Note: Custom merge tags are currently only available for CSV imports.

Quick video example

We're going to use the customFields to send a message like this: 

Hey David! What's up? How's work at Google in New York?

It will look like this in Botdog: 

Hey {{FirstName}}! {{Personalization}} How's work at {{companyName}} in {{location}}? 

The best part: it's super easy! 

Step 1: Import and Map Your Data

  1. Start Your Import:
    • Click on "Start a new campaign"
    • Choose "CSV Upload" as your import method
    • Upload your CSV file
    • Map the "LinkedIn Profile URL" - it's the only field that's required

 

Step 2: Use Custom Attributes in Your Campaign

  1. Design Your Sequence:
    • Click 'Add Step' to create your outreach messages

    • In your message, click on "Attributes" to see all the Custom Attributes coming from your CSV file

  2. Set Default Values (optional):
    • Click on the merge tag in your message
    • In the popup, set a default value to use if the field is empty for any contact
    • This ensures your message always makes sense, even if some data is missing

Examples and Advanced Use Cases

  1. Personalizing with Data providers:
    • Use a CSV generated from a data provider like Apollo or RecruiterBot to personalize based on company, location, industry etc.
    • Example: "I noticed you're based in {{customField1}} and working in the {{customField2}} industry."
    • Note: Use this with care as this can feel like a case of "fake" personalization, that your users will see through
  2. Adding Custom Snippets manually:
    • Import the CSV into a spreadsheet
    • Add a column for personalized snippets or entire sentences - it's much faster to do this in a spreadsheet
    • Re-import the modified CSV into Botdog
    • Example: "{{customField3}}" could contain a unique insight about each prospect's company like "I see you're a team of 30 people but no in-house recruiter"
    Important: For invitation messages, ensure the total character count remains below 300, or the invitations won't send.
  3. AI-Powered Personalization:
    • Use a CSV extract with a tool like GPT for Sheets and Docs
    • Generate AI personalizations based on the CSV information directly in a spreadsheet (for instance say "Generate a short, friendly snippet based on the role and location") 
    • Import the enhanced spreadsheet into Botdog

Common Pitfalls and Best Practices

  1. Check the data:
    • Always verify and clean your data before importing
    • Watch out for placeholder text in your CSV, e.g., "Company, Inc." or "Maternity Leave"
    • Example of what to avoid: "How are things at Maternity Leave?" or "Hope all is well at Company, Inc."
  2. Punctuation and formatting:
    • Be mindful of punctuation around your merge tags
    • Incorrect: "Hey {{firstName}}, {{customField1}}. How can I help?"
    • This could result in: "Hey Daniel, How are you doing?. How can I help?"
    • Correct: "Hey {{firstName}}, {{customField1}} How can I help?"
  3. Default values:
    • Always set meaningful default values for your merge tags
    • This ensures your message makes sense even if a field is empty
  4. Character Limits:
    • Remember the 300-character limit for invitation messages
    • If the final message is too long, the invitation won't be sent by Botdog - so make sure you have a margin of error

Personalizing your outreach can significantly improve your response rates. Experiment with different custom fields and personalization techniques to find what resonates best with your audience!