This guide explains how to use Content Blocks and Display Rules to create email templates with content that is displayed dynamically, based on any registration values, such as attendee type or registration status.
This feature is available to all Certain customers. You do not need to do anything to “switch it on” because everything is already there, ready for use.
Contents
1. What can I do with dynamic emails?
2. How do I build a dynamic email template?
What can I do with dynamic emails?
You set up Display Rules to control what dynamic content is displayed in an email template. That dynamic content can include Content Blocks of HTML that you set up and/or “Confirm Sections” (the sections that could be included in confirmation emails). You can place the Content Blocks and Confirm Sections in whatever order you choose.
For example, an email can display different content for different attendee types. The email can include extra information for VIP guests. The email can include a travel section only if the attendee has a travel reservation.
How do I build a dynamic email template?
To create a dynamic email template, follow these three steps.
Three Steps
1. Create a Content Block
- Plan > Event Setup > Content Display > Content Blocks OR Account Settings > Management > Content Blocks
- Adding Content Blocks
2. Create a Display Rule which uses the content block and/or selected confirm sections.
- Plan > Event Setup > Content Display > Display Rules
- Adding a Display Rule
3. Create Email Templates, adding the display rule.
- Communication > Email Templates
- Promote > Communication > Email Templates
- Adding a Display Rule to an Email Template
Sending dynamic emails is no different to sending any other emails. You can email several attendees by running a report. You can select the recipients in the Report Results window. You can click Compose Email in the Report Actions section.
Adding a Content Block
To add a Content Block of HTML for use in display rules:
- For event-level content, go to Plan > Event Setup > Content Display > Content Blocks.
- For account-level content, for use across multiple events without change, as an Administrator go to Account Settings > Management > Content Blocks.
Both pages look the same and work in the same way. Some differences exist in which dynamic data fields are available. Registration-specific fields such as attendee type are not available at the account level. Profile-specific fields such as name and contact details are available at the account level.
The content blocks added here can be displayed conditionally in emails. The conditional display is determined by the rules set up in Display Rules, as explained in Adding a Display Rule to an Email Template.
The content blocks can also be used like any other dynamic data fields. You can insert them directly in emails, forms, and websites. This guide does not cover that usage. See the Page Help in Certain Platform.
To add a new content block, click the Add New button to open the Content Block Details section illustrated overleaf.
1. Give the content block a unique Name and optionally an explanatory Description. 2. The Text Above Header is optional. The Text Above Header can provide introductory remarks. Click the </> icon below the box to edit the text in a pop-up HTML Editor window. You can enter plain text or HTML code. 3. The Header (if any) is displayed above the body of the content block. 4. Type the Body of the content block in the unlabeled text box in the center of the page. The usual editing features are available unless the Enable Editor? check box is cleared. If you prefer to hand-craft the HTML code, you can clear the Enable Editor? check box. You can edit the Body in a simple text box. You can include dynamic information about the registration, event, or location in the body of the content block. Select a dynamic data field from the Append list. Click the Body button to append that field to the block. The available fields depend on whether you are configuring event-level or account-level content blocks. The available fields may include Standard and Custom Profile Fields, Standard and Custom Registration Fields, Standard and Custom Event Fields, Location fields, and Other Fields. The example includes the Event Name. 5. Click Save to save the block and return to the List of Content Blocks. Click Save & New to save it and create a new one.
Editing and Copying Content Blocks
To edit a content block, click in the list of Content Blocks. This action opens the Content Block Details section described above.
To copy a block, click, and edit (and rename) the copy in the Content Block Details section described above.
> Note: The Event Setup > Content Blocks page, as illustrated on Adding a Content Block, also includes a list of account-level blocks. > You can’t edit an Account Content Block there. > You can copy an Account Content Block to the event level. > You can edit the resulting new Event Content Block.
Adding a Display Rule
To add a display rule in an event, go to Plan > Event Setup > Content Display > Display Rules.
On this Display Rules page, you configure Display Rules which you can add to email templates (Adding a Display Rule to an Email Template). Each rule determines when selected Content Blocks and/or Confirm Sections are displayed in an email.
What are "Confirm Sections"?
A Confirm Section displays a summary of that part of an attendee's registration. The summary is what that part would look like if selected as a section of the Confirmation page of a registration form. The registration form path is Plan > Forms > Confirm.
For example, if you select the Confirm Section: accommodation to be displayed along with a Content Block of accommodation-specific text, the details of the attendee's room reservations are displayed inline in that part of the email. This setup avoids having to display the entire registration confirmation at the bottom of the email.
Click Add New to add a new display rule in the Display Rule Details section which opens.
1. Under Display Rule Details, give the rule a unique Name. 2. Setting up display rules here is like setting up Logic Rules in forms.
Rule Conditions
3. Under Rule Conditions, select the radio button: Apply ONLY if these conditions are met
- The conditions begin with an IF.
- Select a question/data field, a comparison operator, and an answer value.
- Example: IF ‘Attendee Type Name’ = ‘Exhibitor’
- You can make the condition multi-faceted by adding ‘AND’ and ‘IF‘ conditions at the end.
Rule Action
4. In the list of Available Sections, select the Confirm Section(s) and Content Block(s) to be displayed in the email if the rule is met. Click ->> to move them into the list of Active Sections. 5. If necessary, adjust the order of the Active Sections by clicking Top / Up, Down / Bottom.
Adding a Display Rule to an Email Template
When you have saved your display rule, it is available for you to add to an email template. You can add it the same way you add a dynamic data field.
1. Go to Promote > Communication > Email Templates. 2. Click Add New to add an email template, or < to edit one. 3. Place your cursor in the email at the point where you want to add the display rule. 4. Scroll down towards the end of the Append drop-down list. Select the display rule. 5. Click the Message button. 6. Save the email template.
The display rule is now part of the message. When you send an email based on that template, the email contains the relevant text for that attendee if the rule is met.