Use external assets with MXO

As well as creating new graphics to use in your optimizations, you can also create external Assets that point to existing content you have available outside of MXO. This may include, for example, content managed and delivered by your Content Management System (CMS).

The benefits of using external assets include allowing business users to reuse existing content without having to duplicate that content in MXO, maximizing the out-of-the-box capabilities of both MXO and your existing CMS.

For MXO to reuse your existing content, you must make that content externally accessible through a unique URL.

How does it work?

  1. A customer visits a page on your web site.

  2. Based on previous customer data, insight and context, MXO determines the next best conversation to have with the customer.

  3. MXO selects the next best conversation to have and requests the external asset to display.

  4. The MXO tag retrieves the external asset using the reference URL that points to that content in your system.

  5. The MXO tag injects the external asset into the web page. Activity tracking, such as response clicks from the customer, are managed by MXO in the usual way.

When a customer visits a page on your web site, the MXO tag requests any external assets relating to the page asynchronously, as the page loads.

Additional parameters may also be passed to your existing CMS as part of the MXO tag request. These parameters can be used to provide additional dynamic information to your CMS, enabling further personalization of the content being displayed to the customer.

Create external assets

The workflow for creating external assets to use in your web optimizations is a two-step process, as follows:

  1. Locate the unique URL for your content in your CMS.

  2. Create an external asset in MXO.

Locate the unique URL for your content

In your CMS locate and make a note of the unique URL for the content you want to expose to MXO.

Create an external asset in MXO

To create an external asset in MXO, follow these steps:

  1. In MXO, go to Orchestrate > Assets.

  2. Click + Create.

  3. Enter a unique name for the asset you are adding. Using a descriptive name makes it easier for you and your team members to know when to use the asset.

  4. Enter a brief description for the asset you are adding and when it should be used.

  5. Select External Asset from the Type drop-down menu.

  6. Enter the unique URL for the content in your CMS. For example: http://site.com/widget/1234 or http://site.com/widget/1234?status={}. Adding parameters to the URL allows MXO to pass AEP information to your CMS. Your CMS can use this information to further personalize the content returned to MXO.

  7. Click Save to finish the creation process.

View an external asset in MXO

To see a preview of a specific asset, follow these steps:

  1. In MXO, go to Orchestrate > Assets.

  2. Find the desired asset in the list and click preview icon Preview. The asset preview opens, allowing you to view how the content is presented to the customer.

  3. Click Close to go back to the Assets page.