Pre-populated dynamic email content with Email 2.0 variables

[Anonymous]

Hi there,

I am trying to make things easier for our regional users by designing a single template with modules - we have segmentation setup, and I'd previously used snippets to allow content to be regionalised within emails. However, as snippets don't support global variables, when trying to incorporate one into an email with modules, it 'breaks' the overall template.

I'm fine with using dynamic content instead of pre-designed snippets, however it defeats the simplicity aspect I'm aiming for if the users have to manually change the content each time to reflect the local URL or phone number etc.

Is there a way to have dynamic content automatically display different content in email modules based on segmentation - rather than having to change it manually, and also allow the use of Email 2.0 variables?

Sorry if this is a question that's been asked before - I couldn't find a forum topic exactly matching this question.

Thanks,
Phil

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Hi Phil,

Sorry, but I am not sure I understand what you are trying to do so let me clarify a few things.

Dynamic content is a Marketo feature that relies on segmentations. With this, you can change the content of text zones in a module based on the segments.

Also note that you can also make the snippets dynamics based on segments, so that you add the snippet to the email once and the content the snipper will render depends on the segment. This is done when editing the snippet.

Emails variables and dynamic content, unfortunately, do not work together.

You might want to read this: Email editor 2.0 is leaving room for a v2.1 as the ideas listed here will also tell you what is not possible. And vote form them!

-Greg

[Anonymous]

Hi Greg,

Thanks for getting back to me. Sorry if I wasn't clear - I was hoping to use a single template with modules for the five countries we operate out of in this region. The idea was to use global variables to dictate UTM values (for example), and the subdirectories in the URL, but use the dynamic content to define the root URL (e.g. https://au.insight.com, https://sg.insight.com), so the same email could be sent to all countries (which are already segmented) without having to manually change content for each segment. It's not much of a time-saver to have to have to make 5 changes to the URL. According to Marketo Docs, snippets don't work for this purpose, because they don't support global variables used in modules.

I will see if I can get around some of these issues using tokens, but it's not ideal.

I have voted for a couple of the changes you put in your blog. Nice to see others have some of the same frustrations I do!

Thanks,
Phil

[Grégoire_Miche2]

Hi Phil,

OK I got it now And yes, this cannot be done with snippets.

The way we do is we create folder tokens at the top level folders, so that the become applicable to all sub folders and programs.

And in the emails, we use the tokens either hard coded in the templates or as default values for template variables. That works pretty well.

Also note that using Variables leaves the text version of the email as a problem, since variables are not supported in the text version.

-Greg

[SanfordWhiteman]

If you are not committed to click tracking (noting the rampant false positives that come from anti-spam scanners pre-clicking your links) you can do this with a hybrid of a Velocity token (which will pick up your segments, thus changing the root URL) and the email-level variable (for the UTM values in the query string).

When you construct hybrid links in this way, however, they are not tracked. (You have to emit an entire <a></a> tag from a Velocity token for it to be rewritten to bounce off the tracking server.)