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33 examples of dynamic tags to personalize your email sends

Written by: Pamela Vaughan
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dynamic tags

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Dynamic tags are placeholders that pull contact, company, or behavioral data into emails automatically. This information helps marketers personalize each send at scale.

To use dynamic tags effectively, connect teams need to connect email tools to CRM data. Just segment contacts based on available fields and set default values to avoid broken personalization. Then, you;re off to the races!

Here¡¯s how tags work.

Table of Contents

Enter Dynamic Tags

Ever heard of dynamic tags? If you¡¯re scratching your head and scrunching your nose, does ¡°Hi [firstname]¡± ring a bell? Dynamic tags help email marketers personalize email content by inserting stored contact data into each send. They turn one email into many tailored versions without requiring manual edits.

So if I sent the same email to my colleagues Corey and Anum using the [firstname] dynamic tag, the separate email messages they¡¯d each receive would be customized with their name.

If your email service provider supports dynamic tags, you can personalize far more than a greeting. lets marketers use CRM contact properties as dynamic tags in email subject lines and body copy. The platform pulls saved contact data from your database and inserts it into each message automatically at send time.

The possibilities truly are endless when it comes to the dynamic tags you can create. To give you a sense of just how powerful your emails can become when you use dynamic tags, here are 33 examples of dynamic tags that can be used in emails and how you might go about it.

While some of these might not exactly apply to your own business, we¡¯re sure you can think of plenty more that do.

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Dynamic Tags to Use in Your Email Sends

Personal Information

Chances are you¡¯ve received at least one from a company in which your first name was used in the body of the email. While this isn¡¯t exactly the most innovative use of dynamic tags anymore, it¡¯s almost expected these days.

Maybe it¡¯s just the marketer in me, but if I get an email that addresses me as ¡°Hi there,¡± I¡¯m pretty much guaranteed to send it to my trash bin. Pulling recipients¡¯ personal information into your email shows them you took the time to craft an email that is meant specifically for them. Here are several examples of types of personal information you can pull into your emails with dynamic tags.

For example, if you owned a chain of restaurants, you could segment your send by location and send a targeted email that said something like, ¡°Here are some specials we¡¯re offering at the restaurants near your hometown in [city].¡±

  • First Name
  • Last Name
  • Email Address
  • Phone Number
  • Location (City/State/Country)
  • Household Income
  • Job Title

Company Information

If you¡¯re B2B company, there¡¯s a good chance you¡¯re already collecting some company information from your leads to help you qualify them. Why not use some of this intelligence to personalize your email messages?

For example, if you sold industrial coffee machines and your ideal customers were businesses across various industries, you could say in your email, ¡°We know how stressful it can be in the [industryname] industry. Are your employees getting the caffeine they need to handle it?¡±

Here are some other types of company information you could pull in through dynamic tags:

  • Company Name
  • Business Type (e.g. nonprofit, B2B, B2C, ecommerce, etc.)
  • Industry Name
  • Company Size/Number of Employees
  • Website URL
  • Annual Revenue
  • Biggest Challenge
  • Competitor URL

Social Media Information

If you have a particularly social media-savvy audience and know some of their social media account information, you could personalize your emails this way, too.

For example, say you were running a and you wanted to target X users with large follower counts, considering they have the biggest reach. You could include something like, ¡°Hi [handlename], We¡¯re hosting a contest for some of our most social-savvy email subscribers. Because you have [followercount] Twitter followers, you¡¯re eligible to participate!¡±

Below are a few examples of types of social media information you can use in your dynamic tags:

  • Twitter Username
  • Twitter Follower Count
  • Facebook Page URL

Behavior/Activity

If your marketing database is , you¡¯re likely collecting some juicy tidbits of information about your contacts¡¯ behaviors and activity on your website. Use it to your advantage by mentioning their behavior and offering something that complements that activity.

For example, you could say, ¡°We¡¯re so glad you signed up for our free trial on [trialstartdate]. Here¡¯s a free guide to help you make the most of your free tools throughout the duration of your trial.¡±

Here are some other behavioral-focused types of dynamic tags.

  • Found Site Via
  • First (or Most Recent) Visit
  • First (or Most Recent) Conversion Event
  • First (or Most Recent) Conversion Date
  • Recent Email Opened/Clicked
  • Trial Start Date
  • Demo Request Date
  • Contact Sales Date
  • Last Item Purchased
  • Name of Assigned Sales Rep

Industry/Business-Specific

Do you ask for or collect any industry or business-specific information on your forms that you could use to personalize your email sends?

For example, at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø we have a free tool called , so we collect users¡¯ individual Marketing Grades when they run a report.

Therefore, we could incorporate users¡¯ grades into an email send to all Marketing Grader users, which might look something like this: ¡°We noticed your Marketing Grade of [marketinggrade] could use some improvement. Here are our top 5 ebooks on inbound marketing to help you give it a boost!¡±

Here are some other hypothetical examples of types of dynamic tags a business could leverage:

  • Favorite ice cream flavor (if you sell ice cream)
  • Household type (if you¡¯re a plumber)
  • Shirt/shoe/pants size (if you¡¯re a clothing retailer)
  • Number of children (if you¡¯re a personal finance consultant)
  • Score/grade (if you offer a free tool/grader)

Frequently Asked Questions About Dynamic Tags

What is a dynamic tag?

A dynamic tag is a placeholder that automatically pulls stored contact or company data into an email, such as a first name, company name, or trial start date. In email marketing, it helps you personalize one message for many recipients at send time.

What is the difference between static and dynamic tags?

Static tags stay the same for every recipient, while dynamic tags change based on the data tied to each contact. For example, a static greeting says the same thing to everyone, but a dynamic tag can insert each recipient¡¯s first name automatically.

How do dynamic tags work in email marketing?

Your email platform reads a value from your CRM or contact database, replaces the tag with that value, and then sends the personalized version to each recipient. That means one email can display different details for different contacts without manual editing.

What happens if a contact¡¯s dynamic tag data is missing?

If the required data is missing, the tag can fail and create a broken or awkward message unless you use segmentation or a default value. That¡¯s why you should only send emails to contacts with the needed data or set fallback text in your email tool.

Can dynamic tags be used in email subject lines?

Yes, many email platforms let you use dynamic tags in both the subject line and the body copy. For example, you might personalize a subject line with a first name, company name, or another saved contact property.

Are dynamic tags the same as merge tags or personalization tokens?

Often, yes. Different platforms use different names, but they usually refer to the same idea: inserting saved data into a message automatically. In ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø these are commonly tied to contact properties used for personalization.

A Word of Caution About Dynamic Tags

Before you go crazy with dynamic tags, it¡¯s important to remember that their use needs to go hand in hand with segmentation, especially when you¡¯re using tags that pull information not all your contacts will have.

There¡¯s nothing worse than an email with broken dynamic tags, and dynamic tags are guaranteed to break if your marketing database doesn¡¯t have the information they require for the contacts you¡¯re emailing.

Marketers should segment email lists so dynamic tags only pull from contacts with complete data. This prevents broken personalization and protects the subscriber experience.

  • Segment your list so only contacts with the needed field receive the email
  • Check that the property contains a real value, such as a favorite flavor or trial start date
  • Set a default value so the email still reads naturally if data is missing

For ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø customers, default values can be set in Personalization Settings.

Free Email Marketing Tools

Create, personalize, and optimize your marketing emails without waiting on designers or IT.

  • Boost email opens.
  • Design stunning emails.
  • Automate follow ups.
  • And more!
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