Using Custom Properties

With Postscript, you can collect custom subscriber properties to use in segmentation, merge tags, and automation filters to:

In this article, we'll review collecting custom properties with popups, discuss how you can view custom properties within a subscriber profile, and then guide you through how to use custom properties in merge tags, automation filters, and segments.

Collecting Custom Properties

Before we get started, let's refresh how custom properties are collected with Popups. For a more in-depth look at this process, see here for desktop or here for mobile.

1. Under Phone question, you can change the placeholder text.
2. Select Add Question to add a question to your popup. Choose if you'd like subscribers to answer this question via freeform text, multiple choice, or with a date. Their response will be added to their subscriber profile under Custom Properties.
3. Within the first field, craft your question copy (for example: what's your main skin concern? or when is your birthday). 
   • If adding a multiple choice option, be sure to add the options. You can add up to four.
4. Under Subscriber property, add the property name you are collecting by either creating a new property or selecting an existing property. You can think of the subscriber property as the main subject of the question (for example: if you ask subscribers what their main skin concern is, the subscriber property would be "skin_concern").

Viewing Custom Properties in Subscriber Profiles

If you know the subscriber's phone number, you can enter it in the Search field in the side menu of your Postscript dashboard.

When on the subscriber's profile, you'll notice a Custom Properties section that includes the custom property and the subscriber's property. In the example below, one of the custom properties shown is birth_month. This subscriber's birth month property is April.

You can also view subscriber properties within Segments. When you create a segment with a custom property criteria, you can select View subscribers to view a list of all subscribers in that segment. From there, you can click any subscriber listed in that segment to be rerouted their subscriber profile.

Create Segments Using Custom Properties

1. Select Messaging in the side menu of your Postscript dashboard, then select Segments.
2. Select Create Segment in the top-right corner of the page.
3. Name your segment. Choose a name that allows you to easily identify this segment from the list of available segments on your main Segments page.
4. Define your criteria. Choose your criteria and a corresponding parameter (e.g. equals, not equal to, etc.). Custom properties will begin with Custom Field then list your custom property. In the example above, the criterion is Custom Field birth_month. 
5. Enter your value in the empty field. The value field can contain the multiple choice options subscribers can choose on your popup or freeform text. In the example above, the value is April.
6. Add additional criteria. You can include one or more criteria in a segment. Additional criteria help you further narrow your intended subset of customers. You can add additional criteria using the + Add Rule or + Add Filter tools.
   • + Add Filter (AND Statement) Example: Subscribers who have spent over $50.00 AND have a custom property birth_month equal to April.
   • + Add Rule (OR Statement) Example: Subscribers who have a custom property birth_month equal to April  OR have a custom property birth_month equal to May.
7. Review segment size. As you apply criteria, the number of members in your segment size will adjust. If the number doesn't look correct, double-check your criteria. 
8. Select Update Segment to update an existing segment or Save Segment to save your new segment. 

Use Custom Properties in Merge Tags

Merge tags are placeholders for variable information that you can use in both campaign and automation flows. Examples of merge tags are {shop_link} that populates your brand's shop link dynamically or {first_name} that populates the subscriber's first name in their subscriber profile. 

You can use merge tags to add variable placeholders to your messages such as: {Subscriber Properties - skin_concern}, {Subscriber Properties - favorite_color}, or {Subscriber Properties - birth_month}. 

1. To add a merge tag to your flow builder message, select the overlapping tag icon to view the available merge tag options.
2. Under Subscriber Properties, select the custom property you'd like to add. 

Let's take a look at what the subscriber will receive when this message is sent out:

You'll notice that the custom property merge tag {Subscriber Properties - skin_concern} from the flow builder message editor has been replaced with dullness in the actual message the subscriber receives.

Use Custom Properties in Automation Filters

You can also use custom properties to filter subscribers into or out of automation flows based on if they match a specific subscriber property. This will power more personalized automation flows for your SMS program.

1. To use custom properties in your automation filters, select the dropdown menu under Include a subscriber only if, and select Custom Field subscriber_property. In the example above, this criteria reads Custom Field skin_concern.
2. Define your parameters. Choose your corresponding parameter (e.g. equals, not equal to, etc.)
3. Enter your value in the empty field. The value field can contain the multiple choice options subscribers can choose on your popup or freeform text. In the example above, the value is acne.
4. Once you are finished adjusting your automation properties, select Save in the lower-right corner of the property editor.

Before You Go

Additional Resources

• Interested in learning more about automation flows or campaign flows? We've got you covered with our Automation Flow guide and Campaign Flow guide.
• Need to brush up on segment creation? Check out this tutorial.
• Curious to learn more about collecting custom properties with popups? Take a look at our Mobile Popup Guide or our Desktop Popup Guide.

Get Support

Have questions? Please feel free to reach out to our wonderful Support team at support@postscript.io or via live chat. You can also submit a support request here!

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