To set up a Content Target, you pick a Target Name and then start setting up your Target Values, which are the levels of your hierarchy. Target Values are limited to four hierarchy levels, but these four levels offer extensive targeting options. For each specific target, you can determine whether or not Members are allowed to make their own selections. You can set up target values manually, but sometimes the best way to get the information you need is by having a member make their own selections.
Target Settings Example
Let’s consider some hypothetical scenarios, using our Location Target as an example:
- If Christina is a member in the San Francisco office, you set up San Francisco as her Location, which enables her to view content for San Francisco. But she also can view content from California, the United States and North America.
- A member’s ability to view content flows up through the hierarchy, but never across.
- If Megan is a member in New York, she can view content from both the United States and North America too, but not content from California.
- Chris, who is a London member, can only view content from London and Europe.
A post targeted for London and California will be seen by all members at those locations, so both Chris and Christina can view that post. A post targeted for Europe can only be seen by Chris. A post targeted for China would not be viewable to any of the members in this example. You can see from this example that the essential rule of content targeting is that members can only see content at or above their target level in a hierarchy.
Using Multiple Targets
When you set a single target on your content, within that target’s values OR logic is used. For example, for Location content can be targeted for London OR California. A member matching the target value any of the selected locations can view the content.
When you have multiple target values across different custom targets, within those targets’ values AND logic is used. That means that across both the Location and Position targets, a member must match some value from both targets.
For example, if you want to target content to all VPs in an organization, but only in specific regions, you target VPs plus the specific Location target values, such as London or California. This means that only VPs in London and California can view the content.