Audiences based on URL parameters

What are URL parameters?

Parameters are little snippets of information, added to a URL. They transfer information between places and are great for creating an enhanced website experience. The information transferred through parameters can come from

ad networks (e.g. Facebook, AdWords)
your own data sources (CRM or ESP)
your website (= a hash or string at the end of a URL)

Targeting options for parameter-based audiences

UTM source: Create an audience based on the utm_source attached to the URL. Example: utm_source=adwords
UTM medium: Create an audience based on the utm_medium attached to the URL. Example: utm_medium=paid-search
UTM campaign: Create an audience based on the utm_campaign attached to the URL. Example: utm_campaign=shoe-promotion
UTM content: Create an audience based on the utm_content attached to the URL. Best practice suggest to use "content" to describe the ad/newsletter/post, which allows for identifying individual promotions. Example: utm_content=summer-shoes
UTM term: Create an audience based on the utm_term attached to the URL. It is typically used to identify keywords for paid ads. Example: utm_term=black-leather-boots

audience-utm-parameters

Hash: Hash marks (#) introduce an optional fragment near the end of the URL. They're typically used in eCommerce and affiliate marketing.
Query String Parameters: Query string parameters are used for sending information through the URL (e.g. example.com/?search=dresses).

audience-querystring-parameters

Here we selected "city" as the query parameter key. So, that matches mysite.com/?city=Amsterdam, ?city=Paris, ?city=London... To target a specific key value (e.g. Amsterdam) you would have to change the trigger to "city=Amsterdam".

Tips and best practices

The triggers "is empty" and "is not empty" are particularly useful here to set up audiences that trigger if no (or any) parameter is set.
When applicable, try to use the "contains" trigger instead of "equals". This is especially true for triggers based on parameters. For example, if you used "utm_source equals adwords" but the link is "mysite/?utm_source=adwords/", the experience wouldn't trigger correctly. The / at the end of the link wouldn't be an exact match.
Query String Parameters are the most powerful targeting condition. With query string parameters, you can leverage information stored by your email service or CRM platform (e.g. your lead's job title).
Remember to correctly use the AND/OR function. For example: You can target visitors from two UTM campaigns but a person can only view one ad campaign at a time. So, use the "OR" function to combine those triggers.