Recently, we added a new way to include images in campaigns built in the email builder. Alongside the existing drag-and-drop option, you can now add an image from an external URL. That opens up a range of options for delivering more personalised, dynamic visuals to your audience.
Here are three practical ways to use that capability.
Grow your revenue
If you use email campaigns as an advertising channel, running ad units through platforms like Google Ads, the email builder supports those units directly. Your advertising platform provides a code snippet that includes an image URL, which you paste straight into the builder. No workarounds needed.
Show a live, dynamic image
Personalised, relevant content consistently produces higher engagement. With external image URLs, you can display live, changing images, a countdown timer, a weather widget, a real-time offer, served by a third-party provider. Companies like Kickdynamic, Movable Ink, and Liveclicker build contextual, real-time images based on criteria you define.
This turns your email into something closer to a one-to-one message. A countdown timer, for instance, creates urgency, useful whether you want to drive purchases, prompt appointment bookings, or remind subscribers about an upcoming event.
Here is a simple example: a countdown timer built in MotionMail, counting down to the end of 2017. Copy the image URL from MotionMail (or Kickdynamic, or whichever provider you use) and paste it into your campaign. That is all there is to it.
Present personalised products
External images also support targeted recommendations. A retailer can surface relevant products; a publisher can point readers to content they are likely to engage with.
What you promote is your call. Once you paste a dynamic URL into the builder, the personalisation tags are queried and the correct image is pulled into your email. Custom fields with a fallback value handle cases where personalisation data is missing.
Images on another level
Pulling images from a third party, whether for ads, live dynamic content, or recommendations, is a straightforward way to make your campaigns more relevant without rebuilding your entire setup. If you have other ideas for using dynamic images, share them in the comments.
Frequently asked questions
- What is an external image URL in the TouchBasePro email builder?
- It is an image hosted on a third-party server. Instead of uploading a static file, you paste the image's URL into the builder. The email then loads whatever image that URL serves at open time, which means the image can change between sends or even between opens.
- Which providers work with TouchBasePro's external image feature?
- Any provider that serves an image via a URL will work. The article mentions Kickdynamic, Movable Ink, Liveclicker, and MotionMail as examples for dynamic and countdown-timer images.
- Can I use external images for product recommendations?
- Yes. Paste a dynamic URL that includes personalisation tags into the builder. The tags are queried at send time and the relevant product or content image is pulled in. Set up a custom field with a fallback to cover contacts where personalisation data is incomplete.
- Do ad units from Google Ads work inside the email builder?
- Yes. Your advertising platform provides a code snippet containing an image URL. Paste that URL into the external image field in the builder and the ad unit appears in your campaign.