size of each segment if necessary and split into more targeted emails. Not only will your metrics rise for the original segments, but the people who would’ve been missed are now being reached.

Conclusion

A message that speaks to the consumer as an individual is the correct message, and dynamic content does all the hard work. It applies all the features you want, without you having to do it manually for each consumer.