What is Audience Builder in Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC)?
Audience Builder is SFMC's segmentation engine that unifies contact data and behaviors into targetable, refreshable audiences for email, mobile, and journeys. Build multi-attribute filters, exclusions, and look-backs that stay in sync with your Contact Model—without writing SQL.
Audience Builder lets marketers combine demographics (profile attributes), behaviors (email/mobile/web), and events (orders, subscriptions) into reusable segments. It leverages Contact Builder relationships and Data Extensions to create audiences you can send immediately or feed into Journey Builder. Key outcomes: faster targeting, fewer SQL errors, governed use of data, and consistent definitions across campaigns.
Core Concepts You Should Know
Audience Builder Playbook
Follow this sequence to design precise, refreshable audiences that power high‑performing journeys and sends.
Model → Connect → Define → Exclude → Refresh → Activate → Govern
- Model: Align Contact Key, Subscriber Key, and primary keys; map profile & behavioral sources in Contact Builder.
- Connect: Create Attribute Groups with correct one‑to‑one/one‑to‑many relationships; document each join rule.
- Define: Build include rules (e.g., customers in last 180 days, product interest=X, engagement score≥Y).
- Exclude: Layer global suppressions (unsubscribed, bounces), legal do‑not‑market, and campaign‑specific rules.
- Refresh: Schedule rebuilds (daily/weekly) and set change thresholds to trigger downstream journeys.
- Activate: Output to a sendable Data Extension; connect to Journey Builder entry or Email/Mobile Studio send.
- Govern: Version names, owners, KPIs (reach, conversion), QA checklist; archive unused audiences.
Audience Management Maturity Matrix
| Capability | From (Ad Hoc) | To (Operationalized) | Owner | Primary KPI |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Contact Identity | Multiple Subscriber Keys | Single Contact Key with governed identity & dedupe | CRM/Marketing Ops | Reach Accuracy |
| Relationships | Unclear joins | Documented Attribute Groups & 1:1/1:M joins | Data Engineering | Join Integrity |
| Segmentation | List-based, manual | Reusable audiences with schedules & QA | Marketer/RevOps | Build Time, Error Rate |
| Compliance | Inconsistent suppressions | Global DNM & preference governance | Compliance/Ops | Complaint Rate |
| Activation | Manual exports | Sendable DEs feeding Journeys & Sends | Marketing Ops | Time to Launch |
| Measurement | Opens/Clicks only | Conversion & LTV by audience definition | Analytics | Revenue per Audience |
Client Snapshot: Journey Lift with Better Audiences
After standardizing Contact Keys and building scheduled audiences, a global B2C brand reduced list prep time by 70% and improved conversion from triggered journeys. Explore results: Comcast Business · Broadridge
Pair Audience Builder with The Loop™ and govern with RM6™ to turn data into outcomes.
Frequently Asked Questions about SFMC Audience Builder
Operationalize Audiences in SFMC
We’ll align your Contact Model, build governed audiences, and connect them to Journeys and sends for measurable revenue impact.
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