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Documentation Wiki > ExactTarget > Tracking > Tracking

Tracking

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    This page presents conceptual information about the tracking feature within the ExactTarget application.

    You also might be interested in:


    What Is Tracking

    Tracking is an aggregated collection of data that allows you to view critical elements such as email opens, clicks, undeliverables, and other metrics online. You can also capture how many emails were forwarded and how many new subscribers each forward generated.

    You can create a subscriber list from tracking data, as well as report on how subscribers and lists are performing over time.

    The tracking feature uses a 1x1 pixel transparent GIF image to track information. When the user opens the email, a request for this image (along with all other images in the email) is sent to a server. The pixel is automatically inserted into every email unless you're using an HTML-Paste template. To learn how to insert the tracking pixel into an HTML-based template, see How to Create Templates Using HTML Paste.

    To learn about timing in tracking, see Understanding Timing in Tracking.

    Note: Sometimes subscribers do not receive an email, but tracking doesn't show those emails as being undeliverable. To learn how ExactTarget handles emails that aren't delivered, see the Bounce Mail Management page.

    Note About Opens in Tracking

    It may occur where you have an exceptionally low number of opens and a high number of clicks. It's possible that the system can't track opens because your subscribers have images turned off in their email client or don't download images in their webmail. ExactTarget embeds a tracking pixel in every email (if you're creating HTML-based emails, you have to embed the pixel yourself). If images are never enabled in the email, ExactTarget can't track opens. The application can track any other form of tracking though (clicks, bounces, etc.). 

    Lifespan of Tracking Data

    ExactTarget stores your tracking data for the life of your contract. Currently, you can access tracking data from the beginning of your contract.

    Column Display Option

    You can choose to display any of the following columns in the tracking workspace. Click the Set Grid Preferences button in the tracking workspace to access the list of available columns.

    The column names that are displayed with a checkmark are the columns currently displayed in your workspace.

    • To add a column to your display: Select the checkbox next to the column name.

    • To remove a column from your display: Clear the checkbox next to the column name.

    You can use any column to sort the list of contents by clicking the column heading. Click the heading a second time to reverse the sort. By default when you first access the tracking section of the application, email sends are sorted by their job ID. To discover what a certain email job ID is, see How to Find the Email ID.

    Your choices (columns displayed and column selected for sorting) will be saved so that your view will be the same the next time you open this folder or another folder of the same type.

    Multi-Select

    The tracking workspace provides the option of selecting multiple items in your workspace at one time and acting upon them simultaneously. To select multiple items, select the checkboxes next to the items.

    With multiple items selected, you can do the following:

    • Move all selected items.

    • Delete all selected items.

    • Compare results.

    See the description of the workspace toolbar for further details on these options.

    Workspace Toolbar

    The toolbar at the top of a tracking folder's workspace provides the following options:

    Column Name Description
    Move

    Allows you to choose a different folder in which to store the selected email send tracking data.

    You can select multiple items and then click the Move option to move more than one set of tracking data into another folder at once.

    See How to Move Tracking Data.
    Delete

    Deletes the selected email send tracking data.

    You can select multiple items and then click the Delete option to delete more than one set of tracking data at once.
    Compare Email Sends

    Allows you to view the tracking data of a group of related emails at once. This option is available only when multiple items are selected.

    See How to Compare Tracking Results.

    Filter Options

    You can choose to filter the tracking jobs that appear in the workspace. Click the Showing: drop-down list in the tracking workspace to access the list of available filters.

    • Last 100 Sends: Shows tracking related to the last 100 sends. If you use this filter, you may see this message: The maximum number of items that can be displayed (100) has been reached. You many have additional items for this range that cannot be displayed. Please narrow the range.

    • Today: Shows tracking data from today.

    • Last 7 days: Shows tracking data from the last seven days.

    • Last 14 days: Shows tracking data from the last 14 days.

    • Last 30 days: Shows tracking data from the last 30 days.

    • Custom: Displays the Custom Tracking View window where you can select a date range for which to show tracking data. Enter your parameters and click Filter.

    You must select the filter every time you log in to the application.

    Why Use Tracking

    Marketers are always looking for ways to accurately target their audience while monitoring their budget. As email campaigns become more and more sophisticated, statistics and feedback play a larger role than ever in executing successful campaigns.

    By using the tracking tools, you let your customer behaviors and responses dictate the frequency and content of your campaign. This strategy allows you to track specific feedback on your individual subscriber's preferences and habits.

    For example, you may realize that 30% of your customers never open your emails unless the subject line mentions something about a coupon or discount. Other customers may use the Forward to a Friend (FTAF) feature quite frequently, sending your email on to several people with similar preferences. Your subscriber base may grow greatly due to this feature alone.

    Tracking gives you insight into your subscribers. By evaluating the behavioral data you gather, you get to know each of your subscribers individually. As time goes by, you can tailor your campaigns more and more toward specific subscribers. In fact, this should be a continuous process-consumer profiles and habits change all the time.

    Suppose that you send out an email catalog. You have set up the demographics you want to collect in your Profile Attributes. Your tracking shows that for your last three sends, 75% of men, age 18 to 24, clicked all the links in your special whitewater rafting section, 85% clicked most of the links in the skydiving article, and 80% had high click-through rates for your mountain climbing feature. On that basis and other research, you may want to develop a smaller list containing only those targeted subscribers and create a special edition geared toward extreme sports fans. A very effective and profitable campaign could result-you have targeted your most avid audience for that arena, and you have not given other subscribers a chance to unsubscribe from your catalog because they are uninterested in the subject matter. This group of men may forward your catalog to a friend, and that friend may subscribe. This not only widens your audience, but it also gives you the chance to compile a subgroup of women, age 18 to 24, who are true adventurers.

    Tracking is a great way to collect metrics. You can research previous reports to spot trends or correct some approaches that aren't working. Or, you can prove to management that the purchase of items geared toward teenagers has experienced a 30% increase. This might encourage them to budget more funds for your project, and it will certainly document your success.

    Tracking Scenarios

    You can perform a host of actions with tracking. Three actions are explained in detail below:

    Resolving Hard Bounces 

    Suppose that a marketing department is sending an important email campaign. The group includes a survey and wants as many types of people to answer as possible.

    The tracking data in the Send Performance section of the Overview tab shows that the marketing send had quite a large number of hard bounces. Total Sends is 500, and the Delivered amount is 470. Input from each of the departments' subscribers is important to the marketers; they want to resolve these 30 "lost" emails. They can get a list of the attributes (such as phone number) of those 30 subscribers, call them, and resolve many of those bounces.

    Segmenting a General Audience into Targeted Audiences

    Football Fanatics sends out a newsletter each month to college football fans around the country.  They wonder if the potential exists for a few offshoots of their newsletter geared toward a more targeted audience. Advertisers should be able to gear messages more toward a specific audience, and the online store within the newsletter could sell items to subscribers who are more likely to have an interest.

    They decide to send out a survey to their subscribers asking which college football team they prefer. They also have a chance to gather additional information, such as gender, age, average time spent watching football in a week, average time reading about it, etc. This survey would consist of five questions so that the subscribers don't lose interest.

    When the survey responses come in, Football Fanatics is surprised to learn that almost 25% of their subscribers prefer Team E and 20% prefer Team S. From this survey, they build separate subscriber lists for each of these teams.

    The next month, they send a Team E Football Fanatics newsletter to their first subscriber list and a Team S Football Fanatics newsletter to the subscribers on their second list.

    Getting Feedback

    Northern Trail Outfitters is a company that is doing well by all accounts. They produce an email catalog and are making a profit and growing their company. Their employees are valuable to them, and the company is growing so quickly, they want to make sure they have information on the demographics of their employees as a first step toward making some improvements.

    They send out a quick survey to their employees.

    surveyWeeklySpecials.png

    After a few days, the Northern Trail Outfitters Human Resources Team opens the tracking feature to get results back from the survey. They see something like the following:

    SurveyTracking.PNG

    They can select each question to get more details. For example, the responses to question 2, "What departments do you work with most (check all that apply)," is shown as a bar graph with percentages. Clicking the links shows the team who answered this question and each person's response to the question.

    ResponseTracking.PNG

    If the team selects the first question, "How long have you worked at Northern Trail Outfitters," they will see a list of all respondents, their email address, date and time they responded, and their answers.

    If the team selects the third question, "What is your favorite thing about Northern Trail Outfitters," they will see the respondents' answers in the free-form text in which they were answered.

    How to View Tracking Results for an Email Send

    To view all tracking details for an email, follow these steps:

    1. Click the Tracking tab.
    2. Click the folder that contains the email for which you wish to view tracking. You may select from:
      • Simple Automated Email Sends - If you create and send an email from the Simple Automated Emails folder under the Content tab, the tracking for that email will display in this folder.
      • Test Send Emails - If you send an email by clicking Send > Test Send, the tracking for that email will display in this folder.
      • Triggered Sends - The tracking for any triggered send you create and send will display in this folder. You may also view tracking for Triggered Sends from the Triggered Sends folder. Click the View Tracking button in the toolbar.
      • Welcome Email Sends - The tracking for any welcome email you assign to a list will display in this folder.
      • Salesforce.com - If you are integrated with Salesforce, the tracking for your integration sends will display in this folder.
    3. Click the name of the email in the tracking workspace.
      Note: If an email was sent to more than 50 lists, you may have trouble viewing the tracking results. To solve this issue, de-select half your lists, and try to view the tracking again.
      Wherever you see a hyperlinked number in the tracking results workspace, you can click that number to drill down to a list of the subscribers comprising that number. You'll then be able to drill down even further into the activities of individual subscribers relating to the email whose results you're viewing.

    How to Create Lists from Tracking Data

    When you drill down to the list of subscribers who took various actions on the email (such as opened an email or clicked through its links), you have the option of creating a list consisting of those subscribers. You can also export the list to a Microsoft Excel file.

    Ideally you create a list from tracking data after you've performed several sends and can view who your truly active subscribers are. From the tracking data, you can create a list of those active subscribers. 

    Follow these steps to either create a new list or add these subscribers to an existing list:

    1. Click the Tracking tab. (If the email you want is in a tracking subfolder, click the subfolder.)

    2. Click the hyperlinked email from which you want to create a list.
    3. Click on a hyperlinked number of subscribers.
    4. Click Copy All. (The application will copy all subscribers regardless of whether you select specific subscribers or not.)
    5. Perform one of the following options:
      • to add the subscribers to an existing list, select the Existing List radio button. Next select the list in the window pane, and click Copy.
      • to add the subscribers to a new list, select the New List radio button. Enter a Name and Description for the list and click Copy.

    The subscribers are added to whichever list you selected or created. 

    How to Export Subscriber Data from Tracking to an Excel File

    Follow these steps to export the data for subscribers to an Excel file:

    1. Click the Tracking tab. (If the email you want is in a tracking subfolder, click the subfolder.)

    2. Click the hyperlinked email from which you want to create a list.
    3. Click on a hyperlinked number of subscribers.
    4. Click Export All. 
    5. Select the attributes you want to export and click Add, or click Add All to export all attributes.
    6. Select the type of file you'd like to export to:
      • Comma Delimited Format (CSV)
      • Tab Delimited Format
      • XML Format
    7. Click Export.
      The application creates your file and stores it in your account's FTP directory.

    How to Export the Bounce Reason and Bounce Description

    1. Click the Tracking tab. 
    2. Click the name of the job. 
    3. Click on either Hard of Soft Bounce in the Send Performance box. 
    4. Click Export All. 
    5. Select Undelivered Reason and Undelivered Description in the Available attributes box and click add >. 
    6. Choose how you'd like to receive the export. 
    7. Click Export. 

    How to Compare Tracking Results

    To get a better sense of how campaigns are performing relative to one another, you can quickly compare high-level metrics for each individual email in the campaign and the total numbers for the campaign. The tracking results comparison feature shows you how many emails were sent, how many were delivered, how many of the subscribers unsubscribed, how many emails were opened, and how many click-throughs resulted.

    Follow these steps to use the results comparison feature:

    1. Click the Tracking tab. 
    2. Select the checkbox next to the email sends you wish to compare.
    3. Click Compare Email Sends.
      You can print the results by clicking the Print button in the dialog box. Another option is to export the results to a CSV file, which you create by clicking the Export button.

    How to Move Tracking Data

    You can group together tracking data for related emails into a separate tracking subfolder if desired.

    Follow these steps to relocate an email's tracking data:

    1. Click the Tracking tab. 
    2. If the tracking subfolder doesn't already exist, create it by right clicking on my tracking and selecting New Folder.
    3. Back in the tracking workspace, select the checkbox next to the email whose tracking data you want to move. You can select more than one email send to move into a folder. 
    4. Click Move.
    5. In the Move Jobs dialog box, select the folder you want to move the job to.
    6. Click Move. 
      The results for the selected email send or sends are now located in the chosen tracking subfolder.

    How to Delete a Job from the Tracking Screen

    Follow these steps:

    1. Select the checkbox next to each job you want to delete.
    2. Click the Delete button.
    3. A confirmation message appears stating that your tracking jobs have been successfully deleted.

    How to Manage Salesforce Data

    To manage Salesforce data, you must have the Administrative Data Management user permission. You also must belong to a Salesforce integrated account. You use this feature to control the amount of storage you are using in Salesforce and to carry out general housekeeping tasks. For example, you may realize that you have data stored in Salesforce for the last three months when all you need is information from the last 30 days. Remember: This information will still be available in ExactTarget.

    Follow these steps:

    1. Click the Tracking tab.
    2. Click my tracking to view a list of email jobs.
    3. Select the checkbox beside each job you want to manage. The Manage Salesforce Data button on the my tracking toolbar becomes active.
    4. Click the Manage Salesforce Data button. A Manage Salesforce Data dialog box appears. This allows you to delete specific tracking information from Salesforce.com.
    Option Description
    Delete Individual Tracking in Salesforce.com Choose one of these radio buttons to delete records from the Salesforce data. These records will remain in the ExactTarget data.
    • Delete Link Detail Records Only   Deletes all records with link information (such as how many times certain links were clicked).
    • Delete Link Detail and Individual Email Result Records   Deletes all records with link information and any records that show individual data rather than aggregate data.
    Individual Email Results and Link Detail records will be deleted for Choose one of the following from the drop-down list to delete records from the Salesforce data. These records will remain in the ExactTarget data.
    • All emails - Deletes all email records.
    • Emails not clicked - Deletes all records for emails in which no links or clickable images were clicked.
    • Emails not opened - Deletes all records for emails that were not opened.
    Delete Email Results aggregate tracking record checkbox Select this checkbox to delete from Salesforce all records containing aggregate information. These records remain in the ExactTarget data. If you want the aggregate tracking records to remain in the Salesforce data, be sure to leave this checkbox empty.
    1. Click the Delete button.
    2. A Manage Salesforce Data Confirmation box appears, stating:
    You are about to delete the following items from Salesforce Email Result Records: #
    Individual Email Result Records: #
    Link Detail Records: #
    This will permanently delete tracking data in Salesforce.com. Tracking data in ExactTarget will not be deleted.
    Are you sure you want to proceed?

    (The # in the second column represents a number.)

    1. If you are sure you want to continue, click Delete. If not, click Cancel.
    Note: The second Delete button will be grayed out and unavailable if you have zero records for the three options shown in step 6.

    How to Create PDF and Excel files from Tracking Tabs

    The tabs in the my tracking view present different printing options:

    • The Overview tab may be exported as either a PDF or an Excel file.
    • The Click Activity tab may be exported as a PDF in Email Overlay view or an Excel file in Link View.
    • The Conversions tab may be exported as an Excel file.
    • The Surveys tab may be exported as an Excel file.

    The PDF file presents a visual representation of the screen or email, while the Excel file contains data on the report requested.  Follow these steps to create a PDF or Excel file from the my tracking tabs:

    1. Click the Tracking button and select my tracking.
    2. Select the tab you want to export in the workspace.
    3. Click the Export button shown in the figure below:

    ExportButton.gif

    1. In the first column of the Export window, choose whether you want to save your export as a PDF or Excel file and click the appropriate radio button.
    2. If you choose to save the export as a PDF file, choose the modules you wish to include in the file, as shown in the figure below:

    Exportexpanded.gif

    1. Choose whether you want to view the file in a web browser window or have it sent to you as an email attachment and click the Export button.
    2. If you choose to export the file via an email attachment, enter the email addresses you wish to send to in the email window, separating each address with a semicolon. Click Send when finished.
    Note: If the export file is over 5 MB in size, the system delivers it to your enhanced FTP account regardless of what you select here. If you do not have an enhanced FTP account, the system returns a message saying that you should call ExactTarget.

    Export_Excel.gif

    Please note that you must have a program capable of reading the files you create in order to view them on your computer.

    How to Use the Search Tool

    Follow these steps:

    1. Click the Tracking tab.
    2. Click my tracking to view a list of email jobs.
    3. Click the link for the job you want to view. The Overview tab for that job appears.
    4. You may click any of the unique number links to see the list of subscribers for that link. A new toolbar appears with the Search button on it.
    5. Click Search.
    6. A Search field appears with directions to search by email address or subscriber key.
    7. Enter the email address or subscriber key you want to view and click Search.
    Note: You can also use partial searches, such as .com, ted, or smith to find individual or multiple subscribers.
    1. The information for that subscriber key appears as the only row of the screen.
    Note: Be sure to click the Search button to begin your search. Entering your search text and then clicking Enter will not work.

    How to View Properties

    Follow these steps:

    1. Click the Tracking tab.
    2. Click my tracking to view a list of email jobs.
    3. Click the link for the job you want to view. The Overview tab for that job appears.
    4. Click any of the unique number links on the Overview tab to see the list of subscribers for that link.
    5. Select the checkbox beside the subscriber you want to view. The View Properties button on the toolbar becomes available.
    6. Click View Properties. A dialog box appears. This dialog box contains five tabs:
      Tab Description
      General
      • <subscriber's email address field> - This field displays the subscriber's email address.
      • Subscriber Key field - Displays the subscriber key for that subscriber.
      • Created - Day, date, and time the subscriber created this listing (by performing a unique action).

      All Subscribers

      • Total Bounces - Total bounces for all subscribers.
      • Unsubscribed - Date and time the subscriber unsubscribed (if applicable). If the person did not unsubscribe, displays N/A.
      • Unsubscribe from all button - If the person did not unsubscribe (N/A), this button appears. Clicking Unsubscribe from all causes an Unsubscribe dialog box to appear. Here, you can choose to have this email address unsubscribed from all current and future lists. The email address is listed, and below that, a Reason box, where you can fill in the Reason for the Unsubscribe.
      • Activate button - If the person did unsubscribe, an Activate button is provided. This allows the person to subscribe to lists in the future. It only activates the subscriber on the All Subscribers list-not on any specific lists. After you click this button, it toggles back to the Unsubscribe from all button.

      Click OK to save your settings.
       Attributes
      • Profile Attributes - Lists the profile attributes and the values for each subscriber.
      • Preference Attribute - Lists preference attributes, such as HTML Emails. The Value column contains a checkbox to activate or deactivate that preference.
       Lists
      • List Name - Indicates which lists this subscriber belongs to.
      • Added - Date subscriber was added to each list.
      • Unsubscribed - Date subscriber unsubscribed from this list (if applicable). Otherwise, indicates N/A.
      • Add button - Click this to add the subscriber to additional lists.
      • Remove button - Click this to remove a subscriber from the list.
      • Details button - Select a list and click Details to get more information on the selected list. You can also subscribe or unsubscribe a person from the list.
       Groups
      • Group Name - Indicates which group this subscriber belongs to.
      • Last Refresh Date - Indicates the date and time the information for this group was last updated.
      • Unsubscribed - Date subscriber unsubscribed from this group (if applicable). Otherwise, indicates N/A.
      • Details button - Select a group and click Details to get more information on the selected group. You can also subscribe or unsubscribe a person from the group.
       History Shows your selected subscriber's activities over the past 90 days.
      • Date - Date the activity occurred.
      • Activity - Type of activity (such as Email Opened, Link Clicked, Responded to Survey).
      • Email - Indicates which email the activity occurred in.
      • Survey Details button - Becomes active when you select a survey response. Click the Survey Details button to learn more about the survey response.

    How to View History

    Follow these steps:

    1. Click the Tracking tab.
    2. Click my tracking to view a list of email jobs.
    3. Click the link for the job you want to view. The Overview tab for that job appears.
    4. Click any of the unique number links on the Overview tab to see the list of subscribers for that link.
    5. Select the checkbox beside the subscriber you want to view. The View History button on the toolbar becomes available.
    6. Click View History. A dialog box appears. The title bar contains the name of the subscriber you selected, followed by the word Properties. The dialog box opens directly to the fifth tab: History. This is basically a shortcut: Instead of viewing properties first and then going to the History tab, you go directly to the History tab. The tab is the same as the History tab of the View Properties function.
    Tab Description
    History  Shows your selected subscriber's activities over the past 90 days.
    • Date - Date the activity occurred.
    • Activity - Type of activity (such as Email Opened, Link Clicked, Responded to Survey).
    • Email - Indicates which email the activity occurred in.
    • Details button - Select an activity and click Details for more information.

    This page was last updated by Adam Evans on Tue, 20 Sep 2011 12:16:04 GMT.

    If you require assistance with the ExactTarget application, please contact Global Support. If you wish to send Adam direct feedback, fill out the form below:

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