Add personalisation to your email campaign or landing page using data fields. A data field placeholder, such as @FIRSTNAME@, is replaced with each contact's own value for that data field, so Hi @FIRSTNAME@ becomes Hi Sam for a contact whose first name is Sam.
You can add data fields to any block with editable text in EasyEditor, such as Text and Button blocks.
Before you start
The data field must exist in your account before you can add it. If the data field you want isn't in the list, create it first. Learn more in Create, delete, and edit custom data fields.
A contact only sees a value if they have one stored for that data field. Otherwise they see the data field's default value, or a blank space if there isn't one. Learn more in the No data available section.
To personalise your subject line or from name, use the personalisation icon on the Campaign details page instead. Learn more in Dynamic rules and personalisation for subject lines and from names.
Add a data field to a campaign, page, or form
In EasyEditor, select the block you want to personalise, move your cursor to where you want the personalisation to appear in its text, and select DATA FIELDS in the toolbar.
This produces a panel on the right-hand side showing a list of available contact data fields you can insert.
These include:
default contact data fields: email, first name, full name, gender, last name, last subscribed, postcode, and your SMS data fields.
custom contact data fields: any contact data fields you've created for your account, such as date of birth, city, company name, and so on.
account data fields: sender address (the postal address for the account) and a safe sender message which includes the from address you're using for the campaign.
Insight data fields: this is a more advanced option allowing you to make use of Insight data for your contacts or account. For more on this type of data, check out Insight data and AccountInsight.
From the list, select the contact data field you want to add as personalisation. A placeholder, such as @FIRSTNAME@, is inserted into your campaign or landing page. It's replaced with each contact's value when your campaign is sent or your page is viewed.
You can also type a placeholder directly into any editable text. Enter the data field name in capitals with an @ at each end, such as @FIRSTNAME@ or @COMPANY@. The name must match the contact data field name exactly.
No data available
When a contact doesn't have a value stored for a data field, the default value for that contact data field is inserted instead. If there's no default value, the personalisation is left blank, so Hi @FIRSTNAME@ becomes Hi ,.
The default value also appears when you preview your campaign as a contact who has no value for that data field.
To edit a data field's default value:
Select the Account menu icon, then go to Settings > Contacts > Contact data fields.
Select the Properties icon for the data field you want to edit.
To show different content to contacts who don't have a value, use dynamic content with the Is empty or Is not empty rule instead.
Data fields on landing pages
On a landing page, data fields display the visitor's own values when the visitor is identified as one of your contacts.
If a visitor isn't identified as a contact, a blank space is displayed instead. The data field's default value isn't used on landing pages for these visitors.
Preview and test your personalisation
To check how your personalisation looks to a specific contact, preview your campaign or landing page as that contact:
Select Preview.
Select the Personalisation icon.
Enter the contact's email address, then select Find. Alternatively, select Show recent to see the ten most recent contacts you've imported.
Select the Preview icon for the contact you want to view as.
Choose a contact who has a value stored for each data field you've used. If the contact has no value, you see the default value or a blank space.
The preview doesn't show your subject line or from name. To check these, and to check personalisation with test data, edit your own contact's data fields in your Test list, then send a test of your campaign.
Learn more in Build your campaign in EasyEditor and Test your campaign.
If personalisation doesn't display
If a placeholder shows as a blank space or as its placeholder text, check that:
the contact you're previewing as, or sending to, has a value stored for that data field
the placeholder is in capitals, with an @ at each end
the placeholder name matches the contact data field name exactly
See also