Using the correct Program Channel

[Anonymous]

Hi All,

Would i be correct in using 'Website Resource' as my channel program for such items as banner ads and LinkedIn Sponsored posts?  I want to ultimately track the UTM code to track who was referred by the specific campaign.  I would create separate programs for each campaign.

Or is their a better alternative? 

Thanks!

[Joe_Reitz]

Hey Ryanne Jasmin​,

The answer depends on how channels and their progression statuses are built out in your instance. Beyond that, it's really up to how you want to slice and dice your reporting. If you have a channel tag for Online Advertising versus one for Web Content (and you have RCA), you'll be able to report on those program sets separately (by channel). If you just lump everything under one channel, then things get a little more... hands-on.

That said, in many instances I see a superabundance of Channel Tags that are kind of superfluous.

Another important question that can help guide your decision is "what will make a lead successful in this program?" Typically for something like this, it'll be something like filling out a form (because you'll only capture the known leads that simply just click through the ad). How are your progression statuses set up, and what's the success step?

Whatever you do, do it consistently

[Jessica_Kao3]

Hi Ryanne,

For Linked in sponsored ad, I would use the channel of online advertisement, or some grouping that designates paid online stuff.  Website resource doesn't really tell you where it is coming from.  You want to separate these out from organic website traffic going to your resources.

It also depends on what other channels you are using but for the sake of simplicity.  I click on a Linkedin sponsor update I fill out a form.  I should be in a linked in specific program in the channel Online advertisement (or call it something appropriate) and have my acquisition program set to that program if I am new to the database and my progression status should be set to converted (success). 

If you are targeting three different industries and you want to separate our how each of these are doing, you would set the link on each banner or sponsored update to have a unique tracking link so you know where that person came from, which add. 

www.mylittlepony.com is your website

www.mylittlepony.com?utm_source=linkedin&utm_campaign=16q4-free-pony-ride-industry1

www.mylittlepony.com?utm_source=linkedin&utm_campaign=16q4-free-pony-ride-industry2

www.mylittlepony.com?utm_source=linkedin&utm_campaign=16q4-free-pony-ride-industry3

Anything after the ? does not affect the destination of the url.  But the values will carry through in hidden fields on your form. 

Add these fields to your marketo database

utm_source

utm_content

utm_campaign etc

Add these fields as hidden fields to your forms.

When someone clicks on the link and lands on your form and submits the form, these hidden parameters will be passed through onto the lead record.

In your smart list for each of your linked in programs, your smart list will say

filled out form (add a constraint that is appropriate) AND

utm_campaign contains industry1

Then the right person will go into that program.

Do the same for industry 2 and 3 in their separate programs and then you can slot different people from different linked in ads broken out by industry. 

Make sense?