Salesforce Engage is awesome because it lets marketing teams share content with sales teams. Sales reps can use marketing-approved email templates to contact prospects at the right moment and track the effectiveness of the messages in Salesforce.

In a nutshell, Salesforce Engage allows marketing teams to keep things consistent across divisions. And sales teams deliver powerful content while gaining insights into their hottest prospects. Then, they can magically reach out at the perfect time.

In this blog post, we’ll show you all the things Pardot admin users will want to know about Salesforce Engage and steps to getting sales users started.

Getting Started with Salesforce Engage

So you’ve bought Salesforce Engage licenses, and your sales team is basically begging for access. 

(And if they’re not begging for access, here are tips from Celine Newsome to get them more excited about Salesforce Engage.)

Well, let’s get into it! 

Before we get started, there are some considerations to keep in mind. 

1. You must have a verified Salesforce-Pardot connection.
2. Salesforce Engage isn’t supported in sandbox.
3. Do not add legacy Custom Permissions for Pardot to your Salesforce profiles.
4. Salesforce Engage users must also be Pardot users.

Click here to check out the official Salesforce Engage implementation guide.

Provisioning Access to Salesforce Engage

Giving users access to Engage is simple. We’ll give access through permission sets, update page layouts, and configure sending settings in Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (Pardot). 

1. Give your users the correct permission sets.

We can assign Engage to users in bulk. First we’ll search the app launcher for Salesforce Engage License Assignment.

We can select users with the CRM User, Sales Cloud User, or Service Cloud User permission set to assign the Salesforce Engage permission set license. Click “Add License(s)” when all users have been selected. 

Optional: Users can also attach files to Engage email templates. To unlock this feature, enable Public Links and Set Up Content Deliveries. 

2. Customize your page layouts.

There are several buttons that we can add to page layouts to give users access to send Engage emails straight from a List View of the record itself. 

The buttons I recommend using are:

• Send Engage Email
• Add to Nurture List

Let’s navigate to Settings and Object Manager. In this example, we’re going to work from the Leads object. These buttons should be added to both Leads and Contacts.

From the Leads page, we will click on Page Layouts. Update all page layouts that your team will send Engage emails from.

Select Mobile & Lightning Actions. Drag the two buttons onto the page layout.

The record page will look similar to the image below.

We can also add these buttons to the Search Layout. Doing this will allow users to send Engage Campaigns or 1-to-many emails in Engage. Back on the Leads object in Object Manager, select Search Layouts. Scroll to Custom Button, and select Send Engage Email. Move this to the Selected Buttons table, and click Save.

Next click on List View Button Layout in the left-hand navigation bar. Click to edit the buttons displayed.

Select or deselect all of the standard buttons you would like to display. Move the Send Engage Email button from Available to Selected. Click Save.

The List View will look something like this.

Now any Salesforce Engage users can send Engage emails from individual records or from a list view.

3. Maintain Salesforce Engage in Pardot

Our job as admins doesn’t stop at providing access. There are also some maintenance tasks we need to follow in Pardot. 

In Pardot Settings, we can manage how many Engage email sends per user can be sent each day as well as how to manage unsubscribes. Click Edit and scroll down to Salesforce Engage. These are the options you will see.

The Engage Campaign Limit is set at 200 by default. This could be any number from 0 to 500. Keep in mind, this is the limit per Engage user and not for all Engage users.

If you are using the Lightning Email Builder in Pardot, you can enable those templates to be used in Engage as well. Setting a default template for Engage emails is highly recommended. This will provide a template for users who do not select one when prompted. 

More Pardot Maintenance Tips for Engage

It’s important to keep your email templates well organized in Pardot. Your Pardot organization will reflect in the Engage interface. 

One key detail to remember is that any email template published as a 1-to-1 template can be sent through Engage — even if you didn’t want it to be sent. Complete a regular template review to make sure only approved content is available for our Engage users to access. 

One last organization tip is to create a folder structure for the Engage templates that works well for Engage users. They will see the folders templates are placed in, and it’s best practice to make them end-user friendly. 

Note: Ever accidentally build a list email that you need as a template for Salesforce Engage? Here’s an easy solution for that dilemma from Joanna Rotter.

4. Measure adoption and template performance.

 The last step to ensure a successful implementation is reporting. Salesforce Engage has individual reporting for each user and the emails they have sent. Salesforce also offers Engage Team Reports. This is a free managed package that allows users to view Engage performance as a whole based on role hierarchy. 

Download Engage Team Reports here.

Salesforce Engage Implementation Complete!

These steps take you through the Engage implementation as a Salesforce/Pardot admin. Once you’ve completed the setup, you’re ready to get going with training and onboarding. 
Let us know how you did in the comments section. Or drop us a line if you need help!

Original article: An Easy Guide to Salesforce Engage for Pardot Admins

©2022 The Spot. All Rights Reserved.

The post An Easy Guide to Salesforce Engage for Pardot Admins appeared first on The Spot.

So, your marketing team has you all set up and ready to access a fancy tool called Salesforce Engage. Now what? 

Salesforce Engage is a super powerful way for marketing teams to share marketing-approved templates  with sales teams. You can use those email templates to contact prospects at the right moment and track the effectiveness of the messages in Salesforce.

Bridge the gap between sales and marketing teams

In a nutshell, Salesforce Engage allows marketing teams to keep things consistent across divisions. And your team can deliver powerful content while gaining insights into your hottest prospects. Then, you can magically reach out at the perfect time.

It’s the ultimate tool to unite sales and marketing teams by bridging the gap between Pardot and Salesforce CRM (Sales Cloud). 

In this blog post, we’ll show you all the things sales users will want to know about Salesforce Engage as they get started.

Want to know more about Salesforce Engage from a Pardot admin perspective? Check out this blog post.

How does Salesforce Engage work?

Send fully written email templates to your leads and contacts, AND see how they perform. We can send emails to a single record or to multiple recipients at one time. 

Let’s break it down.

Sending emails to one Lead or Contact

You’ve just finished a call with Sam at Gidgets & Gadgets Co. They are a high-profile, target account that we are speaking to for the first time. Sam also wants more information on our service offering. 

How can we get this information to him? 

You guessed it! Using Salesforce Engage.

Navigate to Sam’s record and click Send Engage Email.

From here, we can send him the template that covers the initial follow-up banter and the content he’s looking for. Any link click, file access, and action taken from the email will be tracked and contribute to Sam’s marketing prospect score. 

Sending emails to multiple Leads or Contacts

It’s event season, and your marketing department is putting on a huge virtual event to launch a new product offering. It’s bound to bring in mega upsell revenue from accounts eligible for the new product. We can invite all contacts related to those accounts in one Salesforce Engage Campaign. 

Select the contacts you would like to invite from the List View table. Click Send Engage Email, and find the invite template that marketing created.

Review the content, and make sure everything looks great. Click Send, and your invites are complete.

Salesforce Engage Reporting 

Salesforce Engage also allows you to report on email templates sent. To view these metrics, navigate Engage Reports in the App Launcher or from the Salesforce Engage app. 

These reports will show you the email templates sent, how many opens, and how many clicks each template received. We can customize the date range to view the data.

Image Source: Salesforce

Tips & Tricks for Salesforce Engage

Now that you’ve got the basics, let’s cover some best practice steps to get the most out of Engage.

Use List Views

List Views can be created on all Salesforce objects. They are a great way to filter records for Engage Campaigns. Any time you want to email a list of records with specific criteria, create a List View.

Preview Emails

Before you click Send, always preview your email content. In Engage, you have the option to preview the email as the recipient. This will minimize any awkward chats around missing information, oddly placed characters, incorrect contact information, etc.

Don’t Be Creepy

Engage has a feature named Engage Alerts. Engage Alerts is a real-time service that informs you about the prospect activity you might be interested in. It matches prospects based on filter criteria and displays them in a card-based filter view. This is a great way to know what is relevant and interesting to prospects as well as who is engaged. 

Image Source: Salesforce

Use this information wisely! It is against best practice advice to open any conversation (verbal and written) with “I see you were looking at several of our white papers.” 

Find additional tips for sales users in Engage in this article.

Sales & Marketing Teams are Stronger Together

We tend to think of Salesforce Engage as a sales tool. While that is true, it is also an opportunity for marketing and sales teams to collaborate. The marketing team is able to get a glimpse into the sales day-to-day, and the sales team gets the chance to participate in the marketing nurture cycle. 

Salesforce Engage is best used to templatize emails we would typically type over and over, day after day. By using Engage, you’ll be able to reduce your follow-up times and close more deals.

Need help getting started with Salesforce Engage? Drop us a line so we can chat about it.

Original article: Everything Sales Users Should Know About Salesforce Engage

©2022 The Spot. All Rights Reserved.

The post Everything Sales Users Should Know About Salesforce Engage appeared first on The Spot.

We’ve all seen email personalization mishaps. 

The power of Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (Pardot) is really in its capacity to leverage data coming in from Salesforce and Pardot to create tailored experiences of all types for the end audience. 

But what happens when this automation doesn’t work how we intend to use it? This is particularly concerning when it comes to email.

Follow along with this blog to learn a few tricks you can use to test your Pardot org for possible email mishaps and prevent them before they happen.

Solution #1: Validate your Salesforce & Pardot User Mappings

The first solution for avoiding email sending fails is to validate your user mappings. Doing so will help you avoid awkward email segmentation and user notification issues.

It is important to know that if Salesforce Users are not mapped into Pardot, then you will not be able to leverage their relationship with Leads/Contacts in Pardot. 

Mapping a User to Pardot DOES NOT give them access — you need permission sets and other configurations for that to happen. This is often the main reason why Users are not mapped.

The remainder of this blog will reference the User object. If this does not 100% line up with your process within Pardot, neither will the rest of what we will cover.

How to validate Salesforce and Pardot user mappings

Here are some ways to validate if all your users are mapped:

1. In Salesforce, create a report of active Users.
2. In Salesforce, compare which Users actually manage Leads/Contacts and review their profiles.
3. In Pardot, go to the Pardot settings tab in your navigation, then head over to the Pardot Connector Settings tab and review your Salesforce profile to Pardot role mappings.
   • If you have any missing, this is the time to add them.
4. In Pardot, go to the Prospects tab in your navigation, and select the Unassigned Prospects filter on the filter dropdown.
   • If you see any with blue Salesforce clouds, that means the Prospect may be assigned in Salesforce but the mapping is not clear in Pardot.
   • Click on any records you found and open the record up in Salesforce. Then, make a list of who the owner is.
   • Compare this list to the report of Active Users. If there are any missing, they may be deactivated.
5. In Salesforce, update any records that reference deactivated Users to the appropriate User. This would trigger a sync event and update the record.
6. In Salesforce, go to Marketing Setup and for your business unit/account, click on the Manage Users button and add any missing users to the appropriate section to sync over to Pardot.
7. In Pardot, update the Prospect database view to include Assign User and keep the Unassigned Prospect filter to see if you are missing any.
   • You may need to click the Sync With CRM button on the Prospect page to get it to sync.

The result of mapping all your Users is having Pardot and Salesforce be in sync in addition to being able to leverage this datapoint for segmentation. It also allows you to provide the appropriate person with email or Slack notifications.

Solution #2: Create an identity user for your Pardot email sender backup

Previously we covered how to use and experiment with email sender types for emails that are sent from Pardot. If you are not familiar with email sender types, then go read that post and come back after you do. We’ll wait.

Dynamic versus static email user sender types

We would like to put these User sender options into two buckets: Dynamic and static.

Dynamic are options such as Assigned User, Account Owner, or any custom options for the sender information that changed based on the relationship the User has to the Prospect.

Static are options such as General or Specific User options for the sender information that is the same for all Prospects who get the email. No relationship needed between User and Prospect

All the options “pull” data from the User information setup in Salesforce that is then pulled into Pardot.

One of the biggest pitfalls that can happen here is when you use dynamic sender options. If a Prospect does not have an assigned user or account owner, then you have to have a backup sender. Pardot enforces this by making you add an alternative sender.

Many times you will have a default general User you manually add over and over again — such as [email protected] or [email protected]. This leaves room for error and cannot be used in automations, like completion actions, to notify this email address from form submissions, for example.

How to create a Salesforce Identity License User for your Pardot email sender backup

Did you know you can save yourself from headaches caused by human error by turning this email into an Identity User?

The result is an Identity User that can be used as a backup specific User and also for notifications in completion actions throughout the system. 

Identity Users can be used for Single Sign-On or Pardot-centric purposes. However, you cannot assign to an Identity User. For more details on identity licenses, check out this Salesforce resource.

Solution #3: Update user records and check token types for email sender signatures

When you get ready to build your emails, you may want to include sales rep signatures in the email body.

Here are the fields you have access to inject into your emails from the User object:

• First Name
• Last Name
• Full Name
• Email
• Job Title
• Phone
• URL
• ID
• Signature

All of these details are managed in Salesforce under the User Settings (view Solution #1 above). If these are not filled out, then the row where you have the Handlebars Merge Language (HML) tag on your email will be awkwardly blank.

To resolve this, simply update the User record. Seems easy enough, right? 

You are correct!

However, let me call out a common mistake we see when using these HML tokens — there are two different sets of tokens. 

Tokens: Sender versus Owner

The owner fields pull directly from the Assigned User, which is one person for the Lead/Contact.

The sender fields pull directly from who you choose as a Sender User on the email. This can be an Account Owner, an Identity User, or a custom CRM User lookup.

Note: Depending on the scenario, you may want to use one over the other. But we use the Sender tokens to play it safe.

Lastly, we would like to note that general Users do not have titles, phones, signatures, or additional URLs. For best results, use an Identity User and make sure you fill in those fields. This will result in a more consistent experience for everyone.

As always, test your tokens!

Solution #4: Create a company-wide backup to avoid blank prospect data when you use queues

One of the main use cases for queues is to help with Lead assignments and send the Prospect to Pardot. If you are using queues for these cases, then there is one thing you have to know.

Queues do not have job titles, companies, or “people” names.

You may be thinking…

Yes, that is correct. So what’s your point?

Well, if you are sending emails on behalf of assigned users, for example, technically Prospects owned by a queue are owned — but not by a person. 

This means when you send emails out trying to use “dynamic” sender options, you may not be actually showing a signature or other details in your emails when queues are involved.

How to avoid email awkwardness caused by having Prospects owned queues

For these scenarios where you know you may have Prospects owned by queues we recommend two options:

Option 1: Ensure your backup Sender is a specific User (try an Identity User). Do not use a general User if you are adding signatures to your email copy.

OR

Option 2: Use HML to create conditional logic to create a backup to blank User fields. Be careful with the extra spacing around HML tokens.

This is what the final syntax looked like for the default in the event John Doe (User) didn’t have a phone number: we added a general corporate number.

{{#if Sender.Phone}}Contact us at {{Sender.Phone}}{{else}}Contact us at 1800 – Sercante{{/if}}

You can use this format to create syntax for other fields you need on your email signatures.

The end result is having a customizable backup for User or organization-specific details to make sure no one sees missing data or has a less than favorable experience.

Solution #5: Set global and default field values as a backup when you use HML in emails

Finally, we come to mail merge fields. We have all seen use cases of subject lines not rendering and showing as {Recipient.FirstName}} because someone forgot to add the extra “curly bracket” that you didn’t notice was missing earlier in this sentence or forgot to test altogether.

Here are some of the more common HML options used in an email:

• First Name
• Company Name
• Job Title
• City
• View Online
• Email Preferences Center
• Unsubscribe Page

For a list of all the out-of-the-box mail merge fields click here.

How to set global and default field values as a backup when you use HML in emails

If a Prospect does not have data on a field and you use mail merges (HML), it will be displayed as a blank.

We have two options to solve this issue:

1. Set a global field value.
   If you do this, anywhere where the field is used will display the same text IF there is no existing data.
2. Set a default value on the email template using HML.
   If you do this, the default text will only work for this one email template, but you can customize it across any email template (check out solution #4). However, if you selected the global field value option, this solution isn’t going to work.

Take action now to avoid awkward marketing email fails later

If you are new to Pardot and don’t know much about how you can use Prospect fields in emails or if you want to take your email personalization game beyond mail merge fields, we recommend you review Content Personalization: Using Dynamic Content, Pardot HML, and Pardot Snippets.

In the end, you have less awkward endings in your sentences and more customized messaging you can leverage to wow your audience(s) by taking these precautionary steps. Pardot can provide many tools to improve your email marketing. But your data flow has to be working properly to take full advantage of everything it has to offer.

The key thing we would love for you to walk away with is, in the words of our colleague Mike Creuzer, to remember to “test all the things”!

Feel free to contact us if you have any questions about how to improve your useability of Pardot.

Original article: How to Prevent 5 Awkward Email Sending Fails in MCAE (Pardot)

©2022 The Spot. All Rights Reserved.

The post How to Prevent 5 Awkward Email Sending Fails in MCAE (Pardot) appeared first on The Spot.

Accessibility has always been top of mind for me in everything I do. As someone with a disability, I am conscious of others who may be having similar struggles. 

So, when I found a professional career in digital marketing, specifically email marketing, the idea of accessibility transitioned with me. 

This idea was further driven home for me when I encountered a client who was working on a massive project to update their entire digital platform, email marketing, website, social, etc. to be compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). I learned a lot from that project and now I want to share it with you.

In this article, I will share with you the top resources and items to check off your to-do list when enacting the ADA guidelines into your digital marketing to achieve email accessibility. Hopefully, this will save you a lot of time googling!

Why does email accessibility matter to me?

More than 1 billion people have a disability, which is 15% of the world’s population. Of those struggling with a disability, approximately 43 million people live with blindness and 295 million people live with moderate-to-severe visual impairment, leaving them to use an assortment of assistive devices to interact on the web. These devices include:

• Screen Readers: software that allows users to read text with a speech synthesizer or braille display
• Magnifiers: tools that increase the text size for the reader
• Navigation Assistants: systems that guide users via sound commands

As a marketer, it is important for us to take these into consideration when creating our digital marketing content, such as your website, landing pages, emails, social posts, and any other digital content. Overall, companies who practice digital marketing accessibility experience fewer lawsuits, an increased customer base, and an improved sense of brand loyalty.

At the end of the day, this isn’t about accommodating someone’s preferences or unique quirks. It’s about meeting the needs of your customers. The likelihood of one of your customers falling into the 15% of disabled users is very high and meeting their needs should be a top goal for every marketing initiative. Luckily, the best practices for ensuring accessibility in your digital marketing efforts is also the best practice for improved usability and SEO performance across the board.

What can I do to create accessible digital marketing assets?

There are a handful of basic tips and tricks that you can enact today to make your marketing content more effective and accessible to all of your audience members.

Let’s get started!

Color Contrast

Use clear color contrast between text color and your background. Users with color blindness will be especially thankful to you. So let’s experience less of this and more of that.

We recommend WebAim to measure your color contrast ratio. It is a great tool that will give you an easy to decipher pass/fail grade for all things accessibility.

Large Font Sizes

While people can use their magnifiers or zoom in on your content, why should they have to? This is especially true if it ruins the look and feel of what you are providing them. 

Instead, create your content using larger font sizes, and build the design around it. 

The ADA recommends a font size of at least 16 pt on any form of digital media. This is also the preferred size for most of the population.

Text & Imagery

Avoid using text on your images and graphics. Individuals who use screen readers can’t read text on an image. That’s because screen readers simply see that as a picture file and will overlook it. 

Using text in your graphics means some of your readers may not be getting the full message you are trying to present. Ensure that the key content and messaging you are providing is in your text, and use images as a supporting player.

Alternative Text

Alt text can be your best friend! 

If you are using images or have web links that you are sharing, insert your alt text so that screen readers don’t overlook the additional information. 

Screen readers know to look for alt text and will provide this content to the reader allowing them to get a fuller picture and better user experience.

Visual Hierarchy

Use headers and subheadings appropriately to provide the reader with an overview of the content and establish the key points. Also, use breaks and keep content left aligned when possible. This helps visually-impaired readers define the critical information that is being provided and allows for an easier experience when they don’t have to jump around due to justification changes.

Plain Text

This is an easy win for our Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (Pardot) users! 

When building an email in Pardot, you are required to create a text version of every email you deploy. This ensures accessibility for all recipients and allows for you to include the pertinent information in a text email that assistive devices can easily access. 

Accessible Links

Do not group links together. Instead, space them apart and consider using bullets. This helps readers who are using navigation assistants to click on the correct URL. This is also helpful for users who are on mobile devices.

Emoji Overload

Any type of bright, strobing media can cause dangerous, life-threatening seizures. This can include emojis such as the Party Parrot or flashing Gifs. 

Images that could cause seizures include:

• Flash more than 3 times per second
• Are sufficiently large
• Are bright with high contrast

Are there legal ramifications for not following digital marketing accessibility guidelines?

As I previously referenced, there are potential legal ramifications and fallout for not following ADA guidelines. 

Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is an international organization that sets standards around accessibility. Their latest publication, WCAG 2.1, references three levels of accessibility with 61 checkpoints. However, they are not all equal. I have grouped the levels of accessibility below by importance here:

• The “must” list: Without these changes, at least one group of potential customers will not have access to your information.
• The “should” list: Meeting these t=recommendations ensures significant barriers are removed for those with disabilities, increasing your brand visibility.
• The “may want to” list: Individuals with disabilities may struggle to fully access your content, but it won’t be impossible.

Based on your company’s headquarters, laws may differ. So, I encourage you to take the time to look into your local laws and regulations pertaining to disabilities. 

For the United States, Title III of the Americans with Disabilities Act states that “discrimination against individuals with disabilities persists in such critical areas as employment, housing, public accommodations, education, transportation, communication, recreation, institutionalization, health services, voting, and access to public services.” With communication being covered, arguably, within digital marketing. As a result, regardless of industry or sector, it may be time to assess your accessibility guidelines.

Email accessibility benefits everyone

Building emails that everyone can access is not only the right thing to do. It’s something that’s going to ensure you’re not just delivering messaging, but instead delivering messaging everyone can process and understand. 

Tell us about your experiences with email accessibility in the comments section!

Original article: Email for Everyone: Creating Accessible Digital Marketing Assets

©2022 The Spot. All Rights Reserved.

The post Email for Everyone: Creating Accessible Digital Marketing Assets appeared first on The Spot.

Personalization is a common buzzword one can hear throughout the digital marketing landscape. And as a result, it can mean so many things depending upon who you ask. 

However, at the end of the day, personalization is what marketers are aiming to deliver — user experiences that are personal and customized based on contact preferences and previous engagement. 

We’ll focus on several key features and functionalities available in Salesforce Marketing Cloud Engagement to offer personalized content.

Personalization can mean many things in Marketing Cloud

Personalization is a powerful tactic for marketers to leverage. However, the term is used so often and can mean many different things — especially when it comes to the what and the how. It can leave everyone a bit confused as to what one really means when they use this term. 

There are several ways you can deliver personalized content in Salesforce Marketing Cloud Engagement that range from simple to complex.

Marketing Cloud Personalization Strings

The most basic and common form of personalization in your digital marketing efforts can be referred to as personalization strings. A personalization string lets you insert subscriber attributes, such as subscriber name, into your emails. 

Personalization strings can appear in the subject line, preheader, or in the content of the email in Email Studio. 

You may hear personalization strings referred to as merge fields or substitution strings. This type of personalization has been in usage for quite some time and while commonplace, it is very effective.

In addition to the subscriber attributes, you can insert system data and modify the content using AMPscript expressions. You can type personalization strings into the HTML of your email body if you’re creating an HTML paste email, or you can type them into the text editor when you create or modify text content.

Tips for using Marketing Cloud Personalization Strings

Below are some tips to consider when using personalization strings: 

• All personalization strings are case-insensitive.
• Include the two sets of double percent symbols.
• If you’re inserting a personalization string into a line with other data, include a space before and after the personalization string.
• If you insert a personalization string, and the subscriber attribute isn’t populated, the string will appear blank in the email. Be sure to define a default value for every attribute you intend to use with a personalization string. For example, use this string to include default attributes for First_Name: %%[IF Empty(First_Name) == “False” THEN SET @FN = First_Name ELSE SET @FN = “Customer” ENDIF]%%Hi %%=v(@FN)=%%
• Do not include personally identifiable information, such as email address, in email links.
• Testing is critical; two testing tools available for personalization strings are Content Detective and Validation.
• Leverage code snippets for your AMPscript for non-technical users.

Learn more about using personalization strings here.

Marketing Cloud Dynamic Content

Dynamic content is another way to offer relevant and personalized content to your audience in Email Studio. 

Like its counterpart in Account Engagement (Pardot), Dynamic content in Marketing Cloud Engagement is content that displays in a content area according to the rules that you define based on the subscriber’s attributes or the targeted data extension column values. It’s a great way for non-technical marketers to deliver personalized content using the rules-based interface. 

You can also use dynamic content in your preheader and subject line instead of using AMPscript expressions.

The two testing tools available for dynamic content are: 

1. Subscriber preview 
2. Test send

Marketing Cloud Enhanced Dynamic Content

If you are designing emails that extend beyond a couple of rules for swapping dynamic content, the Enhanced Dynamic Content tool lets you import a delimited file containing text and image URLs to create content.

Instead of using AMPscript and data extensions to manually create complex dynamic content and the rules for each variation, the system creates the content from the data in your import file. The columns in the import file contain the names of the enhanced dynamic content assets, and the rows contain the content variations for each asset. 

Content Builder saves the assets as Enhanced Dynamic Content Maps in the content library. Then you can use them as blocks in emails and templates. You can link your enhanced dynamic content to an audience during the import or while adding the blocks to an email or template.

Einstein Content Selection

You can also add an Einstein Content Selection content block to your messages. At open, Einstein then can select an image for your messages by analyzing the assets that are engaging your customers. The content block selects an asset that’s personalized for each subscriber from a pool of assets that you upload and then adds the asset to the message. 

Things to consider:

• Einstein Content Selection must be enabled in Marketing Cloud Setup.
• You should add an asset catalog file before dragging the Einstein Content Selection block into your message so that Einstein can select the image assets to show.
• The subscriber list can’t contain a field called memberid. If it does, the block doesn’t function properly.
• Assets are selected based on how they perform with your subscribers.

Einstein Recommendations via Marketing Cloud Personalization (Interaction Studio) 

Last but not least, Marketing Cloud Personalization*, powered by Einstein recommendations, delivers the next best product, content, or offer to every individual through product and content recommendations for email and web. 

Every customer interaction is an insight. With every click, download, view, and purchase, customers are giving data about their preferences. Marketing Cloud Personalization combines user behavior with algorithms and your unique business rules to build a user profile of affinities. And in turn, use that profile to determine the most relevant content and products for each customer in real-time.

Marketing Cloud Personalization gives marketers the ability to:

• Understand Customer Behavior – through JavaScript collection and Item Attribution to understand Customer Affinity
• Predict & Automate Decisions – including 1:1 recommendations and behavioral triggers
• Personalize Each Customer Journey – through audience segmentation and conversion reporting

*Marketing Cloud Personalization must be purchased and provisioned before use; it is not included as part of the Marketing Cloud Engagement product.

Personalization can take many forms

In summary, the ways you can deliver personalized content in Salesforce Marketing Cloud Engagement range far and wide, from simple to complex.  

Regardless of what you choose, see below for some reminders and tips to get started: 

• Personalization always depends on your data and what is available.
• A template is a shell for an email that can be used and a great place to standardize personalized or dynamic content.
• Content blocks can also be reused. Design personalization based on the attributes you are collecting and enable every email to be personalized.
• Personalization strings can be used inline in a Text block and in the Subject and preheaders for individualized content.
• Testing is critical. Leverage Preview to view individualized content for a subscriber; Test sends allow you to send specific email versions or multiple versions to ensure personalization and business logic is set up correctly.
• Crawl, walk, and run into email personalization.

Tell us how you’re using Marketing Cloud personalization features in the comments below. Or reach out to the Sercante team for help figuring out how to leverage the tools.

Original article: Salesforce Marketing Cloud Content Personalization Features: An Introductory Guide

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