We've mentioned it before, but personalising your email campaigns has a serious impact on engagement. How serious? Marketers using dynamic content report up to a 250% increase in click rates and as much as 600% more sales per campaign. If you're not using it yet, here's what you're missing.
What is Dynamic Content?
In an email campaign, dynamic content is content that changes for each subscriber based on the data you hold on them. It ranges from the basics, adding a subscriber's name to a subject line, to the more advanced approach of swapping out entire sections of content depending on who's reading.
All of this depends on the data you have. If you haven't already, start capturing custom fields in your subscribe forms so you can target your database more precisely.
How does this help me?
It comes down to relevance. If you send the same generic newsletter to your entire list, you might get a response from the few subscribers whose needs happen to match what you sent. That's a lot of effort for a small return.
When you send campaigns built around what each customer actually cares about, and address them directly, your engagement rate improves noticeably. People want to feel like more than an email address on a spreadsheet. Give them a reason to think you know who they are.
What can I personalise?
From Name
The From Name is one of the first things a subscriber sees when your email lands in their inbox, alongside the subject line. It plays a real role in whether they open the email or delete it.
You can personalise the From Name so different subscribers see different senders. A practical example: swap the brand name for the customer's account manager or sales rep. For subscribers who are selective about which emails they open, seeing a familiar name can make all the difference.
Subject Line
The subject line gets the same attention as the From Name, so it's worth personalising too. Addressing the customer by name helps your email stand out in a crowded inbox.
You can go further. Use any data you have, as long as it reads naturally. "Hey John, here's what's happening in Cape Town tonight" lands very differently to "Hey, here's what's happening in your city tonight." Try different combinations and see what your subscribers respond to.
Copy
The same logic applies to the body copy. Start with a name, then build from there using whatever custom data you have available.
Compare these two examples: "Happy birthday for the 12th, here's a gift from us" versus "Happy birthday, here's a gift from us." Or "We've got a sale on Men's T-shirts" versus "We've got a sale on." The personalised version is always more relevant. Drop your custom fields into the copy wherever they add context.
Content Sections
If you want to push personalisation further, you can change entire blocks of content based on subscriber data.
A clothing retailer can show menswear to male subscribers and womenswear to female subscribers within the same campaign. A travel brand can send beach holiday deals to customers in countries currently in winter and skiing packages to those in summer. One send, multiple versions, each one relevant to the person reading it.
The possibilities are considerable
TouchBasePro makes it straightforward to personalise your campaigns with dynamic content so you get more value from every send. If you're not sure where to start, get in touch with us and we'll help you work it out.
Frequently asked questions
- What is dynamic content in email marketing?
- Dynamic content in email marketing is content that changes for each subscriber based on data you hold about them. It can apply to the From Name, subject line, body copy, or entire content sections within a single campaign.
- What data do I need to start using dynamic content?
- Any custom data you capture in your subscribe forms can be used, names, location, gender, purchase history, or account details. The more relevant data you collect, the more you can personalise each send.
- What results can I expect from personalised email campaigns?
- Marketers using dynamic content have reported up to a 250% increase in click rates and up to 600% more sales compared to generic campaigns. Results vary by industry and list quality, but relevance consistently improves engagement.
- Can I personalise more than just the subject line?
- Yes. You can personalise the From Name, subject line, body copy, and entire content sections. For example, a clothing brand can show menswear to male subscribers and womenswear to female subscribers within the same campaign send.