Adding Merge Variables to Emails

You can personalize your messages by using merge variables in Lead Gen & CRM. Personalized communications increase engagement, resulting in improved conversions.

A merge variable can be used to merge information about each recipient into the email, so you can customize each email to make it look like you are sending a personal email to each person on your list.

In this article, you'll learn how to add merge variables to emails.

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Article Contents

• Adding Merge Variables
• Available Merge Fields
• Using Merge Variables for Customized URLs
• Customizing Unsubscribe Link Text
• Adding Merge Variables to Subject Lines

Available With:

Trial	✓
Essential	✓
Advanced	✓
Ultimate	✓

Toolbar:

Email

Users:

Administrators	✓
Company Managers	✓
Marketing Managers	✓
Sales Managers
Salespersons
Jr. Salespersons

Adding Merge Variables

You can add merge variables to emails.

To add merge variables, create or edit an email from the Email tab in the left toolbar. 

1. Click into the email, where the merge variable should be located. 
   
   

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2. Click the Merge drop-down menu in the Content Editor toolbar that appears.
3. Select the desired merge variable from the available merge fields.
   
   

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4. Enter the placeholder text in the Default (optional) field. If the Lead Gen & CRM platform is unable to pull the recipient's unique data to personalize the email, the default text will appear instead. 
   
   
   Note: Unsubscribe Fields and Global Merge Variables do not use a default field.
   
   
   Important: When entering your default text, do not use the following characters in the same lines of an email as merge variables: #, ##, #*, $ Using those characters in the same line will break the merge variable.
    
5. Click OK.
   
   

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6. Click Save.
   
   

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Optionally, after adding a merge variable, you can send the email as a Smart Mail to your own lead record to see how the variables look in the email. Preview emails do not show populated merge variables.

Available Merge Fields

The merge fields available for use in emails are as follows

Using Merge Variables for Customized URLs

You can create customized URLs by using merge variables in a link, within your email. As an example, if your URL is https://mysite.com, and you want the customized URL to say https://mysite.com/Gregg, then you will want to add https://mysite.com/{$firstName} to the Text to Display box.

To use merge variables for custom URLs, create or edit an email from the Email page in the left toolbar. 

1. Click anywhere into the email and click the Merge drop-down menu in the Content Editor toolbar that appears.
2. Hover over the desired merge categories.
3. Select the desired merge variable from the available categories.
   
   

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4. Copy the variable code that appears, then, remove it from the email.
   
   

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5. Double-click the text of the email that you would like to turn into a link. 
6. Click the Link icon in the Content Editor toolbar that appears.
   
   

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7. Enter your desired URL in the URL text box and paste the variable. 
8. If needed, edit the text to be displayed in the Text to Display box. 
9. If needed, add a link title. This can help with SEO. 
10. Decide if the link should open a new window or open the link in the same window. 
11. Click Save.
    
    

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12. Click Save again.
    
    

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Customizing Unsubscribe Link Text

You can customize unsubscribe link text for a more personalized touch.

To customize unsubscribe link text, create or edit an email from the Email page in the left toolbar. 

1. Click into a text block within the email. 
2. Click the Link icon in the formatting toolbar.
   
   

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3. Copy and paste {$unsubscribeLink}in the URL field in the modal window that appears. This is the merge variable. 
4. Make any needed edits to the Text to Display field.
   
   
   Important: Alterations to unsubscribe links that violate any anti-spam or informed consent law by attempting to obfuscate the unsubscribe option can result in immediate account termination.
5. Click Save.
   
   

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6. Click Save again.
   
   

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After clicking the unsubscribe link, contacts will be taken to the unsubscribe screen. If you have granular unsubscription configured they will be asked to specify which category of communications they would like to stop receiving and they may also be asked to answer a brief survey on why they are unsubscribing. 

In order for a contact to re-engage and begin receiving emails again, they can fill out a GDPR Consent form that you've created in your Lead Gen & CRM instance, or they can be manually re-subscribed. 

Adding Merge Variables to Subject Lines

You can add merge variables to email subject lines.

To add merge variables to subject lines create or edit an email from the Email page in the left toolbar. 

1. Click anywhere into the email and click the Merge drop-down menu in the Content Editor toolbar that appears.
2. Select the desired merge variable from the available categories.
   
   

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3. Copy the variable code that appears and then remove it from the email.
   
   

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4. Click    Send Settings in the Email Designer panel.
5. Paste the merge variable into the Subject text box and complete the email subject line as you see fit, around the merge variable.
6. Click Save.
   
   

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