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Dynamic Content
Use Marketing Cloud Engagement Content Builder to create dynamic content to deliver a targeted message to an audience. Dynamic content lets you define attributes to content, making the information your subscribers receive more relevant.
If you include dynamic content in your email that is based on data in a data extension, ensure that you send the email to the same data extension that you based the rules on or to a data extension that contains fields with the exact same names as the data extension fields use in the dynamic content rules.
Always upload the content you want to use before you create dynamic content. If you choose to make local copies of content blocks, update the dynamic content block in emails and saved dynamic content when you edit content already used in dynamic content.
Dynamic content is content that displays in a content area according to the rules that you define based on the subscriber's attributes or data extension column values. By using dynamic content, you can ensure that a more-tailored message is reaching your targeted audience.
For example, as a clothing advertiser, you can display women's clothing information in the content area for all the females on your subscriber list and men's clothing for all the males on your subscriber list; however, dynamic content can be much more specific.
Dynamic content can be used in any type of email other than text-based email messages. The dynamic content area uses the formatting (for example, background color and border design) defined for whichever selected content being used.
In addition, default content is the content you specify in the Default Content field. This content displays when a subscriber does not meet a rule you created.
If you create dynamic content based on subscriber attributes, ensure that you create rules. Define the four elements of the rule in the order shown in this table:
| Element | What It Is | How to Define It |
|---|---|---|
| Attribute | The profile on which you want to base which subscribers see this content. If you send to a data extension with a column name that is the same as the profile attribute, the data extension overrides the profile attribute. |
Click Profile Attributes as the source to build the rule from. This displays all attribute in your account. Choose an attribute. If you want multiple attributes to control the content for this rule, add a second expression to make the rule complex. |
| Value | The attribute values to be used in determining which subscribers see this content. If there is a default value for the attribute, the subscriber is evaluated with that value. Empty subscriber attribute vales are evaluated as containing a zero (0) value. | Your options in this field depend on the attribute and operator you selected. If the attribute has defined values, the dialog box features a dropdown list consisting of those defined values. If the attribute is a free-form field with no defined values, you see a text box in which you type the value. Type it exactly as it's been entered in subscriber records. For the most consistent results, use attributes with defined values for dynamic subject lines. If you chose exists in, exists in word, or does not exist in as the operator, enter all the possible values in the text box separated by commas with no spaces between values. Use the is empty or is not empty as the operator to create rules for empty conditions. |
| Operator | The relationship between the attribute and the value that you select. | The list of available operators varies based on the properties of the attribute you selected. Be sure to choose an operator that makes sense with the type of attribute you chose. For example, don't use the 'less than' operator with a text attribute. |
| Content | The content to be displayed for a subscriber who meets the attribute requirement you defined. | Click Content to show all stored static content. You cannot choose stored dynamic content. Navigate to the folder that contains the content you to display for this expression. Click and drag the name of the desired content area to Select Content. A preview of the selected content is shown. When you have selected the desired content, click the Save. |
Northern Trail Outfitters has an email newsletter to send out, but they want to include dynamic content. To create the content, the marketer clicks Content Builder, and then clicks Create. The marketer creates several pieces of content in Content Builder that they want to create the dynamic content.
They are now ready to create the dynamic content. They click Create and select Dynamic Content.
Northern Trail Outfitters select default content and create a rule. All subscribers that have their gender designated as female receive the same content.
After Northern Trail Outfitters has created all the rules, they click Save. They have now created dynamic content. Now they can include the dynamic content in email and send it, all female subscriber receive an email with the content designated for females. All other subscribers receive the default content.
- Create Dynamic Content
Use dynamic content in email messages. Dynamic content appears according to the rules that you define, based on the subscriber's attributes, data extension values, or audiences. If a subscriber matches more than one rule, they receive the content for the first rule that applies. - Modify Dynamic Content
Use Marketing Cloud Engagement Content Builder to modify a Dynamic Content block. - Create a Dynamic Subject Line and Preheader
Use Content Builder to create a dynamic subject line and preheader. An email with a dynamic subject line or dynamic preheader has the content that a subscriber sees based on the subscriber's attributes according to the rules that you define. For example, you can define one subject line to appear for all the males in your list and another for all the females. These attributes can be taken from a subscriber list or a sendable data extension.
