External content retrieval in email templates

When you create your email template, you set up the external content retrieval areas. When you are ready to send an email, Acoustic Campaign retrieves the HTML or text from an external URL source. It inserts the content into the email, converts links to be tracked, and sends the email to the appropriate database.

External content can be contained in multiple emails, and content formatting can be standardized for all emails that contain the content.

One of the advantages of using external content is that it can be changed. You can change external content as often as you like. For example, you can prepare a number of ads ahead of an email. Then, you can quickly change the specials that are advertised in the content when stock runs low or the advertised item does not sell. The content is changed on your server or uploaded to the FTP directory, and no change to organization settings is required.

Example

You can use external content retrieval in combination with recurring campaigns. The external content retrieval feature provides a quick and easy way to reuse web content for email newsletters.

Limitations

  • The system can retrieve up to 1 MB of content per retrieval area, even if you have more than one content retrieval in an email.
  • Dynamic content cannot be embedded within the content that is retrieved.
  • When you preview email templates that use external content, the retrieval URL is displayed instead of the content.
  • External content can be used within dynamic content and in the static portion of the email. Dynamic content cannot be embedded within the external content.

Support by existing features

  • Supported by: web compose, locked templates, dynamic content rulesets, and automated message groups.
  • Error reporting: for retrieval errors, the system sends a notification to the organization's notification email address and the email owner's notification email address.
  • Not supported by: locked templates editable areas.
  • Not supported within the external content: forward message, embedded forms, dynamic content, images, the use of personalization within the external content URL and HTML validation.
  • External content scrape within an email is not supported by autoresponders, programs, or Transact and is not displayed to the recipient as expected.

More information

For more information, watch this video: http://cdn.training.silverpop.com/training/eng/email/externalcontent/main.htm.