How to connect a PHP database with AC to insert bespoke content per email recipient

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1

Hi folks! First post here!

(I am not a developer myself but we have 2 available)

We have a PHP database (that mirrors the AC subscriber list) and can output via an API bespoke content per subscriber (one URL and some descriptive text) .

We want something like this:

_Dear (subscribers name) _

_We thought you would be interested in this _

CUSTOM CONTENT ZONE STARTS

URL (one just for them that we have organised)

Descriptive text (just for them)

CUSTOM CONTENT ZONE ENDS

_Blah blah Blah _

_Blah blah Blah _

Blah blah Blah

(rest of the email is mass email content)

END.

Can you please point me to where in the manual my devs should be looking to figure this out please?

Its my understanding that this kind of per user granularity can be referred to as 'transactional emailing" although these bespoke links and text donā€™t actually relate to sales transactions in our case.

When would AC go ā€œgrabā€ the custom content? As its mailing out? Before it was mailed out? Would a ā€˜scriptā€™ need to be run prior to mailing?

The end result would be 70,000+ individually customised emails being sent.

Many thanks in advanceā€¦

Jules

2

Hey there!

Yes, that should be possible. What you need to do is create a custom field for the url and the descriptive text. Then when you update your external database, have that use the ActiveCampaign API to update the contact record programatically.

Hereā€™s a link to the contact_edit api call in the API docs - http://www.activecampaign.com/api/example.php?call=contact_edit

1 Like
3

Thanks very much!

If the newsletters are weekly (each time with new content)

Do we simply update contact records before mailing?

I think I am understanding that the newsletters could be a standard mass email but could have additional bespoke content added that comes from the contact record?

Are there any technical considerations or pitfalls regarding the visual integration of content from the contact record and content arranged within the AC template to get it to look seamless?

Many thanks again!,