Learn how to set a default value for one of your contact data fields.
Overview
When you use personalisation to display the value of a contact data field, a blank space is displayed if a contact doesn't have a value stored against it.
That's where a default value comes in handy. It's a value that gets displayed instead of the blank. For example, if you personalise a campaign with 'Dear @FIRSTNAME@' but a contact doesn't have a value for the FIRSTNAME contact data field, your email will display the default value, such as 'Dear Customer', as opposed to an embarrassing 'Dear '.
Default values can be set against any of your contact data fields.
Please note that default values don't actually get stored against your contacts' data fields (for instance, the default value isn't visible when viewing or editing an individual contact). They're only made use of in personalisation.
Set a default value for a contact data field
To set a default value for a contact data field, follow these steps:
- Go to Email > Contacts > Contact data fields.
- Find the data field you want to edit, then select Properties.
- In the Default value box, enter the default value you want to use.
- Select Save.