Using dynamic images for countdown timers and personalized content
Overview
Dynamic images change depending on one or more values. These values are "passed" to the system that delivers them.
Goals
The main goals of this feature...
Make it easy to use images as dynamic content
Allow the designer to apply image settings as usual with any static image
Allow the designer to work with a sample image in the builder for design and preview purposes
Simplify the creation of a dynamic image by eliminating the need for external HTML code
Example
Some cool examples of dynamic images include:
personalized cards
countdown timers
dynamic ads
product recommendations
etc.
Let's take a look at a few examples.
Personalized birthday cards
How can you send a birthday email to your customers, each personalized for the recipient? With dynamic images, it's easy to do. Some services can generate personalized images "on the fly," such as Niftyimages.
Now that Xmailer provides support for dynamic images, this becomes a piece of cake for users of the builder.
The "placeholder" image URL uses a hardcoded name ("Allan"), whereas the Dynamic URL uses a variable ("{{firstname}}"). Your sending/marketing platform will replace the variable with your recipient's name.
Dynamic countdown timers
Another excellent application for dynamic images is countdown timers. Here you will be passing in the Dynamic URL the date of an event, the time of a new store's grand opening, or the date and time that promotion expires... you name it. The system you use will automatically generate a countdown timer as a GIF animation.
You can use a placeholder image in the URL while designing the email (or page). The placeholder enables you to know exactly how the end result will look.
There are many services that you can use for this purpose. Niftyimages again, but also Fresh Relevance, CountdownMail, and many others.
Dynamic ads
You can also use dynamic images to turn your emails into revenue producers. This is possible if you have a large audience and are open to the idea of hosting third-party ads. Companies like LiveIntent provide a solution to monetize newsletters, blog digests, etc.
Typically you pass a few variables to LiveIntent, including the recipient's email. They will configure the Dynamic URL you enter into the corresponding field in the builder.
Frequently Asked Questions
What happens if I add a Dynamic URL but leave the URL field empty?
The Dynamic URL field is only available after adding an image to the content block. In other words, the URL field cannot be empty.
What happens if I enable the dynamic image but leave the Dynamic URL field empty?
When Xmailer generates the HTML output of your design, it will use the static image instead. Without a Dynamic URL, the builder will ignore that you've enabled this field.
Can the Dynamic URL entirely be a text placeholder, like {{MyDynURL}} instead of https://someSite.com?someVariable={{MyDynURL}}?
There is no need to add a full URL if it's already provided by your sending platform. In many cases, though, you need to use the same base URL for all recipients. In many cases, though, you need to use the same base URL for all recipients. In that case, you can append variables to the end of your URL for personalization.
Typical variables include email, name, date/time, customer ID, order ID, offer ID, etc.
The syntax of those merge tags is entirely up to you. It's typically dependent on the system that will be sending out the email or serving the landing page. This is exactly the same as using any other merge tag in the builder.
What syntax/characters can a Dynamic URL use?
Xmailer will not perform any validation on the provided syntax. You can use whatever syntax and/or characters you wish to use. Your sending platform may have guidelines around this.
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