Content profiling

Current version: 10.1

You use content profiling to categorize your content items according to different areas of interest. This lets you track a contact’s behavior as they navigate through your website to see which types of content they interact with. This can help you gain a better understanding of the interests of your contacts. Before using content profiling:

  • Analyze the types of users who visit your website.

  • List basic characteristics that describe each type of visitor.

  • Map out the journey you see each type of visitor taking as they navigate through your website.

  • Know which type of content is tailored to each type of visitor and tag the content accordingly.

A content profile is a category of visitor to your website and it consists of three basic elements:

  • Profile keys – the attributes you want to track for each profile.

  • Profile values – the numeric values you assign to each profile key.

  • Profile cards – profile keys and values that describe a particular type of visitor and that you apply to your content.

You can also create personas or fictional characters to represent typical contacts. Personas can be used to implement personalization rules.

You create content profiles, profile keys, profile cards and personas in the Marketing Control Panel. You assign profile values to items in the Experience Editor.

Profile keys

Profile keys describe different aspects of your profiles. You assign numerical profile values to your profile keys, then use profile values to track how contacts interact with the website. Sitecore has some predefined profiles that already have profile keys assigned to them. You can also create your own profile keys. In the following example, website visitors are categorized according to their like or dislike of various types of exercise so the keys Cardio, High Intensity, Weight, Workout Length, and Yoga are used.

Example of a profile key

Profile values

As contacts move through your website, they are assigned the content profile values that you define for each item that they visit. These values accumulate as the contact navigates through the site, and they help you build up a contact profile. In the example above, each type the visitor navigates to a page assigned the Fitness Fanatic profile, scores are allotted based on the key values.

All of the information that you collect about your contacts – the pages they view, the goals they complete, and the path they use to navigate through the site – can help you identify areas of your website that need improvement. You can also use this information to segment contacts and to create rules for personalization.

This information is useful to your sales team. For example, if a contact achieves a high profile value in certain categories, or profile keys, this can indicate that they are a potential sales opportunity. You can enter them into your CRM system as a potential lead, or send them an e-mail.

Profile cards

Profile cards contain saved profile keys and profile values. You can use profile cards to assign standardized profile values to items across your website. In the following example, the profile card that describes a Fitness Fanatic has six values.

Example of a profile card

Personas

When setting up profiles for your content, you can create personas. Personas are fictional characters that represent specific contact types within your target demographic. Personas describe the life, age, habits, background, interests, and profession of a fictional character that may use your site in a particular way.

You can create profile cards that describe the way that a persona would consume content on your website.

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