Email – Assigning Link Tracking Categories

Email Builder provides the ability for users to classify a URL into a Category. This ultimately allows comprehensive back end reporting plus data fields to query in Audience Builder on the metrics of each URL and its performance across multiple deployments.

Within the Tracking pleat, the following columns appear:

• Tag – a text box which can be used to add additional link description in the Tracking pleat only. The field limit is 20 characters. Note: This information is unavailable in Audience Builder and Email reports.

• Category – a drop down box. The user can select either Advertising, Editorial, House Ad, Social Media, Survey, Webinar, White Paper, or Other

• Category text box – this appears once a category is declared. The user should enter the Advertiser’s name, the Editor’s name, or any other appropriate descriptor for the Category. The field limit is 150 characters

• Key Word – a text box where the user can further identify and classify the information in the Category text box. The field limit is 30 characters.

Following is an example of how the Tracking pleat may appear with the Category information.

A user can select the Default Category drop down box to populate the Category field for all URL’s. Click (set) to populate the date. The user can remove the category indicator on individual URL’s, if desired

A user can tag the URL’s at anytime.  It can be done during the setup of the deployment and you can even access older deployments and back-fill the data.  See below for the parameters to use when appending the codes to each URL within your content.

Once a URL is tagged, you can have the system automatically apply the same values every time the URL appears in a deployment.  This function can be turned on and off within Email Builder (Omail).  Access the Deployment Defaults and you will see a prompt for “Reuse Link Category” at all 3 levels of defaults.

You are able to query the customers that clicked on these tagged URL’s in Audience Builder.  The data fields are located in the Email Behavioral Data fields, within the Clicks folder.  At the bottom of that folder you will see Keywords and Categories.  Within Categories is the Category Value field.

Reports with this data can be generated.  You will see 2 options in Reports and Analytics : Summary by Link Category and Summary by Link Category-Data.  Both contain the same information but are presented in a different format. NOTE: Each variation in the Category, Category Value and keyword will produce a separate page in the report when separated by comma

The Category, Category Value and Keyword can be automatically populated in the Email Builder Tracking pleat by including a comment code after each of the links with the parameters defined below. The application will parse this information and update the URL in the Tracking pleat.

<!–DPM: ln=”link_name" lc="link_category(Advertising,Editorial etc)" lcv="category_value" lkw="link_keyword(s)" -->

ln = link name

lc = link category

lcv = category value

lkw = link keyword

Below is an example of how it may appear in the HTML with a real link.