You can track all hyperlinks in the email to obtain contact-level activity reporting.
Embedded hyperlinks
Transact SMTP can automatically track hyperlinks embedded in a message sent to the SMTP server.
To set link tracking for all embedded links, select the Tracking option when creating a Transactional Message Group.
Note: We do not currently support automatic insertion of web analytics tags into hyperlinks.
Added links
Transact SMTP will include all standard sets of links included in the Acoustic Campaign email template and will provide tracking as specified.
Content hosting
Acoustic Campaign will not host image links submitted from the message, only standard text and HTML content included in the email template. This lessens the load on your servers.
Tracked hyperlinks submitted within Transact XML code
Transact can track hyperlinks that are submitted within the XML CDATA, using Dynamic Link Leader (DLL) URL encoding. When encoded links are submitted within the XML document, Acoustic Campaign Automation tracks clicked URLs and the tracked data is available in reports within Acoustic Campaign Automation.
Note: This information is used to create trackable links within the XML submission. This information does not apply to links created within the mailing body.
To configure an XML Submission with tracked links, follow the steps below:
- Convert the URLs in the submission to DLL encoded links.
- If URLs contain personalization, add elements for each field to the SAVE_COLUMNS section and to the PERSONALIZATION section with the correct value for the recipient.
- Make sure that the recipient list contains the fields corresponding to the personalization elements defined in the XML submission i.e. custom fields.
- Perform a test send, click links and make sure that the redirected URL contains the correct URL and personalization substitutions.
- Check reporting after allowing enough time for the tracking to roll up and display.
Note: The support team specifies the server for the URL.
Links that are dynamically generated on the sending system are included in the XML using the CDATA tag, in the Personalization section, within a CDATA section.
Tracking password reset emails
When you send a transactional email for a password reset, it is recommended that you do not track the links.
There is a delay of a few seconds from when the message is sent to contacts to when the table that is used for tracked links is updated. If a contact clicks too soon, the link goes to the redirect page instead of the designated URL on the first attempt.
Typically, contacts of transactional messages are not waiting for messages, such as invoices, to reach their inboxes. However, for password reset messages, recipients are waiting for that message to arrive so they can complete the password reset process.