Best Practice for Splitting Content

While working in Agillic, you may need to split the content you send out, supplying different recipients with different versions of your communication. How to split your content depends on the sort of campaign you're sending out, which we will go into.

We will also discuss when to split the content for your recipients. In some cases, you might want to create more static emails without even using Promotions or Multi Content Blocks.

In this article you will find information about:

• Agillic's Best Practice on Splitting Content
  
  • Completely Separated
    • Pros
    • Cons
  • Separated By Split Step
    • Pros
    • Cons
  • Separated By Email Content
    • Pros
    • Cons
• Which Method to Choose?
• Different Scenarios, Different Best Practice

If the best solution for your campaign is to split the content based on email, you can read more in our best practice for using Promotions or Multi Content Blocks here.

Agillic's Best Practice on Splitting Content

Let's pretend you have recipients in three different countries. You now want to send one email to recipients of each country. How would you do that? When would you make the split between countries to ensure the recipients receive the email in their own language?

Completely Separated

For the first and easiest setup, you completely separate your Flows. 

In this case, you would create three Flows containing three different emails with content in each language. You would also create three Target Groups - one for each country. 

Three Flows set up separately based on the recipients' nationality

Pros

• It's easy to create and can see an overview easily
• Emails can send at different times based on the Flows Schedule
• Each email can use different templates such as having different styling

Cons

• Not very automated
• You will have to configure the entire email three times instead of just a part of the email
• Takes up space in the Channels module, Flows module and the Data module
• You will have to report on three different emails to get data on the complete send-out

Separated By Split Step

If you're sending the emails out at the same time, you can create a Flow, link it with one big Target Group, and split the recipients into three separate branches for each of the emails. Learn how to insert a Split Step here.

A Flow with a split step splitting three emails into branches based on the recipient's nationality

Pros

• Requires fewer Flows and Target Groups than the completely separated option
• Each email may use different templates such as having different stylings

Cons

• All emails sent at the same time, although you can use a Wait for Period Step in the individual branches
• You will have to report on three different emails to get data about the complete to send out

Separated By Email Content

In order to show the content in each language, you can insert different versions of the content into the emails using a Promotion. You can use the Promotion in another email if needed to save time. Learn how to create a Promotion here.

Using this method, you'll only need a simple Flow with a single Email Step to send out your personalised email.

An email using a Promotion to show different content to different nationalities. The email also has a Promotion inserted into the email subject line to ensure that the subject line also changes based on nationality.

Pros

• One Target Group and a simple email Flow
• Easy overview of the different content in a single email

Cons

• All emails sent at the same time, although you can use Wait for Period Step
• The email will use the same template and most likely the same text for header and footer

Which Method to Choose?

When sending three emails to three different countries, the best practice would be to use:

• The “Completely Separated” solution - if you need to send the emails at different times
• The “Separated by Split Step” solution - if it's okay for the emails to send at the same time

This is due to the fact that content written in three different languages is going to affect the emails enough that it would require Promotions in every single Content Block for the email to work. It's possible to set this up, but in the end, it would be easier to just construct three different emails.

Different Scenarios, Different Best Practice

Let's take a look at another scenario. Again, you're sending three emails but they're all in the same language. This time, some of the content will be the same for all the recipients, but an offer in the email should be personalised based on the recipient's gender.

Based on available data, we need content for:

• Male recipients
• Female recipients
• Recipients with “unknown gender”

In this case, it would make sense to use a Promotion as some parts of the email - including the header and the footer - would still be the same for all the recipients, regardless of gender.

Suggested Next Steps

• All You Need to Know About Flows
• How to Create a Flow
• All You Need to Know about Emails and the Email Editor
• All You Need to Know About Promotions