Personalization: Enhancing Appeal Specific Personalization with Tags

*We’ve created a new Personalization Workflow! Personalization is now integrated into segments in GC Outreach. Instead of uploading multiple separate files, you can now configure personalization within each segment—choose donor greetings, preview the experience, and export or send outreach from one place. Learn more here!

Once you understand how personalization works, and how to get started with Basic Personalization, you can start leveling up your personalization experience by creating versions of personalized links for specific segments or appeals. We call this a 'Tag.'

What is a Tag? 

Tags allow you to create multiple personalization tokens for a single constituent. A Tag represents a 'version' or 'segment' of personalization. 

When would I want to use a Tag? 

Each constituent is complex, and is likely to be solicited multiple times a year. Each time, there may be a different greeting message you want to use or a designation you want to pre-populate.

For example: 

• Constituent A is being solicited for a gift in honor of their Reunion in the Spring, with their Class Fund pre-populated and a greeting message referencing their upcoming reunion. You upload relevant data for this 'Reunion' tag to personalize the experience aligned with a reunion solicitation.
• Constituent A then gets solicited again in the Fall to renew their Annual Fund gift, with the Annual Fund pre-populated and a greeting message referencing their consistent passed giving and renewals. You upload data for this 'LYBUNT Renewal' tag to personalized the experience aligned with an annual fund retention solicitation. 

This allows the same constituent to have two different personalized experiences, depending on which link they click. 

Creating a New Tag

Before getting started you must load constituent data in via the School Level Data Importer.
Getting Started with Basic Personalization.

There are two ways to create a new Tag and supplement your basic personalization. 

Option 1: CSV Upload via Online Giving: Personalization

• Step 1: Head to Online Giving > Personalization > Data Upload
• Step 2: Populate a file with the relevant data for the enhanced personalization Tag you want to create.
  • Sample CSV file
  • Important Fields
    • external_id: This is required and much match the ID of a constituent uploaded via the School Level Data Importer
    • tag: To create a new personalization token for a constituent, add a new Tag in this column for that constituent (ex: LYBUNTS, or FallAppeal). To refresh an existing personalization token, use the existing tag you'd like to refresh in the Tag column.
  • All Fields: external_id, ask_amount, display_name, payer_name, greeting_message, tag, affiliation_name1, affiliation_value1, affiliation_name2, affiliation_value2, affiliation_name3, affiliation_value3, affiliation_name4, affiliation_value4, designation_backend1, designation_backend2, designation_backend3, designation_backend4, suggested_ask_amount1, suggested_ask_amount2, suggested_ask_amount3, suggested_ask_amount4, suggested_ask_amount5, suggested_ask_amount6
• Step 3: Upload File
  • Note: Tags with large numbers of constituents may take 15-30 minutes to process. 

Option 2: Additional School Level Data Importer Mapping

• In addition to the Constituent file you've mapped via the School Level Data Importer for your constituent data, you can create an additional File mapping to create Tags.
• This means you're likely to have 3 different file configurations via the Importer:
  1. Constituent File
  2. Gift File (Required for Smart Ask Amounts & Smart Segment)
  3. Personalization Tag File
• Sample CSV file for School Level Data Importer, Personalization Tag file
  • external_id: This is required and much match the ID of a constituent uploaded via your School Level Data Importer Constituent File
• Step 1: Upload constituent data in via the School Level Data Importer.
  Getting Started with Basic Personalization.
• Step 2: Create a new File Configuration just for your Personalization fields
• Step 3: Populate Personalization file with relevant data for constituents, including any updates to the display name, greeting message, ask amount, tag, etc.
  • Note: The same file can include multiple Tags. So, you could upload data for two different Tags within a single import.
• Step 3: Test & Import Personalization file 

• Step 4: Review, Export, and Send personalized links

   

Option 3: Select and Bulk Update Personalizations

• Step 1: Head to Online Giving > Personalization > Constituents
• Step 2: Filter and Select the personalization tokens you wish to update
• Step 3: Select 'Update Selected Personalizations'
• Step 4: Make changes to the tag, greeting message, designation, or ask amount for selected constituents

Refreshing an Existing Tag

You can refresh the data in an existing tag using the same 3 Options listed above. 

• Uploading a new file with different personalization information, but the same Tag, will refresh the data within that existing personalization tag.
• This means that even if links have already been sent out, you can update the display names or greeting messages. 

Next Steps: 

• Generating & Sending Personalized Smart Ask Amounts
• Adding Additional Personalization Data to Smart Ask Amount tokens