Email subscription management using Dynamics 365 Marketing
NOTE: Dynamics 365 Marketing is now called Dynamics 365 Customer Insights
Subscription centers are webpages where subscribers can manage what email content they’d like to receive. In Dynamics 365 Marketing, email lists are called subscription lists.
What is a subscription list?
Subscription lists are a special type of marketing list which store contacts’ subscription preferences.
They are similar to segments and marketing lists, but importantly they give your contacts choices. Your contacts can choose which email lists to subscribe to by visiting your subscription centre.
Subscription centres
You’ll have seen a subscription centre if you’ve clicked on an unsubscribe or manage preferences link in an email.
The subscription management example below shows a subscription centre with two subscription lists to choose from and a opt out checkbox
How do I make a subscription management centre in Dynamics Marketing?
First you’ll need to add a subscription list. That’s easy
- Go to Subscription lists > New subscription list
- Give the list a name e.g Monthly Newsletter
- Save the list
- You subscription list is now ready to receive new members
Make as many subscription lists as you need for the types of mailing you do
How do I make a subscription centre?
You’ve got two options – you can edit the default subscription centre which was added when you installed Marketing, or make one from scratch. For most simple lists, it’s better and easier to edit the default centre.
How to edit the default subscription centre
The default subscription centre was added when Marketing was installed. A link to it is automatically added to emails – look for the unsubscribe text in the footer.
The subscription centre is a special type of Marketing form displayed on a Marketing page
Find the default subscription form
- Go to Internet marketing > Marketing forms
- Open the form called Default Subscription Center form
- Select Edit in the command bar and then from the toolbox (see below) add subscription lists to the form as you like. It’s a good idea to add explanatory text so users understand what they are subscribing to.
- Each subscription list you add will have a checkbox beside it to allow contacts to subscribe or unsubscribe
- Don’t delete the Do Not Email checkbox – you should always allow users to unsubscribe completely.
- Select Save when you’re finished. The form automatically publishes your changes. All pages that use the form will now automatically use your updated version.
Add a subscription list link to an email
The default subscription centre link is automatically added to the footer of all emails, so you don’t have to do anything
However, if you want to add extra link to the subscription centre in a different part of your email
- Open and edit your marketing email
- Add a button (for example)
- Choose Marketing page from the Link to: box
- Choose the Default Marketing Page
- and add text
When you send this email to your contacts, the link will take them to a subscription centre, with their preferences already completed.
If they make changes, their preferences will updated in Dynamics Marketing soon after they submit the form.
