Using external trackers in BlueConic extends your customer activity monitoring beyond your defined domains. This allows you to capture interactions from sources like newsletters, emails, social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter), and external websites, providing a comprehensive view of your customer journey. Each external tracker can manage multiple specific tracking elements.
Types of external trackers
Tracking URLs: A tracking URL is a substitute for another URL. When a visitor opens the tracking URL, BlueConic creates a visitor profile, registers a click, sets profile properties, optionally creates a Timeline event, and then routes the visitor to the original URL.
Tracking pixels: A tracking pixel is a transparent image with a dimension of 1 x 1 pixels, typically used as a beacon on external pages. A reference to the URL of a tracking pixel can be added to HTML.
Navigate to external trackers
Select More > External trackers from the main navigation bar.
The External trackers page displays a table of connections that are configured in your tenant.
Search, filter, and customize the columns to adjust your view.
Click the name of an external tracker to open its details.
Create an external tracker
Click Add external tracker to create a new group of external trackers.
Enter a name.
Under Attribution, select a tracking channel.
A tracking channel is required to attribute visitors from URLs or pixels.
Save your settings.
Add a tracking URL
To create a new tracking URL, click Add tracking URL.
Click Select URL and enter the URL of the target page.
Define profile properties rules.
These rules allow you to store information in a visitor's profile when the URL is being clicked. You can create rules to store static values or you can create rules to store dynamic values taken from query string parameters in the tracking URL.
(Optional) Add events to the profile timeline using tracking URLs. In the Timeline event field, you add the event and which values to add.
Save your settings.
This adds a new line to the Tracking URLs table, which also shows:
Tracker URL: This is the tracker URL for external use. It serves as a base URL, with dynamic parameters added via a query string.
QR code: Click "View" in the table to open a tooltip with the QR code. Choose a size from the drop-down menu and save the image by right-clicking and selecting "Save Image" for use in other media.
Target URL: Click to edit the target URL for the Tracking URL. Visitors who click or scan the QR code will be redirected here. You can update the URL anytime.
Add a tracking pixel
Add tracking pixels to your external tracker by clicking Add tracking pixel.
This adds a new line to the Tracking pixel table.
Add the tracking pixel's URL to your HTML to track all viewers. Like tracking URLs, you can include dynamic query string parameters.
Define profile properties to update when a known visitor views the tracking pixel. Set a static value or use a query string parameter for dynamic values.
(Optional) Select BlueConic timeline events to be set when a visitor who already has a BlueConic profile views the tracking pixel.
Save your settings.
Delete an external tracker
To delete an external tracker:
Open the tracker you want to delete.
Click the Save button dropdown and select Delete.
To delete a tracking URL or tracking pixel within an external tracker:
Open the tracker you want to edit.
Hover over the tracking URL or tracking pixel you want to delete.
On the right side of the table, click the X button that appears.
FAQs
How do tracking pixels work?
BlueConic tracking pixels capture user activity and update profiles based on context. For unknown users without unique pixel properties, data is stored in a year-long cookie until a profile is created upon a subsequent site visit. Conversely, unique pixel properties like email addresses immediately create persistent profiles. For known users, profiles are directly updated, and optional timeline events can be generated. These pixels capture views without requiring user interaction, and their owner channel should match the placement location.
How can query string parameters be used when creating profile property rules?
Let's assume that you would like to keep track of the newsletter ID in a visitor's profile when the visitor clicks a link in a newsletter. Using the templating engine of your email service provider (ESP) you are able to add the newsletter ID to any link. The ESP mailing template would contain something like this:
<a href="https://acme.blueconic.net/s/5d?nl_id=%%newsletter_id%%">click here</a>
A visitor clicking the link in the newsletter would open a URL like:
https://acme.blueconic.net/s/5d?nl_id=6647
To pick up the dynamic "nl_id" query string parameter from that URL and add it to a profile property "Newsletters", add a rule like this:
This lets you pass individualized information from your ESP to BlueConic via tracking URLs. You can add as many query string parameters to the tracking URL as you want. Only parameters mentioned in rules will be picked up. As a security measure, query string parameters added to the tracking URL will not be passed on or appended to its target URL.
Are there any best practices when using query string parameters?
Your visitors may sometimes share URLs, for example by forwarding newsletters. Exercise caution in picking up uniquely identifiable information from URLs into profile properties that are used for profile merging.