Special newsletter with dynamic content

Anyone wanting to reach customers on an ongoing basis will continue to rely on newsletters. On the other hand, anyone believing that a newsletter is not as efficient for addressing subscribers as, for example, a TV commercial would be, is wrong. Of course, it is difficult to integrate effective, elaborate videos in a newsletter. But that is not always absolutely necessary. There are enough other options to choose from for “pimping” a newsletter and making it “cool” by providing it with a “special effect.” Make it a point to put together a special newsletter with dynamic content – in other words, content which can be dynamically adapted to specific circumstances.

For example, have you ever considered to include a countdown in your special newsletter? You can use it to inform your customers of such aspects as the duration of the current sales campaign. Or you can make a countdown be a matter of checking off days until the start of a specific event etc.

Are your goods subject to constant price fluctuations? Or perhaps you are active in the financial sector and have to deal with constantly changing conversion rates? Then you are familiar with the problem: You barely sent out your newsletter and already the prices or values no longer apply. Did you know that it is possible to adjust prices and rates in the special newsletter automatically to the current values?

Surely you, too, have wanted to please your customers by making them a very special offer. Most of the time, attractive deals of this kind are highly limited in number and quite frequently the demand is higher than the supply. If a customer then comes to your website and would like to secure one of the bargains, the frustration will abound if the offer is no longer available.

Why not show your customers the availability of the products they are interested in already in the newsletter? Link your email marketing to your merchandise information system and thus create dynamic content. You thereby achieve two positive effects:

1. Frustration will be avoided because customers will know of the availability before coming to the website.
2. Urgency and desire will be greater once it becomes clear that the offer is limited.

You can also use dynamic content in your newsletter for noncommercial purposes. Example: You are sponsoring a benefit performance with an appeal for donations. Keep the recipients of your newsletter up to date by showing the current sum of donations received and the difference still required to reach the stated goal. This will motivate your readers to make a contribution to a good cause themselves and keep all those interested who have already made a donation.

One quite simple but impressive effect can be achieved with animated GIFs as dynamic content. Their use will attract attention and at the same time inspire emotions. The integration of videos in the newsletter is also not a problem from the technical point of view. Videos are treated in the same way as pictures and images. It is true that previously, videos were not to be recommended because only modern email clients can display these. This was previously not the case for the vast majority. In cases where they cannot be represented, there is still the option of showing an alternate image. However, this must be programmed with some expenditure in the CSS for the newsletter. For this reason, it is advisable to continue to use GIFs for animations.

Of course, you can really go to extremes and combine a number of different versions of dynamic content. Consider creating a sales campaign with a low starting price. Then increase the price of the special offer every hour. Continue by showing the availability of the individual products. All this can be illustrated in different variants in your Special Newsletter.

In case you are interested in the technical background: As far as a countdown is concerned, an animation is integrated which aims at a specific date. The inclusion of values or inventories is also managed by means of graphics. When the newsletter is opened, the latest price/value is pulled from a reference table and converted into an image file. You can continuously update the reference chart, e.g., by using the auto-import feature. To integrate the dynamic image, the tag “agnTXTIMG” is placed in the respective position in the newsletter.

Would you like to try it out sometime? We will be pleased to show you how you can use our E-Marketing Manager to realize special newsletters such as the ones we have suggested and others by adding dynamic content.