Set Default Merge Values for an Audience

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When you use merge tags to personalize your email, it's a good idea to set default values to display for recipients who don't have any data for that field. For example, you could set the default value for your first name merge tag to “Friend.” When you use “Hello *|FNAME|*,” in an email, we'll display “Hello Friend” for recipients whose first names aren't in the system.

In this article, you'll learn 2 ways to set default values for your audience fields.

From the audience settings

To set the default merge tag values from the audience settings, follow these steps.

  1. Click Audience.
  2. If you have more than 1 audience, click the Audience drop-down and choose the one you want to work with.
  3. Click the More options drop-down, then choose Audience fields and merge tags.
  4. Click the three vertical dots next to the merge field or tag, then click Edit.
  5. In the Default merge tag value field, enter the default text for your merge tags.
  6. When you're done, click Save.

Default merge tag values are available for all fields except the required Email Address field and the Address (physical) field. Also, default merge tag values for image fields display only text.

From this page, you can also add new audience fields, edit field labels and tag names, set required fields, and choose whether to hide or display the field in your signup forms. To delete a field, click the three vertical dots next to the merge field or tag. Check the box to confirm, and then click Delete.

From the form builder

To set the default merge tag values using the form builder, follow these steps.

  1. Click Forms.
  2. In the Form builder tile, click Manage forms.
  3. If you have more than 1 audience, click the Current audience drop-down and choose the one you want to work with.
  4. On the Build it tab, use the side panel to add a new field, or click an existing field to edit it.
  5. On the Field settings tab, enter your text in the Default merge tag value field. This text will appear when a recipient’s data isn't available.

Default merge tag values are available for all fields except the required Email Address field and the Address (physical) field. Also, default merge tag values for image fields display only text.

From the form builder, you can also add new fields, edit field labels and tag names, set required fields, and choose whether to hide or display the field in your signup forms.

Note

Default merge tag values will only display in sent emails, and not in your audience fields.

Format Guidelines for Your Import File

Certain audience field types, like addresses and phone numbers, require a specific format. Learn about field types, and how to format them to work with Mailchimp.