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Over the past 18 months, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has been marked by significant advancements across various domains, most notably in natural language processing, image recognition, and autonomous systems. As AI continues to evolve, its integration into everyday life has become more pronounced, shaping the way we interact with technology. Within MarTech, we’re seeing AI create customer segments, generate content (ex. email copy), and predict optimal next steps in a user’s journey. The Exploitation of AI We should also remember that AI is not infallible. The accuracy and reliability of AI systems hinge greatly on the quality of the data they are trained on. Incomplete, biased, or erroneous (intentional, or otherwise) data can lead to flawed outcomes and decision-making by AI algorithms. Even seemingly insignificant inaccuracies in the data can cascade into significant errors in AI predictions or recommendations. Moreover, the human element in AI’s development and application introduces vulnerabilities. A striking example of how AI can be misused in marketing involves the creation of fake online reviews or social media posts. In 2017, researchers from the University of Chicago developed an AI system capable of crafting convincing fake Yelp reviews .   This deceptive practice threatens customers’ trust by influencing purchasing decisions based on false information. What Is Real? In the face of such manipulation, customers are left questioning the authenticity of information. This uncertainty can erode trust in a company's culture. Recognizing and addressing these ethical considerations is crucial in leveraging AI responsibly and preserving customer trust. Interestingly enough, not enough people have stopped to think about the ethical considerations of AI in marketing. This is clearly evident by the lack of content on this subject. So, let’s talk about it! Consumer Expectations Transparency is paramount in meeting consumer expectations. It’s one of the reasons why third-party cookies are on the way out and promoted content needs to be clearly disclosed by content creators. As for AI-generated content, there are no explicit laws mandating the disclosure of it, but existing regulations may be relevant in specific situations. For instance, the FTC has set guidelines for advertising and marketing, emphasizing the need to disclose connections between advertisers and endorsers. These guidelines do extend to AI-generated content used for promoting products or services. Then, from a marketing lens, what responsibility do we have to those we send AI influenced messaging? When it comes to content creation, is it necessary to inform the public when AI plays a role in it? As marketers, it's essential to consider the responsibility to consumers when utilizing AI-influenced messaging and to uphold ethical practices. To Disclose or Not to Disclose, That is the Question To dig a little deeper, here are a few different scenarios where AI is present in marketing, and we want you to think if the consumer should be privy of its use: AI selected the qualified group of prospects for messaging Email copy was developed by AI The chatbot answering their questions is powered by AI The Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system they’re engaging with is collecting data from your conversation Personalized recommendations (additional products and/or services) Unfortunately, there are no " right " answers to these questions. However, we’d recommend that you empathically evaluate them from the perspective of the end user. And remember, transparency fosters trust and allows consumers to make informed decisions. Looking Ahead As AI emerges as a powerful tool in marketing, just like any innovative technology, it comes with a learning curve. You may be quick to prioritize AI benefits without fully considering the ethical considerations, leading to potentially alienating your customer base. Remember, AI is a tool and not a standalone solution. While AI can provide information from a variety of data sources to supercharge your marketing, having a human element is key to navigating the evolving landscape of AI in marketing.

The business world is abuzz with the emergence of user-friendly Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools like ChatGPT and Dall-E 2. Capitalizing on this trend, many companies are now touting their products’ new AI features and functions. Some are truly remarkable, and some are just false advertising of our old friend Machine Learning (ML). But how can you tell the two apart? First, understand that ML focuses on developing algorithms and models that enable computers to learn and make predictions or decisions. ML algorithms learn from data, recognize patterns, and make predictions or take actions based on the patterns identified. Furthermore, ML algorithms can improve their performance over time by learning from new data. A classic example in the MarTech space is send time optimization for your outbound marketing communications – a feature that has been in ESP playbooks for years ( article from 2009 ). Based on a consumer’s email reading habits (AM vs PM, Monday vs Thursday, etc.) ML can predict the best day of the week and time, per individual, to send an email so that it has the highest probability of being read. You can also find ML enabling MarTech with the creation of “Look alike” social audience segmentations, dynamic pricing based demand and inventory, and fraud detection. AI, on the other hand, is a bit more sophisticated. It involves creating systems or algorithms that possess the ability to perform tasks or exhibit behavior that typically require human intelligence. AI encompasses a range of techniques, approaches, and technologies aimed at enabling machines to understand, reason, learn, and adapt in order to achieve specific goals. From a MarTech perspective, this involves leveraging data-driven insights, enhancing customer experiences, streamlining processes, and optimizing marketing campaigns for better results and ROI. One familiar example of AI in marketing is the use of AI-powered chatbots and virtual assistants. These intelligent systems provide real-time customer support, answer queries, and assist with purchasing decisions. Chatbots engage in personalized conversations, handle repetitive tasks, and deliver round-the-clock customer service, resulting in improved satisfaction and cost reduction. Furthermore, you’ll find AI facilitating personalized content creation based on user behaviors and their intent, identify relevant audience segments and selecting the best ad placements while adjusting bids in real-time, and the ability to fulfill marketer requests using natural language processing (create subject lines, audience groups, new reports, etc.). As we wrap up, we hope you now see that while AI may leverage ML techniques in its decision-making process, ML alone does not constitute AI. And comparing the two is akin to comparing a thesaurus to The Great Gatsby! Feel free to send to a friend or tell us we’re wrong…or better yet, check with ChatGPT first!

Using webhooks to power data integrations between Braze and other systems is very common. However, because Braze keeps releasing new features you may have forgotten that those same webhooks can also be the key to unlocking more creative marketing solutions by directly interacting and modifying data stored in Braze, from Braze itself (i.e. Braze-to-Braze). The ability to leverage this recursive logic then opens up the possibility to some cool solutions ideas. However, before we dive into Braze-to-Braze webhooks, here’s a quick refresher on ‘What is a webhook anyway?’. A webhook is an HTTPS request sent to another system, allowing applications to communicate with each other in real time. Webhooks are typically used to send data to external systems that aren't otherwise integrated. For example, you might use a Braze webhook to send notifications to Slack or to update an external database. But what if the “external” system you want to send Braze data to is actually Braze itself? Yes, the webhook is coming from inside the house – gwahah (insert evil laugh)! Braze-to-Braze webhooks enable you to send data from Braze back into Braze, simplifying tasks that might otherwise seem complex or require IT development support. Additionally, in some cases, Braze-to-Braze webhooks can even help you save data points. As marketers, we understand the importance of encouraging user interaction and retention, especially during the early stages of the customer lifecycle. Imagine being tasked with trying to increase new user app usage and adoption as early as possible in the new user lifecycle. One solution could be gamifying the app onboarding experience. Let’s say you create an engagement scoring model in Braze that assigns points for each day a user logs into the app. Each day, the user is encouraged by email to engage with, and perform, certain tasks within an app. When a user’s points reach a defined threshold, they are rewarded with exclusive offers and content in their app as an incentive. This may sound complicated or resource intensive, but it can all be accomplished by your marketing team entirely within the Braze dashboard using Braze-to-Braze webhook - no IT development required! Check out the steps below to see how easy it can be. How to Create an Engagement Scoring Model Using Braze-to-Braze Webhooks Step 1 – Determine the types of interactions you want to score, and the weight of those scores. In this example users will be awarded: 5 points each day the user opens and logs into the app. Step 2 – Create a REST API key in the Braze Dashboard with permissions to update user data ( users.track ). From the navigation menu in the Braze Dashboard, click on Settings and then APIs and Identifiers . Click Create API key , provide the API key a name, enable Braze IP allowlisting . Enable permissions to modify user profiles by selecting User Data , or specifically users.track within the User Data section. Click Create API key to save. Copy and save the API identifier as this will be referenced later in our webhook. Step 3 – Create a new numeric custom attribute to maintain the scoring. In the Braze Dashboard, go to the Data Settings menu and click on Custom Attributes . Click Add Custom Attributes , define the attribute name and data type of Number Step 4 – Create a new campaign and select Webhook as the channel. The purpose of this campaign is to configure a Braze-to-Braze webhook that will update the engagement_score attribute with 10 points each day that user opens and logs into the app. Name your campaign and select Blank Template . Configure the Webhook URL with the REST API endpoint URL for your Braze dashboard cluster. ( Braze Endpoints ) Change the Request Body to RAW TEXT . Compose the request body to use the Liquid that is required to add the points and the REST API code to update the engagement_score attribute with a new score. This code (and more Braze-to-Braze webhook details) are available in the Braze User guide . Next, click Settings to compose the webhook method and request header with the API key created in Step 2 and as shown below: Step 5 – Configure the webhook campaign for Action-Based scheduling with the trigger action of Start Session . In order to ensure a user can only be scored once a day, modify the Delivery Controls to allow re-entry again in 1 day. Update the Target Audience for new app users. Save and Launch Braze-to-Braze webhooks can be a game changer for creating engagement scoring models without heavy lifting on the development side. Whether you're gamifying the onboarding process or tracking other types of user interactions, these webhooks make it easy to set up and manage within Braze. This guide shows how to build a scoring model for daily app logins, but the same principles apply to any engagement you want to track! What are some of the cool ways you’ve used Braze-to-Braze webhooks? And if you liked this post, then you should really check out some more features you didn’t know you needed .

First-party data has become the undisputed king for marketers in a world increasingly focused on privacy and the phasing out of third-party cookies. First-party data, collected directly from your customer interactions, is the one of the most valuable assets for powering marketing software platforms and driving successful campaigns and journeys. Let's explore why. Understanding First-Party Data First-party data encompasses the information you gather directly from your audience across various touchpoints. This includes: Website behavior: Sessions, page visits, time on site, content engagement CRM data: Profiles, demographics, purchase history, support interactions Email and Mobile interactions: Open rates, click-throughs, conversions, app downloads Social media engagement: Likes, shares, comments Surveys: Responses and feedback (sometimes also called “zero party data”) The Advantages of First-Party Data Ownership and Control: You own your first-party data outright, giving you full control over its collection, usage, and compliance with privacy regulations. Accuracy and Reliability: Because you gather it directly, there's no question about its quality or relevance to your target audience. Cost-Effectiveness: While tools might be involved, collecting first-party data is often less expensive than purchasing third-party data. Enhanced Personalization: First-party data provides rich insights into customer preferences, enabling highly tailored messaging and experiences that resonate. Privacy and Compliance: Responsibly collected first-party data helps you build trust with customers and adhere to ever-evolving privacy regulations. How Marketing Software Leverages First-Party Data Marketing software platforms thrive on first-party data to deliver exceptional results: Audience Segmentation: Data elements create granular audience segments for targeted messaging and campaigns that are more likely to convert. Customer Journey Mapping: First-party data illuminates the customer journey, revealing friction points and optimization opportunities. Predictive Analytics: AI-powered platforms analyze first-party data to predict customer behavior, recommend products, and anticipate churn. Campaign Optimization: Real-time data on campaign performance allows for continuous refinement and maximizes ROI. Omnichannel Orchestration: A unified customer view from first-party data empowers seamless experiences across multiple channels. The Future is First-Party As the marketing landscape continues to shift and customers demand more, first-party data will only grow in importance. Successful marketing software platforms, like Braze, not only facilitate the collection of this data, but also provide the robust analytics and tools necessary to extract actionable insights. Companies that invest in a strong first-party data strategy and seamlessly integrate it with their marketing technology stack will be well-positioned to gain a significant competitive edge.

In today’s fast-paced marketing landscape, real-time and event-driven strategies dominate. As marketers, you’re constantly gathering data on who visited a website, filled out a form, conducted a transaction, and more. It’s these moments in a customer’s journey that are critical touchpoints your systems can “listen” for and alert you to. But what about those who didn’t respond to your previous Calls-to-Action? How do you find and market to the people who were absent? Take a moment to yourself and think, how would you build a Braze Canvas where you target those who didn’t visit your website? Any ideas? Unfortunately, you’ll be hard pressed to find an event or trigger in the Braze database representing someone not visiting your website, not downloading your app, or not making a purchase. So, does this mean you shouldn’t market to these inactive consumers? Heck no! It’s time to use reverse logic. Instead of searching for those who didn’t take an action, you should identify and suppress those who did. For example, imagine you have a ‘New Member Welcome’ program where two days after signing up, you send an email inviting them to download your mobile app. Now, 10 days later, you want to retarget those members who did NOT download the app. Building a filter or finding a segment that represents person’s inaction can be tricky. One way to approach this is by leveraging a custom data field that flags the user’s profile if they downloaded the application, or noting the last time they did so. However, if you want to avoid incurring extra data point costs, you could create a segment extension using the Braze Snowflake table: USERS_BEHAVIORS_INSTALLATTRIBUTION_SHARED, to be used in a decision split. Maybe something like this: While Braze offers many innovative marketing tools, achieving your desired results sometimes requires a fresh perspective. By rethinking your approach (and in this case using reverse logic), you can effectively engage with your customers in both the moments they create, as well as the moments they missed, to drive better marketing outcomes. If you liked this article, then another good one you might like is our article on some hidden Braze features and functions .

Congratulations! You aced the Braze certification exam, proving your knowledge in this industry leading customer engagement platform. But consider this just the beginning. The marketing world is ever-changing, and staying ahead of the curve demands continuous learning. Here are 5 ways to unlock your full potential towards becoming a Braze master: 1. Dive Deeper: Explore Advanced Concepts Braze offers a rich toolkit beyond the basics. Conquer advanced features like Liquid, Segment Extensions and Connected Content. Here are some examples of where these advanced features might come into play: Liquid: This powerful templating language allows you to personalize messages at scale. Imagine crafting dynamic content that automatically inserts a customer's name, purchase history, or preferred products – all within the Braze platform. Mastering Liquid unlocks a whole new level of targeted and engaging communication. Segment Extensions: Braze allows you to go beyond pre-built segments and tailor your audience targeting with pinpoint accuracy. Want to target users who downloaded your app, but never logged in to it? Segment Extensions empower you to create these highly specific audience segments, ensuring your campaigns reach the right people at the right time. Connected Content: Deliver seamless, multi-channel experiences with Connected Content. Imagine a scenario where a customer abandons their cart on your website. Braze can trigger a push notification reminding them of the abandoned items, and then automatically send a follow-up email with a discount code. This creates a cohesive customer journey across different channels. 2. Power up: Step Outside Your Comfort Zone Theory is essential, but practical application truly cements your knowledge. Do not shy away from projects that push your comfort zone. Embrace the "learning by doing" philosophy championed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Here are some ideas: Craft a Multi-Channel Welcome Series: Design a personalized welcome campaign that uses email, push notifications, and in-app messages to greet new users, introduce your brand, and guide them through the onboarding process. Implement a Re-Engagement Campaign: Develop a data-driven campaign to win back inactive users. Utilize Braze's segmentation capabilities to identify dormant users and craft targeted messages that rekindle their interest. 3. Seek Feedback: Find Your Soft Spots Partner with fellow Braze users in your departments and request peer reviews of your Braze campaigns. Having a fresh pair of eyes look over your work is always a welcomed action. Their differing perspective and insights can unveil blind spots and elevate your overall Braze mastery. 4. Live Learning: Attend Training and Conferences Expand your Braze knowledge and gain practical insights by attending live training sessions and fantastic events like Forge. Braze offers a comprehensive library of live training sessions that dive deeper into specific Braze functionalities that include segmentation, SMS messaging, Canvas Flow and more. 5. Teach Others: Share Your Knowledge Do not underestimate the power of teaching! Sharing your Braze knowledge through mentoring new team members, conducting internal workshops, or contributing to industry blogs will not only solidify your own understanding but also expose you to fresh perspectives and potentially new use cases as you guide others. Conclusion Keep learning, keep Brazing! These practices will put you on the fast track to Braze mastery, but remember the marketing world is constantly changing. Stay curious, keep exploring new features, and never stop sharpening your skills.

Many of our mid-market clients have shared how challenging it’s been for them to establish a complete 360° single view of their customers. This is due to the lack of data management capabilities and processes conducive towards forming meaningful actionable insights about their customer’s journey with them. Historically to address this problem, there have been two recognized types of Customer Data Platforms (CDP): Packaged and Composable . Packaged CDPs are your all-in-one, pre-built solution that have their own data repository, armed with workflows and configurations for managing customer data. Composable CDPs are actually a collection of many data management functions trying to achieve the same results as its packaged counterparts - a throwback to the ‘best of breed’ methodology. Fast forward to today. We’re seeing an emergence of a new category that we call “ Bodiless CDPs ”. What is it? The Bodiless CDP is a bit of a hybrid that consolidates the feature rich capabilities of traditional Packaged CDPs (e.g. data collection, manipulation, and activation), with the reduced infrastructure footprint of Composable CDPs. The reason we call it “bodiless” is because these CDPs don’t require a new data repository, but instead leverage your existing database structures while providing the option to add features you need when the time is right. Their magic resides in the movement of data and integration! The bread and butter of bodiless CDPs is their cloud-native architecture that makes them champions at modern integration methods and legacy compatibility. Bodiless CDPs feature over 100 source and destination connectors that make the task of consuming and then activating your data a breeze, especially if your target marketing automation platform is Braze. If a connector isn't there for you, have no fear, this is where their robust API capabilities provide your DevOps team with the tools to achieve your data transfer goals. Some bodiless CDPs, like Census , even have a feature that allows you to embed their code into your custom/home grown data hub so that you can send data where it needs to go. Agility With a bodiless CDP, you know exactly what you are getting - data collection, data manipulation, and data activation. This core trifecta is what bodiless CDPs do best. But, if you need functions outside of this trifecta, a bodiless CDP is more flexible than traditional options that have you confined to a rigid construct or standard packaged features. For example, if you require identity resolution, you can add-on the best third-party solution available instead relying on costly CDP bundles that may not fully satisfy your needs. Real-time data syncing was a key feature in traditional CDPs missing in Composable CDPs. That’s no longer the case since some bodiless CDPs now have the real-time data syncing capabilities through partnerships with popular cloud based data platforms. What if you have a legacy data source in your tech stack that can only spit out CSV data files? No problem, a bodiless CDP can ingest that for you and get that data to where it needs to go. With a bodiless CDP, you have the flexibility to choose what's right for your organization. Scalability Because bodiless CDPs are typically more scalable than Packaged CDPs, you can forget about data limitations cramping your growth. They’re built to grow alongside your business through scalability and futureproofing. No matter how much your data explodes in volume and complexity, a Bodiless CDP can seamlessly adapt and expand to keep up. This smooth scaling ensures continued top-notch performance and efficiency, without any disruptive hiccups. Furthermore, due to their boundaryless design, they can bend and twist to accommodate new tech trends whatever unique needs your business throws their way. This translates to a data infrastructure that stays relevant and effective for the long haul, giving you the adaptability to stay ahead of the curve and seize new opportunities in the ever-changing digital landscape. Cost Effective Let's talk about cost-effectiveness. Bodiless CDPs may require extra upfront capital for development and setup, but there’s an upside because they're like the savvy shoppers of the CDP world. Due to the flexible nature of Bodiless CDPs, businesses can forego paying for things they don't need. They help you keep ongoing maintenance and operational costs down by giving you the option to choose what ala carte services you need. So, you may have to shell out a bit more at the start, but your total cost of ownership will be less overall. For those mid-market Marketers looking to elevate their data game, a Bodiless CDP is a smart play to gain a lot of rich functionality without breaking the bank. They provide the agility, scalability, and cost-effectiveness to meet all those sophisticated new demands of modern marketing. If you want to stay ahead of the curve and ride that wave of data-driven innovation, Bodiless CDPs might just be your ticket to success! If you enjoy this article, then you may really like our article “ Better Together Braze and Census .”

In a landscape teeming with marketing automation solutions, choosing the right partner is crucial for streamlining marketing efforts, driving engagement, and achieving scalable growth. To navigate this decision, you must carefully assess your needs, the features offered by various solutions, and the long-term value each platform delivers. Below are the five critical areas to evaluate when choosing a partner: Omnichannel Capabilities: True customer engagement demands a seamless experience across all touchpoints. Look for a platform enabling personalized messaging across email, SMS, web and app push notifications, in-app messages, and more. Robust Segmentation and Targeting: The ability to segment audiences granularly based on behavior, preferences, and demographics is critical for delivering relevant messages. Choose a solution offering advanced segmentation tools and AI-powered audience insights. Real-time Personalization: Delivering timely, contextually relevant messages is vital to fostering customer loyalty. Real-time personalization capabilities should be a non-negotiable feature. Flexible Workflow Creation: From simple welcome series to complex customer journeys, marketing automation should facilitate effortless workflow creation with intuitive drag-and-drop builders and ample customization options. Comprehensive Analytics and Reporting: Measure campaign performance, track key metrics, and optimize your strategy with detailed reporting and analytics dashboards that offer actionable insights. How Does Braze Measure Up? Here's why we believe Braze consistently emerges as a top contender – offering a comprehensive marketing automation solution that consistently outshines the competition: Unmatched Omnichannel Mastery: Braze empowers brands to orchestrate connected customer journeys across various channels, seamlessly integrating with your existing stack through SDKs, APIs, webhooks, and a robust partner ecosystem called Braze Alloys. Real-Time Agility: Braze emphasizes real-time messaging and data responsiveness. It avoids the "batch-and-blast" approach, allowing for highly relevant, immediate communications based on up-to-the-second user behavior. Customer-First Design: Braze is centered on first-party data with a unified user profile approach that enables marketers to deliver omnichannel, behavior-driven customer engagement. Deeply Integrated Artificial Intelligence (Sage AI): Braze's AI capabilities are embedded throughout the platform, offering features like: Predictive Modeling: Identifying customers likely to churn, purchase, etc. Intelligent Timing and Channel: Optimizing message send times and channels for maximum impact. Generative AI: Helping marketers rapidly create campaign copy and images. Item Recommendations: Easily plug recommendations into any campaign, on any channel. Intelligent Cross-Channel Orchestration: Braze's powerful workflow builder, 'Canvas,' enables the design of sophisticated customer journeys that react to real-time user behavior, ensuring the right message is delivered at the perfect moment. Actionable, Data-Driven Insights: Braze's in-depth analytics provide a holistic view of campaign performance, empowering data-backed decision-making for continuous marketing optimization. Commitment to Customer Success: Braze is renowned for its exceptional customer support, ensuring an ongoing partnership for maximizing your marketing automation investment. The Right Partner, the Right Results And there you have it - the secret to supercharging your marketing efforts and skyrocketing your engagement levels! With Braze leading the charge, you're not just selecting a marketing automation partner, you're choosing a co-pilot in your journey towards marketing mastery. Still not sure? We’d be happy to give you a personalized demo. Just email us at: Braze@CovalentMarketing.com to set up a meeting.

Easter is near, and just like uncovering hidden chocolate eggs, there are treasures waiting to be discovered within the Braze platform. We’re cracking open a few "Easter eggs" that can significantly elevate your Braze experience and shed light on these essential, yet often overlooked, tools that hold the key to enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency when using Braze. Grab your basket and let's hop right in! AI Image Generator Scrambling to find the perfect images can kill your campaign launch deadline. But what if you could create high-quality visuals in seconds? The Braze Media Library AI Image Generator is your secret weapon. Simply head to the Media Library under Templates in your Dashboard. Look for the AI Image Generator prominently displayed in the upper right corner. It's as easy as this: provide a brief description, 300 characters or less, and Braze instantly generates four unique images for your selection. Don't worry if the first options aren't perfect - you can regenerate new ideas at any time, but keep in mind you are limited to generating 10 images across all of your workspaces per day. The best part? All generated images are free to use and become your intellectual property. Enjoy this “two cartoon bunnies surrounded by colorful easter eggs” image we made just for you! Braze System Status Page Sometimes, it's the little things that truly make a difference. You may already know about Braze's handy webpage, offering real-time updates on platform performance, maintenance schedules, and a log of past incidents. Maybe you've even bookmarked it, or maybe you’re more of the type that rummages through the User Guide whenever it's needed. But did you know there's a permanent link to the Status page waiting for you on your Dashboard! Go grab your magnifying glass and peep the small print tucked away in the lower right corner – egg found! Campaign Monitoring Let's talk about another hidden gem within Braze: Campaign Monitoring alerts. These alerts are lifesavers for scheduled recurring, user action-based, and API triggered campaigns. Imagine a small change upstream causing chaos in your meticulously automated campaigns within Braze. That's where Campaign Monitoring alerts swoop in as your trusty lifeguard, promptly notifying your team of any interruptions. Concerned about unexpected spikes or dips in campaign volume? These alerts have you covered, and here's the coolest part: they can be delivered straight to your inbox or through a Webhook. Webhooks allow seamless integration with your existing communication channels like Slack or Teams, ensuring your team receives critical alerts right where they work. Ready to jump on Campaign Monitoring? They're hidden in plain sight – just hop over to the Analytics summary page for any campaign. For scheduled campaigns, set upper and lower limits for messages sent with each run. Triggered campaigns offer even more flexibility – set alerts for hourly or daily message volume, ensuring you stay on top of things. It's all about proactive campaign management, right from your Braze dashboard! We love a good treasure hunt. These are just some of our favorite Braze “Easter eggs.” We’ll keep looking, but do tell us if you have any hidden gems that you’ve found to help your day-to-day in Braze.

One of the things that we love about Braze is that they’re constantly improving their marketing platform. Never resting, always innovating. To keep you from being “Brazed and Confused,” we want to highlight a few new features and functions that were recently released. One Click Unsub To keep with the demands of Gmail and Yahoo!’s new one click unsubscribe requirements (effective June 1st, 2024), Braze now easily enables you toggle on an Email Unsubscribe Header in your email template. If you send email messages, we can’t strongly recommend enough that you start testing this feature out. For those that don’t comply with these new ISP protocols, you are in severe jeopardy of not getting your emails through to your intended recipients. Triggered Cloud Data Data flow management can be a fickle creature, and you’re often at the mercy of some upstream actions of which you have no control. To help mitigate the mismanagement of data coming into your Braze platform, there’s now the ability to use the Sync-Trigger API with Braze’s Cloud Data Ingestion (CDI) as the endpoint. This will allow you to start your data runs via triggered events (ex. like the completion of a source data table upload) giving you the most current data in near real-time. Keeping the marketing data admins in mind, Braze has folded this into their operational reporting allowing you to know the count of successful, or failed, rows processed. And the error reports now include added error types down to the row level. Better still, this CDI endpoint solution can be used for populating Catalog data as well. Email Capture Template Braze is a multi-channel tool and to help support you in that omnichannel pursuit they have made a new in-app Email Capture template feature. From within the in-app message editor, you’ll find a new drag-and-drop block for “Email Capture.” Then, when you’re ready to grow your email marketing list add this intuitive, no-code content block into your in-app email capture form. Once in use, it will do all the heavy lifting for you by seamlessly ingesting all the new email addresses it captures automatically into your Braze User Profile data. Content Blocks To help make a more uniform brand experience, Content Blocks now follow the content width settings in your web style sheets (which are most likely in a CSS format). Furthermore, there’s an updated Content Blocks interface to choose the type of Content Block (drag-and-drop vs HTML) more easily, as well as see the Content Block’s metadata like inclusion counts. Dynamic Link Shortening Knowing that URL links, especially those with Liquid personalization tags, can be longer in length than desired, Braze has introduced a link shortening capability. When this feature is turned on it automatically detects the Liquid code/tagging and reduces the link length. Additionally, these shortened URLs can support both basic and advanced tracking. This is crucial in SMS as you are governed in how many characters you have available for messaging. It now frees the users to try personalized URLs without fear of the message length being an issue. Which of these new features are you most excited to use? If you want to learn more about anything Braze related feel free to drop us a note.