Using Custom Touch Points for Segmentation

  • Updated

Custom Touch Points let you bring offline or external marketing activities into Act-On so you can segment contacts based on behaviors that occur outside the platform. For example, you can upload a list of trade show attendees and create a segment for follow-up outreach. Use the steps below to upload your data and build segments using these behaviors.

If the Custom Touch Points feature is not enabled for your account, please contact Act-On Support.
Custom Touch Points are a legacy feature designed for use with Marketing Lists.  If you are using Audience Center for your contacts, consider using Custom Data instead. 

Custom Touch Point lists cannot be used for sending messages. If you plan to email these contacts, upload the same file as a Marketing List as well.

API
You can also upload Custom Touch Point data using our Webhooks or REST API. Provide this link to your technical resource for implementation details.
Quick Reference (Advanced Users) - Click to Expand
  • Upload your CSV under Other Lists › Custom Touch Points.
  • Map fields including Date, Action, Email, Title, and Notes.
  • Save the Custom Touch Point list.
  • Create a segment using the Query method.
  • Select Custom Touch Point actions under Behavior criteria.
Try it like this: Upload a list of contacts who visited your booth at a trade show. Then create a segment of those attendees for your follow-up program.

A. Upload Data for a New Custom Touch Point

  1. Go to Lists › Other Lists › Custom Touch Points.
  2. Select New to create a new list.
  3. Select Choose File to upload your Excel or CSV file, then select Next.

CTP3.png

B. Identify Necessary Fields and Create the Custom Touch Point

If you need to adjust how imported data is processed, select change processing options below the yellow table, update your settings, and select Save.

CTP5.png
  1. Select the Date Format that matches the dates in your file.

  2. Choose the Action that describes this event or activity. You can select a predefined action such as downloaded media, registered for an event, or attended an event. You can also create up to six custom actions:

    Go to Lists › Other Lists › Custom Touch Points › Behavior Names. Add the behavior display names you want and select Save.

    Custom behavior display names example
  1. Select the date field for When.
  2. Select the Email field.
  3. Select the Title field (used for the event name).
  4. Select the Notes field (optional description).

CTP6.png

  1. Select Next. Act-On validates your file and displays any new or invalid data.

CTP7.png

  • If any rows need correction, select Back to return and fix them.
  1. Select Finish. Your new Custom Touch Point appears in the list.

CTP8.png

C. Segment on a New Custom Touch Point

After the Custom Touch Point is created, its behaviors become available in the Query builder under Behavior. You can segment on these actions the same way you use email or form activity.

  1. Create a new segment from any list.
  2. Name your segment and choose the Query method.
  3. Select Behavior as your criteria type.
  4. Choose your Custom Touch Point action from the behavior list.
  5. Apply filters such as date ranges or specific event names.

CTP behavior segmentation query

The resulting segment includes contacts whose Custom Touch Point activity matches your logic. These segments update automatically as new data is added or modified.

Was this article helpful?

Have more questions? Submit a request