Conquer Tracking Issues to Lift Conversions #38

Conquer Tracking issues to Lift Conversions #38

For this week’s drop 🔥, I wanted to share some of the learning 📘 thoughts on Tracking in Affiliate Marketing 🤝.

The Performance Marketing Association (PMA) ran a poll asking brands, affiliates, networks, and agencies how often they encounter tracking issues, and the results were staggering.

Most respondents reported tracking is a significant issue.

Publishers / Affiliates feel this more than most. That is not good.

Why? 🤔

For regular readers ( shout out! ), Publishers / Affiliates / Influencers / Creators are “the currency of the affiliate marketing ecosystem.”

Some PMA members and I hosted an event on LinkedIn discussing:

How do savvy performance marketers respond to Apple’s IOS changes and the deprecation of third-party cookies?

Below are some of the learnings and recommendations from an excellent discussion...

You can watch the LinkedIn event here

Key Learnings: 📝

1. Starting with iOS 14.5, apps must ask your permission when they want to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies. Deprecation of third-party cookies has made tracking much more challenging.

2. Brands often make site changes that can create unintended tracking issues/gaps.

3. This is mainly a problem since affiliate marketing puts skin in the game, building sites, ads, and experiences before receiving payment.

4. Tracking is more of a problem than people realize (some report a 30% loss in some cases)

5. Memory Cookie - is a memory cookie in place? What is it?

   

   Source: Moonpull

6. Affiliate Tracking Platforms have an opportunity to elevate the bar to require tracking best practices by brands and advertisers. I estimate this is a significant commercial opportunity to build a cookie-less tracking methodology while also requiring more and offering tools/detection to help merchants/brands/advertisers track correctly.

7. MarTech experts and Web Developers are in demand and must ensure action is taken to assess, test, and fix tracking issues.

8. Common Language across networks is creating better outcomes.

Recommendations 📕

1. Bias for Action - this theme came up on the live event, but being willing and able to hop on a call, send technical requirements, review pixel javascript code, place a test order, ask developers questions, and ask for help.

2. Collaborate and work together - this is a team sport, and troubleshooting and communicating the timeline of actions to ensure tracking is working and fixing it when it’s not critical.

3. Agencies can be a great way to ensure advocacy for the network, brand advertiser ( their client ), and the affiliate partners that deliver great traffic leads and sales for their client. Find a good one; I might have a recommendation 😉 . Agencies can be an excellent place to gain access to curated tools like Moonpull.

4. Emphasize First-Party Data Collection: Focusing on first-party data becomes crucial with the deprecation of third-party cookies. Brands should encourage users to provide their data directly through sign-ups or account creation to facilitate tracking.

   1. I highly recommend completing the Nike app onboarding.

   2. After all, who does not need a pair of these? Air Jordan, Why Not 

      

      Take an extra 25% off with BLACKFRIDAY. 🙂 

   3. It’s an excellent example of how brands can earn a direct connection to their customers through thoughtful onboarding.

      

      Nike App

5. Utilize UTM Parameters Effectively: UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters can be used to track the effectiveness of marketing campaigns. These parameters should be strategically embedded in URLs to track the source, medium, campaign, content, and term. This method relies less on cookies and more on direct link tracking—an oldie but a goodie: Google UTM Builder.

6. Implement Server-Side Tracking: Moving tracking from the client side (like cookies in a browser) to the server side can help bypass some of the limitations imposed by cookie deprecation and iOS updates. This method involves sending data directly from the server to the analytics platform, which can offer more control and privacy compliance. Server-to-server tracking is a future-proof solution as it's compliant with Intelligent Tracking Prevention [ITP]. This method uses APIs to track clicks and conversion events. Affiliate tracking helps boost partner performance, optimize conversion rates, and prevent fraud. (Source: Impact)

7. Leverage Mobile Deep Linking: Deep linking in mobile apps can be used for more precise tracking. These links take users directly to a specific location within an app, making tracking the effectiveness of particular campaigns or referrals easier. Check out this helpful Deep Linking 101 from AppsFlyer. We have also written extensively of about Button here.

8. Regularly Update and Audit Tracking Methods: Continuously audit and update your tracking methods to ensure they comply with the latest privacy laws and technological changes. Regular audits can help identify any gaps or inaccuracies in data collection. We recommend a weekly test and review of tracking pixels during peak seasons like now.

9. Educate Affiliates and Partners: Ensure all partners and affiliates know and comply with the new tracking methodologies. Consistent training and updates can help maintain accurate tracking across all channels. This is needed for advertisers, brands, affiliates, and agencies and is something we all benefit from. Many in the PMA group discussion call for a higher tracking standard to be required and implemented by brands, networks, agencies, and affiliate partners.

10. Use Multi-Touch Attribution Models: Instead of relying on a single touchpoint, use multi-touch attribution models to get a more holistic view of the customer journey. This approach considers multiple interactions, providing a more comprehensive understanding of campaign effectiveness. We are seeing more and more brands make this migration, but it’s slower than we would like.

Summary 🎬

Several industry experts from the PMA hosted a well-attended and engaging discussion on tracking in affiliate marketing. In addition to the poll released, the results are in, and tracking is a problem that could be better understood, especially in the wake of rising privacy requirements.

Now you know the key learnings from the LinkedIn event and the state of tracking, and you can take some actions to improve your tracking accuracy to help your brand and your key partners!