How dynamic content material can enhance your e-mail advertising

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It may not be obvious, but our job as marketers is to be creative. We constantly need to think of new ways to generate leads, convert those leads, and engage prospects so that our company is the first thing they think of when they’re ready for a solution.

Marketing – especially email marketing – has to reinvent itself again and again in order to become more attractive. Being imaginative and genuine while being consistent in your brand’s message can result in more leads, conversions, and sales.

And while we use data to determine the hows and whys of our content and email marketing campaigns, and to make them personal and personalized, we sometimes fall back into the same old loops and familiar tactics.

This is where dynamic content comes into play.

What is dynamic content?

Dynamic content is a personalization tool; The content of an email changes depending on who is viewing the email. But what exactly is the tool? How does it work? And how can you use it in your email marketing efforts to get better leverage and improve your marketing plan?

To create dynamic content, you first need data, because dynamic content changes based on the personal information your recipients gave you when they signed up for your email list.

Not all ESPs can give you the ability to create content that changes depending on the recipient, mainly because the feature is all about custom fields. Therefore, you need an email marketing solution that allows you to determine whether the recipient’s behavior meets certain criteria that make them part of the segment you are targeting with your campaign.

Let’s say you are a B2B eCommerce platform that offers deals on your services. It would be wise to only present relevant offers and content to those who need it – perhaps upselling content to lower tier customers and special offers for those who paid more.

Set up your content options as follows:

(Source: Moosend)

After that, your email marketing tool will show each recipient relevant content based on the segment they are in.

Why use dynamic content?

Dynamic content could be your first step towards a profitable conversion marketing funnel where even the least interested of your contacts will see something that entices them. Because dynamic content increases engagement by changing according to data, it could potentially predict what a customer wants, turning a one-time buyer into a loyal customer.

Using dynamic content, your email campaigns show recipients exactly what they want to see and buy, without requiring them to read the email body full of information, products, and offers that don’t apply to them. This increases your sales conversion rate and creates conditions in which your recipients will be happy to receive and open your email marketing campaigns and click on your CTAs.

All of this, in turn, builds the image of a brand that cares about them and shows them exactly what they want, when they want it.

How to create dynamic content

Although the process is automated after setting conditions (if/then criteria), dynamic content can potentially go awry, costing you much-needed ROI and even cross-selling options. Here are two ways to avoid this.

1. Study your personas and fill in the blanks

You can’t create custom content without first knowing the people you want to sell to. This is where customer or user personas come in to save the day.

To create user personas, study your data and take a good look at your audience. Who do you anticipate selling to? Who would never buy more than once? Who would never fit your client?

Your social media audience, the people on the email list you build, and even the email marketing metrics you track can give you much-needed information about how you create your customer personas, who’s more valuable is and what type of content your personas would love—or love to hate—it.

Your customer personas can also help you “fill in the blanks” by providing data to help you understand the behavior of users with otherwise blank profiles. Just look at the segment they fall into, then use AI and machine learning to distinguish patterns.

Plan carefully and track email metrics

Different user personalities require different content that looks and feels tailored and personal. The whole point of dynamic content is that it changes according to the reader’s needs, not to showcase your brand’s diversity.

To achieve this, you need to keep technical details in mind. Be mindful of the image sizes and blocks you use in your email builder, and don’t forget to test your email’s appearance on different devices. You don’t have to study data to know that defective elements are unattractive and can cost you conversions.

Always run A/B tests and make sure your dynamic content changes according to the email metrics you track. If your goal is an amazing CTR, don’t settle for a changing headline — look at product images. If you need more email opens, a custom subject line field might be enough.

take that away

Dynamic content is the most advanced form of hyper-personalization to date.

Everyone uses email marketing to sell. That’s why marketers are looking for new and exciting ways to turn their email marketing campaigns into a real powerhouse for conversions and also for brand exposure and increased authority and value.

Dynamic content can provide all of that.

More resources on dynamic content in email marketing

Three great reasons to add dynamic content to your next email

Six ways to increase sales with email personalization

Seven email innovations to bring context to your campaigns