Dynamic content refers to web content that changes based on the user’s behavior, preferences, and interests. It refers to websites as well as email content and is generated once a user requests a page. This can either be text, audio, or video. The following are measures they use to monitor user data, characteristics, and in-session behavior.
- In-session behavior. This is simply data on the page a user visits and how long they spend on the same page. On eCommerce sites, it is data on which products users add in their cart.
- User data. This is data on past purchases and engagements with your niche.
- User characteristics. This is content based on demographics such as location and age, among others.
Dynamic content is personalized, and it adapts based on user data and on the access time. Its goal is to deliver an engaging and satisfying online experience for the visitor. For Example, you can log into Instagram and see an ad for an item you just added to your cart on an eCommerce site.
Dynamic content vs. Static content
Static content is any file stored in a server and is the same every time it is delivered to users. It is like a newspaper featuring the same articles for everyone who gets a copy once published. The static file does not change once uploaded to a server unless you replace it with another file.
On the other hand, dynamic content changes based on the user’s specific factors, such as location, time of visit, and device. Moreover, dynamic content is powered by a database-driven click-through application, while static websites are powered by websites where the content is stored in HTML files.
Advantages of dynamic content
User-friendly experience
Dynamic content is user-friendly. It is essential to showcase to your clients that you are serious about your business and get them to return to your website. Moreover, users can easily make changes to the website as per their requirements.
Increased relevance, thus increasing vital KPIs.
Customers judge your content as soon as they see it. Therefore, presenting relevant and personalized offers is vital for increasing conversion rates.
Seamless and doesn’t mess up the page layout.
It offers smooth navigation and lets the user jump from one page to the other without any issues.
Easy updating
Dynamic content can be quickly updated to respond to various screen sizes. This is impossible to do with static content. Moreover, whoever uses this tool can update it to suit their needs. This is because changing it does not require expert knowledge. Also, any single change in the template file would change all the pages with that particular file.
Is interactive
Dynamic content interacts with the users and changes according to their behavior. Users can reply or comment on the sites based on their experience, which helps the website owner know how they feel. Moreover, it has a forum where users can ask the website’s owner queries that they would like answered.
Disadvantages of dynamic content
High costs
They are expensive in their development, and even the hosting cost is high. However, once developed, there would not be any additional costs for updates or changes.
Slow processing
The dynamic website becomes slower to process and load because it has several functions to perform with complex technology.
Long initial development time
Dynamic content changes based on user data and preferences. Therefore, setting it up can take a lot of time so that it can accommodate all users despite their differences,
Dynamic content implementation
Customers usually want to know they are making the best purchase and research all of their options before committing. Understanding the buyer’s journey will give you insight into your prospect’s behavior, how to solve their problem, and how to convert them into sales. The buyer’s journey is the customer’s path to purchase during which they research a problem and find potential solutions to it and then choose one of those solutions. The buyer’s journey consists of:
The Awareness stage
Also known as the research stage. In this case, a buyer will have a research term, but they won’t necessarily look for solutions. Moreover, they may only be aware they have a problem, but they do not know the full scope. At this stage, they’ll be looking for general information about the problem instead of solutions. For Example, if they have an eye problem, they may search for the term, “Why are my eyes in pain?”
Consideration stage
Known as the evaluating stage. In this case, the buyer will begin looking at potential solutions to their problem. The buyer knows they have a problem and will read about different solutions to address it by this time. However, they’re not quite ready to purchase any product or service. The buyer may search for “Eye clinics near me,” which will give them a list of clinics they can visit.
Decision stage
At this stage, the buyer has explored all solutions to their problem and is interested in a particular one. They will begin researching the solution by checking reviews etc. In this stage, you can show the buyer why you deserve their business.
Implementing dynamic content in the awareness stage
Creating brand awareness is the fastest way to boost your market success. Studies have shown that email marketing and ads are the two most popular ways to create brand awareness. Therefore, you must include them in your marketing strategy. Similarly, including Dynamic content can improve results from these awareness strategies. The following shows how it can be used on emails and ads to boost awareness.
Personalized email marketing is important to make your emails stand out. The recipient usually feels like you’ve sent a message just for them and will likely engage with your content. Besides, 71% of consumers say a personalized email would influence their decision to open and read promotional emails. The following are effective email personalization practices:
- Divide email lists into smaller groups based on user data and buyer journey so that you can send personalized email campaigns.
- Addressing your recipients with their names adds a personal touch to the emails. As the saying goes, excess of everything is bad, ensure you find a balance to not use their names too often.
- Send emails based on a customer’s action. For example, you can congratulate them on completing their fifth purchase or welcome a new customer and give them tips.
- Lastly, show your clients you know them with a creative personalized message. For example, wish them a happy birthday with a discount coupon.
Text and Display Ads
Dynamic content can help you optimize the following areas:
- Designing digital text ad titles to user search queries. For Example, Google Adword dynamically personalized text ads for a landing page to match user intent.
- Dynamic display ads for remarketing campaigns where ads are strategically selected based on prior user interest.
Implementing dynamic content in the consideration stage
The user is likely to convert to a buyer in this stage. Therefore, using dynamic content is important because it gives the user relevant and personalized content. The following are various sections in your site where you can employ dynamic content:
Site search
A site search is a dynamic content function that enables users to search a given website’s content with speed and relevance. On your site search, customers will clearly state what they’re looking for. If the results are irrelevant and non-personalized they may leave your site. eCommerce sites widely use this tool as it improves site navigation and helps users reach their preferred destination pages. Below is a site search from wayfair.com
Product/ content recommendation
Dynamic product recommendation is a feature that presents online customers with item suggestions. Through dynamic content, the recommendations engine collects user data when they engage with the website. A good recommendation tool is important because it provides customers a quick and easy way to view relevant items. Below is an example of a product recommendation from LeSportsac.
Personalized offers
They are targeted offers that give extra features making them more relevant at the individual customer level. Let’s look at personalized offers and how they are used based on:
Geo-targeting
It is a dynamic content practice of targeting online visitors with localized content based on their geographic location. With geo-targeting, you can personalize customer experience on your website to ensure the right message reaches the right customer at the right time, wherever they are. For Example, most fashion retailers personalize their display ad campaigns based on a visitor’s local weather conditions, i.e., swimwear for tropical areas with warm weather. The following is an example of a promotion limited to Ottawa area residents:
Customer life cycle
It is a term used to describe the progression of steps a customer goes through using the buyer journey. It has five specific steps: reach, acquisition, conversion, retention, and loyalty. Understanding customer lifestyle is essential to the ongoing success and growth of your business. It is important to manage the lifecycle as a whole and not segments. New visitors on the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) homepage are given a survey that directly relates to their experience as shown:
For loyal customers, personalization can look like this:
Using geographic customer segmentation
It involves segmenting your audience based on the region they are in. Content personalization based on geography can create compelling offers. Brands can make better offers to their customers by knowing where they are located. The following is an example of geographic segmentation based on climate:
On page pop-ups
When strategically placed, pop-ups can be the best engagement tool to boost conversions. They, however, have to be non-intrusive and relevant to the buyer’s journey. Dynamic content pop-ups can either be user-specific or page-specific.
Exit intent
Exit-intent pop-ups are the last effort to convert visitors before they leave the site. The pop-up tracks mouse movements to know when the visitor is about to leave. This technique is used to retain visitors from abandoning a website. You can do this by displaying special offers or calling them to take a particular action for engagement just as they are about to leave. For Example,
Shopping cart abandonment
This is where someone adds an item to their shopping cart but does not make a purchase. A well personalized and optimized pop-up message can reduce your cart abandonment rate by 17% or more. For Example:
Save my cart
This is a straightforward tactic to remind customers of their shopping carts and increase sales in the process. They usually combine exit intent triggers with a pop-up display, page targeting, and a special offer to make sure that you make a sale every time.
Click activated
When a website visitor clicks on your campaign image or text, this pop-up is activated. After they’ve taken that action with you, your offer shows up so they can act with you again. They usually have a high conversion rate because visitors make the first move by clicking on your offer.
Implementing dynamic content in the decision stage
To persuade the buyer to use your product or service, you need the below tools to implement dynamic content for higher conversions.
Display banners
It is a banner on a website that stands out and looks like an ad. Dynamic display banners adapt the content of the message to the interests and behaviors of the prospective customer. This way, they boost conversions. For a display banner to work effectively, there have to be specific placements. placements are locations where your ads can appear. A placement can be a website, a specific page on a site, or an email as shown below:
- In-web pages: Show your display banners on placements where your customers spend more time. For example, if your customer spends time on a specific page on a site, you can put that page as your placement.
In newsletters and emails- Ensure the display banners align with the overall message of the email. They should also have dynamic content based on user data and characteristics.
Native content promotion
This type of advertising matches the form and function of the platform upon which it appears. Since it needs to be contextual to the page and its content, it is the best choice as it is relevant to the reader. This dynamic content can either be page-specific, category-specific, or product-specific. The main aim is to develop a relevant promotion that will be least disruptive and will add the most value to the reader.
Dynamic Calls-to-Action
Calls-to-action (CTAs) are text links, buttons, or images that prompt visitors to take some action. Dynamic CTAs are based on the buyer persona and buyer journey. Studies indicate that personalized call-to-actions convert 202% better than essential CTAs.
Forms and chatbots
Sign-up forms and chatbots are the final stages of lead conversion. Dynamic content forms are based on user input and save customers’ progress so they can finish later on any device. Browser cookies and the Autofill method usually track the user data. Once the user has filled the first form, that data gets saved in the browser. Dynamic chatbots also reply based on user data and criteria of your choice. For example, the bot may respond in English to an English customer and Spanish to a Spanish customer.
Benefits of using dynamic vs. static content through the buyer journey
The following is a brief comparison of dynamic content and static content applications using the same marketing strategies:
In Dynamic content, email content has specific areas that display different texts or images according to precise customer segregation which provides about 10-15% open rates, while static content uses general emails that are sent to an entire database which provides lower open rates of 5-10%
Text & Display Ads
Ads in Dynamic content automatically change to adapt content and promotions specifically to each user ensuring that each user is exposed to the most effective ad. Contrastingly, static content provides general and irrelevant ads regardless of the user, which generates fewer Click-Through Rates
.
Site search
Dynamic content has a site search feature that ensures users reach their pages of interest. This, therefore, increases the time they spend on your website and user engagement which boosts conversion rates. Contrastingly, static content lacks a site search option; therefore, users highly depend on manual header and footer navigation bars which are exhausting and increase bounce rates and lower page engagement.
Product recommendations & Pop-ups
Dynamic content analyses products that relate to the buyer and recommends them thus, increasing their time on site and CTR. static pop-ups and recommendations, on the other hand, are solely based on static logic
Display banners & Native promotions
In dynamic content, display banners and native promotions are placed based on the type of content and if it will add value to the user. On the other hand, static banners and native promotions usually do not contextualize. The promotions usually don’t relate to the content the user is reading.
| Marketing Strategy | Dynamic content | Static Content |
| Contextual emails10-15% open rate | General emails5-10% open rate | |
| Text & Display Ads | High relevance of ads | Ads are highly irrelevant |
| Site Search | Easy on-site browsing and navigation. | Users depend on manual header and footer navigation bars. |
| Product Recommendations & Pop-ups | Dynamic recommendations and pop-ups based on buyer persona and journey | Static recommendations and pop-ups based on static logic |
Best practices when implementing dynamic content
Determine purchase of personalization technology
The implementation of dynamic content usually depends on personalization technology. For example, if you highly invest in personalization technology like CDP, then your dynamic content will deliver accurate information. This will increase customer experience, boost your conversion rates, and lastly, improve customer loyalty. However, if you have a limited budget, you can still invest in basic content marketing tools that provide personalization with limited features.
Prioritize marketing goals and metrics
Before investing in dynamic content, you have to set specific goals. For Example, which marketing area is your priority? Is it emails or paid promotions etc?. Once you figure that out, you can now maximize dynamic content in that area. For instance, if your aim is to increase email conversions then you will apply dynamic content to your email marketing campaign. On the other hand, if your goal is to get more traffic to your website through ads then you should apply dynamic content on both text and display ads.
Leverage cross-channel user data
This is where various sets of data from different sources are linked and analyzed to provide customer and marketing intelligence that the business can use. In simple terms, it employs multiple connected channels to reach customers. Therefore, a good dynamic content strategy should allow for an easier and seamless transition from one channel to another. Omnichannel campaigns are ideal for smooth transitions. However, free available tools like Google Analytics can also provide you with cross-channel user data to implement in your dynamic content strategy.
Conclusion
Finally, dynamic content is an important tool. Using it on your sites means that you are giving your customers personalized reasons to return. Even though proper dynamic content takes a while to develop correctly, it simplifies the process for your users when put into use. Ensure you plan which stages you want to implement dynamic content and test which methods work best for you.
What is a dynamic content block?
It’s a tool that lets you tailor your email campaign, so different contacts receive other content or offers. It is usually made of three elements: Default, variations, and rules.
What are some websites that contain dynamic content?
They include writing blogs, e-commerce sites like Amazon, calendars, to-do sites, and websites that need regular updating.
What is dynamic content in Facebook Messenger, and how does it work?
Whenever a shopper expresses interest in an item from your catalog, Facebook will dynamically generate an ad for that person and deliver it automatically.
What is the difference between user characteristics and dynamic content software?
User characteristics describe those general characteristics of the intended group of product users, including elements that may influence the usability of dynamic content software. On the other hand, dynamic content software matches the behavioral segments created from customer interactions and data to products most likely to convert.