Custom vanity URL’s to track ad campaign ROI
A long time ago businesses and marketers would use different phone numbers to track the effectiveness of their advertising. A jump page or vanity URL is a more advanced way to do this, but does not apply equally to all ad campaigns the same. Example: Online Advertising such as web banners, sponsorships on other websites, and email blasts typically have their own tracking metrics, so they do not require a vanity URL. Also, “call to action” vs “branding campaigns” are treated differently. Since a branding campaign is about branding your business, it will get more benefit directing to your business website domain name directly. On the other hand, a “call to action” campaign is perfect for vanity URLs. Creating one will allow you to compare different campaigns and track how your advertising dollars are working for you.
Vanity URLs can be used for any “call to action,” or “direct response” ad campaign running offline.
- Radio
- TV
- Newspaper
- Direct Mail
- Billboards
Want to track mobile apps? Find instructions here.
Custom Vanity URL’s and Jump Pages for your ads.
Most people will prefer to go to your website homepage to find your advertising offer or incentive. If you create a vanity URL or jump page outside of your homepage, make sure it redirects to your business website. Make sure that the process of finding you is user friendly and super fool-proof. Because it will not be printed for reference later, radio, billboard and TV ads will require a URL that is very simple, and very easy for people to remember. Here’s an example of an easy to remember URL: /yumyogurt/free-taste offer. After you have chosen your short and creative vanity URL, you can purchase it using any domain registration site for a very small annual fee. (ow.ly), (bit.ly) and others are URL shorteners used by Hootsuite and Twitter. You can also use them, and they are free. However, the most benefit would be to create a vanity URL specifically for your business.
Google analytics campaign parameters
So, the whole purpose of using Google analytics is to track your advertising return on investment. If you need help with this process, there are plenty on online tutorials to get you started. (Google URL building link here.) Once you have a URL, and are at the Google URL building tool, you’ll need to enter some basic campaign parameters such as: Your real website URL, the source of the campaign, (campaign medium), the type of marketing it is, and that easy to remember campaign name that we spoke of in last paragraph. Lastly, you’ll need to log back into the site where you purchased the vanity URL and ensure that the “redirect” or “forward” options are selected so you can past in the URL generated using the Google URL tool. Once all of this is complete, test to be sure it’s been done correctly. Hopefully your ads are working great for you, and leading to many conversions!
Leaning Tree Digital Marketing 