How do I set a default value for a demographic field?

DESCRIPTION

When using merges in campaigns, it is important to consider the possibility that not all recipients may have a value stored in the field being merged.  You can set default values for fields to account for the lack of data when using merges.  This can be accomplished in a couple of ways, outlined below.

HOW-TO

1. Export your contact list and identify contact records that have no values for a specific demographic field.  Update the CSV to include generic values for those contacts and re-import the file to update the database.  

2. Set a default value for the demographic field in your Contacts dashboard.

• Go to Contacts
• Click "Configuration" from left menu
• Click "Custom Fields" to access all demographic fields
• Locate (or search) for desired field name
• Hover over listed demographic field and click "Edit" (right side of page)
• In the pop-up, enter the default value in "Merge Options"
• Click Ok

NOTE
Be sure to go back to your campaign (or template) to insert the merge tag for the demographic field.  Setting a default is only one step in the process of utilizing merge tags to personalize your campaigns.

See this article for a list of common merges used.