What is Dynamic Content?

Dynamic content refers to content that is automatically generated based on user signals, that might include their behaviors, preferences, and, in the case of retailers, past purchase history.

In contrast to static content, which remains the same for all users, dynamic content is generated on a user-by-user basis and can be used in emails, SMS messages, and in-app notifications, as well as on mobile or web landing pages.

Dynamic content enables you to generate customized marketing content for every customer, based on their unique customer profile. With cross-channel marketing technology, you can generate dynamic content to meet every aspect of the customer experience across all of your marketing channels, providing personalized marketing designed to engage your users.

It can also be used for transactional purposes, helping you automatically inform your customers about important status updates in their transactions with your business.

Let’s consider a few examples of how to use dynamic content.

Dynamic Content in Transactional Messages

First, consider the example of a customer’s purchase. As soon as the customer completes the transaction on your brand’s website or mobile app, they should receive an automatically generated message—via whichever channel you prefer—confirming their purchase. The dynamic content should include the customer’s name, address, and details of their order, so that they can confirm that the details are correct and easily track their order status.

That’s dynamic content at its most basic—now, let’s look at more sophisticated ways to use it in your marketing campaigns.
Dynamic Content in Marketing Campaigns
With an integrated marketing platform that draws in customer data from a variety of sources, including your CRM, ecommerce platform, and your website and app analytics, you can take advantage of a wealth of customer data to personalize your emails and other marketing communications across every channel.

For example, if a customer has previously purchased shoes from a particular brand in a size 7.5, you can send them an email spotlighting a sale on a similar style from the same brand, with a deep link to add the shoes in their size to their shopping cart. This content will be automatically generated based on the customer’s past purchase history. You could even build a custom message featuring related products they may like, based on what other customers have purchased.

Regional variations can be used for dynamic content as well. If your brand is in the travel industry, for instance, you can automatically generate dynamic content promoting events in each customer’s geographic area or an area they browsed previously. You can also use regional weather data to generate dynamic product recommendations based on the conditions in each customer’s geographic region. For example, you could send messages recommending indoor activities to customers visiting wet climates, and messages featuring the best hikes to customers visiting hotter regions.

These examples rely on customer data that you already have stored—but with a best-in-class cross-channel marketing solution, like Iterable, you can also generate dynamic content in real-time, based on customer’s behavioral triggers.

Real-Time Behavioral Triggers for Dynamic Content

By using a marketing automation platform that tracks users’ real-time engagement with your brand across your website and mobile applications, you’ll be able to identify what types of dynamic content to send based on their actions.

For example, if a user clicks on an item and adds it to their shopping cart, but doesn’t complete the purchase, your solution can generate dynamic content featuring the abandoned product and including a link to return to their cart to complete the transaction. You can send this message through multiple channels based on a customer’s notification settings and preferences, including email, SMS, and in-app notifications—effortlessly transitioning from one channel to another based on the customer’s response.

Even if a customer only browses an item on your website, you can follow up with dynamic content featuring that product and similar products they may like, offering a promotional incentive for them to make the purchase.

By using real-time behavioral data as triggers in your marketing campaigns, you’ll be able to engage with your audience at the exact point in time they want to connect with you, using the marketing channels that they prefer to use. By incorporating dynamic content that’s directly related to their interactions with your brand, you’ll be more likely to compel them to take further action.

Dynamic Content in Custom Landing Pages

While dynamic content can be used to create custom fields in emails, SMS messages, and other marketing channels, it can also be used to develop custom landing pages on a user-by-user basis.

That means, for example, you can send a user a link to a custom shopping list designed just for them, based on past purchase history and similar products they might like. Or, when soliciting referrals, you can create custom landing pages for the friends of your customer who visit the page, including the customer’s name and a discount offer.

Custom landing pages can be generated in tandem with dynamic content in your emails and other marketing channels, ensuring that your customers get a personalized experience from start to finish. Every aspect of their customer journey will be uniquely designed for them.

Dynamic Content Within a Cross-Channel Marketing Strategy

Dynamic content generation is an important part of a cross-channel marketing strategy with a platform like Iterable. Using Iterable’s integrated customer profiles, you can draw from all your customer’s behavioral and demographic data to automatically generate customized content for personalized marketing campaigns, sending out sequenced messaging via email, SMS, in-app notifications, web push, custom landing pages, and other channels.

A cross-channel marketing platform helps you stay fully attuned to each customer’s unique preferences and customer lifecycle, ensuring that you’re delivering the right, dynamic content at the right time via the right channel. That results in heightened engagement, more conversions, and higher customer loyalty.