Programmable email hubspot for developers

Introduction to Programmable Email in HubSpot

HubSpot’s Marketing Hub offers a powerful feature called programmable email, allowing developers to create highly personalized and dynamic email content using HubL (HubSpot’s templating language). This opens up a world of possibilities beyond static emails, enabling you to tailor messages to each recipient based on their individual data, behavior, and preferences. This article will guide developers through the intricacies of programmable email within HubSpot, exploring its capabilities and providing practical examples.

Traditional email marketing often involves creating generic templates that are sent to large segments of your audience. While this approach can be effective to some extent, it lacks the personalization needed to truly engage recipients and drive conversions. Programmable email addresses this limitation by allowing you to dynamically insert data, conditional logic, and even loop through data structures to create unique experiences for each individual.

Understanding HubL and its Role in Programmable Email

HubL is the heart of programmable email in HubSpot. It’s a templating language specifically designed for HubSpot’s platform. It allows developers to access and manipulate data from HubSpot’s CRM and other sources, enabling them to personalize email content dynamically. Think of HubL as a bridge between your email template and the vast amount of data stored within HubSpot.

Before diving into practical examples, it’s crucial to grasp some fundamental HubL concepts:

• Variables: HubL variables represent data points stored within HubSpot, such as contact properties, company properties, deal properties, and custom object properties. You can access these variables within your email templates to personalize the content.
• Filters: HubL filters allow you to modify and format the data retrieved from variables. For example, you can use filters to format dates, numbers, and text.
• Control Flow: HubL provides control flow statements like if, else, and for loops, enabling you to conditionally render content based on specific criteria or iterate through lists of data.

Setting up your Development Environment

While you can directly edit email templates within HubSpot’s design manager, a more efficient workflow often involves using a local development environment and the HubSpot CLI (Command Line Interface). The CLI allows you to synchronize your local files with your HubSpot portal, making it easier to manage and version control your code.

Here’s a brief overview of the setup process:

1. Install Node.js and npm (Node Package Manager) on your machine.
2. Install the HubSpot CLI globally using the command: npm install -g @hubspot/cli
3. Authenticate the CLI with your HubSpot portal using the command: hs init
4. Create a local folder for your HubSpot project and navigate to it in your terminal.
5. Download the email template you want to modify using the CLI command: hs fetch email [email_id] (replace [email_id] with the actual ID of your email).

Practical Examples of Programmable Email

Let’s explore some practical examples of how you can use HubL to create dynamic and personalized email content:

Personalized Greeting

A simple yet effective way to personalize an email is to use the contact’s first name in the greeting. Here’s how you can achieve this using HubL:

Hello, {{ contact.firstname }}!

If the contact’s first name is “Alice,” the rendered email will display “Hello, Alice!”. If the first name is missing, you can provide a fallback value:

Hello, {{ contact.firstname|default('there') }}!

In this case, if the contact’s first name is not available, the email will display “Hello, there!”.

Conditional Content Based on Contact Property

You can use if statements to conditionally display content based on specific contact properties. For example, you might want to show a different message to contacts who are customers versus those who are leads:

    {% if contact.lifecyclestage == 'customer' %}
        
Thank you for being a valued customer!
    {% else %}
        
We're excited to have you as a lead!
    {% endif %}
    

Displaying a List of Products

If you have a list of products associated with a contact (e.g., through a custom object), you can use a for loop to iterate through the list and display each product:

    {% if contact.associated_products %}
        

            {% for product in contact.associated_products %}
                
{{ product.name }} - {{ product.price }}
            {% endfor %}
        
    {% else %}
        
No products associated with this contact.
    {% endif %}
    

Advanced Techniques and Best Practices

Beyond the basics, programmable email offers several advanced techniques that can further enhance your personalization efforts:

• Using Modules: HubSpot modules allow you to create reusable components that can be easily incorporated into your email templates. This promotes code reusability and consistency.
• Leveraging HubDB: HubDB is a relational database within HubSpot that can store structured data. You can access HubDB data within your email templates to dynamically populate content.
• A/B Testing: Always A/B test different versions of your programmable emails to determine which variations perform best. This will help you optimize your email strategy and improve results.

Here are some best practices to keep in mind when working with programmable email:

• Keep it Simple: While programmable email offers powerful capabilities, avoid overcomplicating your templates. Simplicity often leads to better performance and maintainability.
• Test Thoroughly: Always test your emails with different contact properties and scenarios to ensure they render correctly.
• Optimize for Mobile: Ensure your emails are responsive and optimized for mobile devices.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Working with programmable email can sometimes present challenges. Here are some common issues and how to troubleshoot them:

• HubL Errors: HubL errors can occur due to syntax errors or incorrect variable names. Carefully review your code and check for any typos. The HubSpot console provides detailed error messages that can help you identify the problem.
• Data Not Displaying: If data is not displaying as expected, ensure that the contact property you are referencing is populated with the correct values. Also, verify that the variable name is spelled correctly in your HubL code.
• Email Rendering Issues: Email rendering can vary across different email clients. Use a tool like Litmus or Email on Acid to test your emails and identify any rendering issues.

Conclusion

Programmable email in HubSpot is a powerful tool for creating highly personalized and engaging email experiences. By mastering HubL and following best practices, developers can unlock the full potential of email marketing and drive significant results for their businesses. Embrace the power of personalization and transform your email strategy with programmable email.