Snippet content

Snippet is a content type that provides content that can be incorporated into emails and PDFs. It enables common messages to be concentrated into one content record to be used in multiple places. Usually this is content that is not dependent on a particular course category, location nor provider. This is content that is whole business related, needs to be included in multiple emails/PDFs but if hard-coded into these documents would require much effort to change should it be updated.

When selecting this content you select the snippet you want to include, and then the part of the record you wish to include, eg short, section 1, 2 etc.

Some of the benefits of using snippets are

• they can be used across multiple PDFs and emails

• they can be updated in one place

Examples of the usage include:

• Disclaimers included in emails that might need to be updated but need to be used across multiple emails.

• Referencing a logo image location (embedded within a URL as the file location)

• Policy wording that is commonly referred to within content

• Customer endorsements

• Style sheets, these are technical definitions on what your content should look like including colours, fonts and layout.

When not to use snippets

• When the content is just for email signatures (just put this in the signature eg branch record)

• For content that varies by course category, eg a course description

• For content that is only used in one PDF or Email template - just include the content directly in that PDF or Email template!

• Content that you don’t expect to update, or updating it is relatively easy, the extra complexity of having that content somewhere else could in itself become burdensome

• When there is an existing field for the content that is available ubiquitously eg Company Number, there are two reference numbers located on the License Company/Organisation record, and custom fields can be added here. This is a better place to add this content.

Extension content

This can be used for creating websites. Mostly used for API calls to include separately. This is similar to Snippets however is not available to be included in emails nor PDFs.

Promotion content

Promotion content uses the Course Category, Location or Provider settings on the content to work out if it should be included in the email or PDF being created. This means that you can vary the content of the email or certificate based on the course date information, which will be used to filter to the correct content. Keep in mind:

• Promotion content is ranked based on how closely the Promotion matches the Course, based on Provider, Location, Category (in that order)

• There is also the ability to block more general content with a Promotion that has no Short or Long content.

Examples of the usage include:

Creating PDF course outlines. If your content varies depending on the course category you can create any number of promotion content items that represent the different methods that you describe your courses. For example you might have the following information appearing on your PDF course outlines table:

Brief description

Include within course description as short content

Prerequisites

As prerequisites are likely to vary by course category you could put this in promotional content specifically for that course category

Career options

Create an extension option and include this as a multi checklist on the course category rather than a fixed list in promotion content. Alternatively this would be suitable for promotion content.

Next paths

If wishing to link to existing course categories you could create an extension option that includes the list of course categories. Alternatively this would be suitable for promotion content.

Customer reviews

This would be suitable to include as promotion content - perhaps some across different course categories, locations and generic (promotion content allows for a combination)

Statistics

This would be appropriate as some statistics would be over-riding others would be specific to course categories or locations, and no doubt updated frequently.

Code

A special code to represent a course category would be best included on the course category as a custom field on the option form.

Longer description

Include within course description as short content

Trainer experience

CourseSales.com does not have a specific content that lists trainer experience that is available based on the trainer linked to a given course date however repurposing another field is possible eg: address. Note that if multiple trainers are present only the first trainer’s details will appear.

If you also operate in different locations you might have the following headings within your course outlines:

Regulatory obligations

This might include items that are specific not just to the course category but also the location of where the training will be delivered.

Renewal requirements

This is suitable for promotion content as it likely varies by course category and location.

Organisation regional accreditation

This is probably broader than the specific course category, so could have just location dependency - so is suitable for the promotion content.

Venue details

These should be taken from the venue record for the given course date, if necessary create venue descriptions to include specific venue items to notify students about.

How to work out which content is available within a given scenario

Use the ‘Simulate’ on the status of a given document, which generates a page that look like this:

When should you NOT use promotion content?

When you have a small number of course categories that are unlikely to reuse the content in many other records using promotion content to create your emails or PDFs eg course outlines or certificates, might be burdensome. Either adding the headings as necessary to the Section content in the course description might be sufficient when creating the course outlines or certificates for example.

When the content does not vary by course category, location or provider. That is this content is applicable in all scenarios.

Common questions

Why don’t I just put the content that varies by course categories in a new field on the course category?

You could do, where the combination of the course category and the location do not matter, and you are happy to have the one, fixed content appear in the PDF/email then this would be sensible eg describing the course category in question at a high level. However consider a First Aid course that in one jurisdiction has a 12 month renewal requirement but in another location has a 24 month renewal requirement using promotion allows you to combine the two criteria (course category and location) to deliver targeted content. Other reasons to use promotion rather then fixed content within options include access to the options - you may wish to give some logins access to content but not access to options. There is also the ‘ease of oganisation’ putting everything into promotion content keeps things (relatively) simple than finding some content under the course category option and some in promotion.

If I create promotion content and then realize that actually this should be snippet content what should I do?

Just change the content type, it is pretty easy to change from one to the other. Just remember that considering the above the content might not display as you expect - snippet content displays regardless of the course category/location specified however promotion uses this to work out which should be used within a given course date.