Each contact is assigned attributes, called contact fields, that hold values such as their names, phone numbers, and any other individual information you want.
In our use case example, we want to create a custom contact field to set a join date for group membership. We’ll use this date & time contact field as the reference point to send a campaign event.
Creating a Date & Time Custom Contact Field
To be able to set the relative date & time contact field for a campaign event, we’ll need to create the contact field using an Update the Contact action in a flow.
For our example, we want to create a new contact field called Join Date. Simply type the name of your new field in the ‘Select what to update’ text box. This will create a new custom contact field.
We want to update the date & time to the exact moment a contact passes through the Update the Contact node. We’ll do this by using the date & time function @(now())
Updating the Contact Field Type
Before we can use our new custom contact field in a campaign event, we’ll need to update the field type. New contact fields are automatically assigned the default text field type, but only date & time field types can be used in campaign events. Here’s how we change the type:
- Navigate to the Manage Fields page in the Contacts tab:
- Scroll down to find your newly created contact field. Click and choose Date & Time from the field type dropdown menu:
That’s it! Your custom contact field can now be used in a campaign event.
Configuring your Campaign Event
A campaign event represents an action that is performed at a time relative to a date & time contact field, such as “Created On”, which is the date a contact was created, or in this case, a custom contact field called Join Date.
To add an event, first create a Campaign. Navigate to the Campaigns tab in your account and push the ‘Create Campaign’ button:
Give your Campaign a name and select the group its events will act upon:
Next, click the ‘Add Event’ button:
Then, create your first Event. Our first message is to let the contacts know that they will receive a weekly newsletter 2 minutes after they pass through the Join Date Update the Contact node in our flow:
Because we’ve already updated the field type to date & time, it will appear in the dropdown menu for contact fields. If you don’t see your new contact field in the list, you still need to change the field type!
After adding Events, you’ll see a list of upcoming messages or flows to be sent to your group:
Check out our article on Campaign Event sending options to better understand the difference between ‘_Stop it and send the message_’ and ‘_skip this message_’.
Still not sure how to create a custom contact field to be used in a Campaign Event? Send us a message via the support widget in the bottom right corner of your browser. We’re more than happy to help!