Boost recurring donations this giving season with the new upsell prompt!Through source tracking codes in Soapbox, you have the ability to collect data on the source of traffic for those taking action on your website. This data is saved to Salesforce when an action is taken, providing powerful business intelligence tools to analyze and guide your constituent engagement efforts for maximum results.
What data is tracked?
The following three variables are available for you to include in your URL. These variables are standardized to work with Google Analytics:
- utm_campaign
- utm_source
- utm_medium
What does each variable represent?
By intent, these variables are the same used by Google Analytics and is intended to conform to industry-standard definitions. Per Google:
The Source is the place last visited before reaching your property (e.g., a search engine or your own website) while the Medium is the method a visitor used to arrive at that source (e.g, by clicking a search result, a link on your homepage, or an ad). Any traffic that isn’t coming directly to your site is known as referral traffic.
With custom campaigns, you can add parameters to any URL you own that links to your site or app and collect more information about your referral traffic. For example, you might want to know how many users click a Download this app link from your website or how many visitors come to your site from a link within a monthly email newsletter.
While we recommend conforming to industry standards for the definition and use of these variables, in the end, your organization has the flexibility to use them as you wish. The most important aspect of their use will be creating consistency within your organization so data can be effectively analyzed over time and across campaigns and actions.
How are the URLs and tracking codes created?
The URLs can be created manually or through Google's URL builder. For instructions, view Creating URLs with source tracking codes.
When and how are variables saved to Salesforce?
The source tracking variables are saved automatically to Salesforce as part of the Lead record created for a Soapbox Events registration.
For how long is it tracked?
The source tracking variables included in a URL accompany a visitor throughout their site session and beyond the initial page they visit. If multiple actions are taken, the variables will be saved with each action.
How does tracking work if my website's base URL changes between secure and non-secure pages?
Tracking codes will be saved for any action taken on your site where the base URL of the action matches the base URL the visitor first visited which contained the tracking codes.
If you have opted to use a custom SSL domain which matches your non-SSL domain, tracking codes will be saved when actions are taken on either secure or non-secure pages, regardless of which the visitor first came to through the tracking URL.
For instance, if a visitor goes to http://www.someorg.org/?utm_campaign=september&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post, the tracking codes will be saved if the visitor subsequently goes to https://www.someorg.org/donate.
If you use the default Soapbox Engage URL of https://[prefix].secure.nonprofitsoapbox.com for secure transactions, tracking codes will only be saved when actions are taken on the base URL that originally contained the tracking codes.
For instance, if a visitor goes to https://someorg.secure.nonprofitsoapbox.com/donate?utm_campaign=september&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post, the tracking codes will be saved for a donation they make. If they then visit http://www.someorg.org/sign-the-petition, the tracking codes will not be saved due to the change in base URL. If they then go to https://someorg.secure.nonprofitsoapbox.com/different-donate-page, however, the tracking codes will be saved, provided they return within the lifetime of the original session which is typically one hour.
If you're interested in implementing a custom SSL domain, let us know!
What URL do I need to direct them to on my website?
You can use any URL on your site. It does not need to be the URL for a specific action. Soapbox will onboard the variables included in the URL and associate them with that visitor throughout their entire session.
How does this work with Google Analytics?
The three source tracking variables used by Soapbox are standard variables used by Google Analytics. This means that any visit to your website through a URL containing these variables will automatically push relevant data to your Google Analytics account with no additional steps required on your end.
How do I view and report on the source tracking data in Salesforce?
Source tracking variables are saved to the Lead record and mapped to the Opportunity record. For individual actions, you may view them on the appropriate record in Salesforce.
You may also create Reports in Salesforce grouped by the UTM Campaign, UTM Source, or UTM Medium fields, if you wish to view data on actions taken and dollars raised in relation to the variables you are disseminating.
Do I need to upgrade my Salesforce packages to use this feature?
Yes. You will need to make sure you have installed Soapbox Engage QuickStart for Salesforce version 1.5 and completed the steps to map the appropriate Leads fields to their Opportunity counterparts. For instructions on determining which packages are installed and how to upgrade, go to How Do I Manage My Soapbox Engage Packages in Salesforce?
Examples of source tracking variables
www.someorg.org/?utm_campaign=endofyrdonation&utm_source=fallnewsletter&utm_medium=email
www.someorg.org/donate?utm_campaign=endofyrdonation&utm_source=fallnewsletter&utm_medium=email
www.someorg.org/cool-event?utm_campaign=2014gala&utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post
www.someorg.org/sign-up?utm_campaign=emailsignup&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=socialprofile