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Targeted Content Demo Guide

A key feature of the Broadleaf Commerce CMS is the ability to target content based on time, customer, or the users cart.

The examples below revolve around ads on the demo site. The CMS can do much more than just ads. For example, you might use it to manage press-releases, job postings, or any other structured content.

Coming Soon.

Concepts

  • Page Areas where you want to target content
  • If you are building a custom site, you'll want to break down your pages and identify content areas where you want to utilize the CMS to target content. On the demo site, we chose three areas of the home page for content targeting. The message that says "SAMPLE MESSAGE", the large banner ad, and the two smaller ads. Each of these is managed via the content management system.
  • Content changes occur in a sandbox environment. When you make changes via the admin your changes can be previewed. When you are happy with the changes, they can be promoted to the live site.

Changing the Sample Message

The sample message can be customized to a personalized greeting. The process involves 3 simple steps to change, preview and promote the change to go live.

Setting the message

  • Login to the Broadleaf Commerce Demo Administrator
  • Select Structured Content.
    • Press the funnel button to populate the fields.
  • Select "Message" under the "Content Type" column.
  • Under "Message Field" enter 'Welcome!'
  • Click Save.

Preview the message

  • Click "My Sandbox" from the top menu options.
  • There will be an entry that contains the content changes (anytime you make changes refer to your sandbox to preview the changes live). 
  • Click preview and a new tab will open up.
    • This window will contain a copy of the demo site that will allow for verification of the changes implemented.

  • Once all the changes have been confirmed the site is now ready to go to the next phase.

Go Live

  • From the top half section of the sandbox page, Click Promote. This will send the change to the bottom half of the sandbox page, the "Pending Approval" Section.
  • Once ready, an authorized user will go to "Approver Sandbox".
    • When the content has been approved, it can be promoted and the changes will go live.

Understanding priority

  • Login to the Broadleaf Commerce Demo Administrator
  • Select Structured Content.
    • Press the funnel button to populate the fields.
  • Select "Homepage Small Ad" under the "Content Type" column.
    • Find the "Priority" field under Description in the Details pane.
    • When there is more then one item of the same content type, broadleaf will give priority to the item with the lowest priority.
      • If more then 1 item have the same priority, broadleaf will cycle the items rotating which one will be place above.

  • Change the priorities around, save the changes and preview them in the sandbox to see the broadleaf priorities in action.

Number of slots

  • Broadleaf is highly customizable and can it can be modified to display more ads.
  • For the purpose of this demo the site has been setup to display only 1 slot for Homepage Banner Ad and 2 for the Homepage Small Ads. 

Introduction to Targeting Rules

The examples above provide a very simplistic view of what can be done with the Broadleaf Commerce content management system but hopefully give you some idea as to what is possible using the system. The "zones" you define on your pages and the actual structured content you maintain within the admin is completely data driven.

Tuesday Only and Membership Only Ads

  • Login to the Broadleaf Commerce Demo Administrator
  • Select Structured Content.
    • Press the refresh button to populate the fields.
  • Select "Homepage Small Ad" under the "Content Type" column.
    • "50% off Coffee" in "Content Name" for Tuesday Only-Ad
    • "Buy one get one free" in "Content Name" for Membership only ad.
  • Select "Rules" on the right pane.
  • Rules have already been preset for these ads. One is set to display only on Tuesdays while the other will show only to registered customers. It is easy to see how a simple series of drop-downs allow Broadleaf to customize different types of rules to display for any desired content.

Preview the ads

  • Click "My Sandbox" from the top menu options.
  • There will be an entry that contains the content changes (anytime you make changes refer to your sandbox to preview the changes live). 
  • Click preview and a new tab will open up.
    • This window will contain a copy of the demo site that will allow for verification of the changes implemented.
  • Within the sandbox you can modify the given time. Set the day of the week to Tuesday to verify the Tuesday only ad. 

  • Login to demo site to experience the personalized ad that a registered user would see.

Go Live

  • From the top half section of the sandbox page, Click Promote. This will send the change to the bottom half of the sandbox page, the "Pending Approval" Section.
  • Once ready, an authorized user will go to "Approver Sandbox".
    • When the content has been approved, it can be promoted and the changes will go live.
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