What's the point in using a unique tracking URL code?

I was recently in a meeting with a client, and we were working to set up a digital protocol for all current and future advertising campaigns. One topic of conversation was the kind of URL (Uniform Resource Locator) to use. A benefit that online campaigns have is how trackable they are. In order to maximize this, we discussed attaching unique tracking URL code to the messaging.

When I say unique tracking URL code, I mean that we are taking the landing page address where we want the ads to be directed to, and adding some descriptive parameters to it. In doing so, the client is able to see on the website analytics side more in-depth details like:

·        What website a visitor came from

·        What creative a visitor clicked

·        Which vendor can be attributed to the click (This is                helpful if you use more than one.)

·        What type of medium can be attributed to the click like        display, email, or search engine marketing

For example, if I ran a digital campaign and directed visitors to the Ruth Burke & Associates homepage of rburke.com, I’m not able to know on the analytics side where traffic came from. So, if I’m interested in seeing traffic from our blog, I would create the following URL with descriptors like: Blogspot as the campaign source, Blog as the campaign medium, and Unique URL Blog as the campaign name. That way, I know clicks with that information attached to it came from this particular blog post. It will help me see if it resonated with the audience because of how many or few clicks it received compared to normal traffic. Here is an example of the code:

rburke.com/?utm_source=Blogspot&utm_medium=Blog&utm_campaign=Unique%20URL%20Blog

Knowing this information can help clients do A/B testing with creative to see what messaging leads to more clicks; in addition, clients can see which vendors produce the most clicks or which websites drive the most visitors. This information will hopefully aid the advertiser optimize the campaign to be the most effective and successful it can potentially be.

Where are women watching digital video content?

Watching videos online has become the new norm, more or less, for internet users in the United States. The question becomes is there a site where people view content more than others? While YouTube has the lion share of viewership, other vendors have made a dent in the landscape. A new poll conducted by SheSpeaks outlines how American women access digital video content online.

eMarketer reports on the poll results which shows that internet users who are female discover videos through these conduits:

·        YouTube with nearly 100% of poll responders

·        Facebook with 83%

·        Websites at 54%

·        Word-of-mouth at 49%

·        Blogs at 36%

·        Twitter at 27%

·        Instagram at 21%

Facebook is also one of the primary ways the women polled shared video content. Approximately 71% answered that they used Facebook to share.

Research shows that women have the slightly higher Facebook audience than men. In fact, eMarketer released estimates stating that females should hold the majority at 54.9% of the Facebook community from now through 2019.

Emojis become the new norm for internet slang

Communicating with people is something that we humans deem necessary in life. However, communication has branched out into many different forms. Over the last few years, digital stickers or emoticons have invaded our language. In fact, some experts believe that emojis have become the new preferred form of “internet slang.” Acronyms like LOL (Laugh Out Loud) have been dethroned.

In fact, AYTM Market Research polled US adult internet users 18+ about emoji usage in text messages and/or in social media posts. eMarketer reported the following findings:

·        14% of respondents use emojis on social media or text messages often

·        22.7% sometimes use the graphics

·        12.2% rarely use them

·        51% responded that they never use emojis

Please note that this does not take into account the younger internet user demo of 12-17 year olds. It’s estimated that the emoticon usage is much higher among that age bracket.

In regards to the adults 18+ demographic, approximately 58.1% utilize five or fewer emojis on a consistent basis.