This article explores what personalization tags are, how they work, and the ways you can use them to enhance your email campaigns and automation.
Personalization tags are a powerful feature in the CRM that allows you to tailor communications for each recipient. These small pieces of code pull in specific information from your contact, deal, account, or custom object fields, transforming your messages into dynamic, personalized experiences.
What Are Personalization Tags?
A personalization tag is a dynamic placeholder that pulls in information relevant to the recipient. Whether you are addressing contacts by their first names or referencing deal details, personalization tags allow your communications to be customized based on the data available in your CRM fields.
For example, using the tag %FIRSTNAME% in an email will automatically populate each contact’s first name, making your message more personalized and engaging.
Important Notes:
- The CRM provides personalization tags for fields like contact, deal, account, and custom object fields.
- The availability of specific tags depends on your CRM plan.
- Hyphens are not supported in custom tags created by users. Any hyphen added will be automatically removed.
- Text-only campaigns do not support personalization tags, which means default footers cannot be edited in text-only formats.
How Personalization Tags Work
Personalization tags dynamically insert field values based on each contact’s stored data. The CRM automatically generates these tags for every field in your account, ensuring that your campaigns are always relevant and specific to each recipient.
For instance, to address your contacts by their first name, you would use the %FIRSTNAME% tag in your message. When your contacts receive the email, their first names will appear in place of the tag, creating a more personalized experience.
Additionally, if your personalization tag is a URL, it will be clickable once the recipient receives the message, making it easy to add interactive elements like website links.
Ways to Use Personalization Tags
Depending on your CRM plan, personalization tags can be used to dynamically insert content into various communications, such as:
- Emails
- Automated workflows
- SMS
- Campaigns
Example Usage:
- Contact Fields: Addressing contacts by name:
%FIRSTNAME% - Deal Fields: Highlighting the status of a deal:
%DEAL_STATUS% - Account Fields: Mentioning the account name:
%ACCT_NAME%
Modifying Personalization Tags
You can modify the appearance of your personalization tags using tag modifiers, allowing you to format the data correctly. Modifiers change how text appears, ensuring consistency in your communication.
Modifiers are added after the pipe symbol (|). For example, to ensure a first name is capitalized, you can use the following tag:%FIRSTNAME|UPPERFIRST%
List of Modifiers:
- UPPER: Converts the entire text to uppercase.
- UPPERFIRST: Capitalizes only the first letter of the text.
- UPPERWORDS: Capitalizes the first letter of each word.
- TITLECASE: Capitalizes the first letter of each word while converting other letters to lowercase.
- LOWER: Converts the entire text to lowercase.
- LOWERFIRST: Makes only the first letter lowercase.
- LOWERWORDS: Changes the first letter of every word to lowercase.
Accessing Personalization Tags in ActiveCampaign
Email Designer:
- Open Campaign/Automation Email: Start by opening the campaign or automation email where you wish to add personalization.
- Click on Text Block: Select the text block where you want the personalization tag to appear.
- Click the Thunderbolt Icon: Below the text box, click the thunderbolt icon (⚡️) to access personalization options.
- Select the Personalization Tag: Choose the appropriate tag (e.g., first name, company) from the available options.
Contact > Field:
- When creating an automation, personalization tags can be added from the contact fields directly, allowing dynamic data to be inserted automatically.
Automation/Notification Emails:
- Personalization tags are also accessible while drafting automation or notification emails, giving you the option to dynamically insert fields like first name, company, and more.
You can see the entire process in action through the following GIF, which demonstrates how to access personalization tags:
