How do I analyze my campaigns' performances?

The AnyTrack campaign reporting features exclusive functionalities, that provide marketers with real time insights into marketing performances. The reports are build from several data sources, such as your ad account data, website data, as well as conversion data, and customer data, so that you can blend metrics and dimensions into a unified and rich reporting interface.

 

In this article we will cover the following topics:

• The data sources and their caracteristics used to build the campaign reports
• Definitions of metrics and dimensions found in the reports
• How to read the Attributed Conversions vs Purchase reports
• The role of the UTM Parameters, and how to use the URL Tracking Templates
• How to use each function to get more out of your campaign data
• How to understand data discrepancies

Prerequisites:

• You need an admin access to your ad accounts;
• These reports are currently available for Facebook Ads and Google Ads;
• Your ad account integration must be enabled;
• You must use the recommended URL tracking templates;
• Conversion API server side events must be enabled;
• Your ad campaign conversion goal must be the Purchase event;
• We also recommend connecting your Google Analytics account.

 

Definitions

Before we begin, let's go over some definitions that will help you understand what each functionality, metric, and dimension represent, and where they are sourced from.

The reports data sources:

The campaign reports are composed of 3 main data sources which can be queried together in order to find interesting segments, or campaign performances based on specific events or integrations.

Your Ad Network Campaign Data

When you connect your ad accounts with AnyTrack, we will start fetching your campaign data into your AnyTrack account.

Dimensions

• Campaigns
• Ad Groups (for Google Ads), Ad Sets (for Facebook Ads)
• Ads
• Keywords (for Google Ads)

Metrics

• Reach, impressions
• Link Clicks, Clicks
• Ad Spend
• CPM, CPC etc...
• Frequency
• Attributed Conversions:
  The conversions that AnyTrack sent to your ad account, and that have been successfully attributed by the ad network. More info follows below.
• Attributed Revenues:
  The revenues that AnyTrack has sent along with the conversions, and that are being reported in your ad account.

AnyTrack Client Side Data

This is the data collected through the AnyTrack JS Tag

• Sessions and user types (New vs Returning);
• Customer journey events such as Add To Cart, FormSubmit, InitiateCheckout;
• Calculated metrics such as:
  • Click Through Rate
  • Engagements
• UTM Parameters
• ClickID parameters

AnyTrack Server Side Data

This is the data that AnyTrack receives from your Conversion Sources integrations via API, Postback URLs, Webhooks.

Reminder: Conversion Sources Integrations are Shopify, ClickFunnels, Affiliate Networks. The complete list can be found on the integration catalog.

 

Event Types:

• Purchase
• CompleteRegistration
• Lead
• Scheduled (For Calendly Integration)
• Custom Events (any custom event sent to AnyTrack)

Event Context:

• Integration (i.e. Shopify, Calendly, ClickBank)
• Brand Name
• Event Location (The page where the event took place)
• Landing Page (where the user landed)
• Element (What the user engaged with when on your website)

Event metrics:

• Event Count
• Event Revenue or commissions (for affiliate marketers)

Calculated metrics

AnyTack processes your data in real time, and updates the reports in increments of 10-15 minutes. In addition to the metrics and dimensions from the various sources mentioned above, AnyTrack adds calculated metrics.

• Conversion Rates for each event type
• ROAS calculated from the Purchase Values received from your Conversion Sources, and Ad Spend from your ad network

 

Exclusive features

As mentioned before, because of the way AnyTrack collects, processes and blends your data sources, you get exclusive insights into your campaign performances.

For example, AnyTrack real time reporting is not affected by iOS 14 tracking protection, compared to the attribution delays you'll experience with Facebook Ads (up to 72 hours) and Google Ads (up to 5 days).

 

Attributed Conversions vs Actual Conversions

Since the introduction of iOS 14, the Facebook Pixel, and Google Ads conversion tag, are no longer capable of precisely attributing conversions, nor they can provide real time conversion data. In consequence, both ad networks have introduced the Conversion Modeling, and the Aggregated Event Measurement (for Facebook).

These conversion modeling methods use various data points captured by their client side pixels, and conversion APIs to attribute the conversions based on statistical and probability models.

 

⏳ The downside of Conversion Modeling, is that it delays by up to 72 hours, and 5 days the reporting of the conversion in the ads manager. (👉 references)

 

Definitions

Attributed Conversions Column:

They are the conversions that have been sent by AnyTrack to your Conversion APIs, and successfully attributed to your campaigns, ad sets, and ads.

These conversions are processed by the ad networks according to your ad account settings such as:

• Attribution window
• Post view attribution
• Repeat rate (for Google Ads)
• Attribution model (first, last click etc.. )

Regardless of your ad account settings, AnyTrack will send the conversions based on the collected data and your AnyTrack settings.

 

AnyTrack Purchase Column

They are the purchase conversions that have been successfully tracked and attributed to your ads, based on URL Tracking Parameters:

• Standard UTM Parmeters
• Ad_id url parameter (the lowest level dimension from your ad account)
• Ad Network clickIdClick ID parameter - gclid, fbclid

Tracking, attribution and reporting logic

AnyTrack can send the conversion data to your conversion API, whether you append the URL parameters to your ads or not. Since both Facebook and Google AutoTag their clickId to ad clicks, we automatically collect, track and classify these clicks according to their respective source.

Yet, in order to display reported conversions aligned with your ads, we use the ad_id parameter to match it with your ad account. 

Therefore, it is paramount to leverage the tracking url templates we provide, in order to gain full and real time insights into your campaign performances.

Note: The Templates are available in your AnyTrack account under the Ads Integration Tab.

 

 

The Facebook Ads Tracking URL Template

You can bulk update your ads with the new URL template following this guide.

Note: Updating the ads with the template will send the ads to the review. So pick the right time to do so, or notify your Facebook rep about the change so they can expedite the process.

The template below can be used, but you should use the one available from your account.

utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_content={{adset.name}}&utm_campaign={{campaign.name}}&utm_term={{ad.name}}&utm_id={{campaign.id}}&ad_id={{ad.id}}

 

The Google Ads Tracking URL Template

Google Ads lets you add a default tracking template at the account level. This is very useful as it allows to update all your current and future campaigns, ad groups, ads.

The template below can be used, but you should use the one available from your account.

{lpurl}?utm_source=google&utm_medium={ifsearch:cpc}{ifcontent:display}&utm_id={campaignid}&utm_content={adgroupid}&utm_term={keyword}&creativeId={creative}&gclid={gclid}

 

How to analyze your campaign reports

As we outline in the introduction, the reports are composed of 3 data sources.

• Ad networks data (including costs, and performance metrics)
• AnyTrack Data generated / triggered via the AnyTrack TAG
• Conversion Source Data received via your Integrations (Shopify, Affiliate Networks, CRMs)

Because AnyTrack joins these 3 data sources under a single report, if you skip one of the initial requirements, you will inevitably see some discrepancies in your reports, and you won't be able to make the most of the reports.

 

Reporting Features

The reports have many features that have been designed to help you see your data according to your specific business needs.

Time Period

Query the reports according to the time span you want to analyze.

Customize the report columns

You can select the predefined columns according to your business goals - ecommerce, lead generation, Affiliate marketing.

You can also fully customize the reports according to your specific needs.

For example, you can remove some Tracking Events that you are not tracking. i.e. Lead or OutboundClick.

Pause & Resume campaign

You can pause and resume campaigns directly from the report.

Attributed Results vs Purchases

The Attributed Result Column represents the conversions that have been successfully attributed to your ads, and according to your campaign objective.

The Purchase Column represents the conversions that Anytrack could successfully attribute to a specific Ad.

These metrics can therefore be compared so you can make better decisions.

Note: Currently this metric can only be compared with the Purchase event tracked by AnyTrack. So if your campaign uses a different campaign objective, be sure to measure this conversion in AnyTrack so you can compare accordingly.

	Attributed Results	Purchases	Notes
Conversion Source	FB CAPI-AnyTrack	AnyTrack / Shopify	Where the conversion is being recorded from.
Report Data Source	FB Insights Manager	AnyTrack	Where the data showing on the report is being fetched from.
Data Freshness	Up to 72 hours	Real Time	When is the conversion being reported.
Post View Attribution	Yes. One Day.	No	Whether the data includes post view attributions or not.
Attribution Window (click)	Up to 7 days	Unlimited	Whether the data is affected by the facebook attribution window.
Attribution Model	Ad Set Settings	Last Ad Click	What is the attribution model of the metric.
Reporting line	FB Attribution Model	UTM / Ad ID	What criteria defines on which ad id the conversion is attributed.
iOS 14 Tracking Transparency	AEM & 72 hours	UTM / Ad ID	AnyTrack isn't affected by the iOS 14 tracking transparency, and will display / attribute your conversions, while FB will model the conversion according to their algorithm with up to 72 hours delay.

 

How to interpret the Attributed Results metrics

Attributed results are the conversions that have been successfully attributed to your ads. They depend on your campaign / Ad Set attribution settings, so keep that in mind when you look at these metrics.

Refer to the table in order to understand the factors that impact the data being displayed.

 

Why Attributed Results and purchases do not match?

Because of the many factors that impact these metrics, they will often, if not always be different. This section will outline the main reasons for these discrepancies:

1. Attribution Time: The AnyTrack Purchase event is reported and send to facebook API in real time. But Facebook Aggregated Event Measurement takes up to 72 hours to attribute the conversion. So the Attributed Results will always show a number that includes conversions that have been sent by Anytrack over the past 72 hours.
2. Attribution Model and settings: Because AnyTrack doesn't when a user "sees" an ad, but still sends conversions to the Facebook API, whether the conversions originated from a FB Ads click or not, if Facebook can attribute the conversion to an ad that has been Viewed by the user, it will attribute the conversion.
3. Abandoned Cart & Email Marketing: If a user clicked on an ad and didn't complete its purchase, but comes back from an email marketing campaign:
   1. AnyTrack will track the conversion based on last click, and attribute the conversion to an email campaign.
   2. Anytrack will send the conversion to facebook API, and facebook will attribute the conversion to the last ad click, or ad view.

 

Why and how do you benefit from these reports discrepancies?

Because AnyTrack sends over 30 data points to the Facebook and Google APIs, you feed your ad pixels with all the data they need to train their ad optimization engine, and maximize your conversion attribution rate.

1. More attributed conversions = Better ad optimization
2. Unlimited attribution window = Optimize your ads based more data.
3. Understand your conversion lifts = Understand what other sources impact your ad conversion rates.
4. 7 days ROAS vs LTV ROAS

These reports will evolve and be refine to provide you additional insights on your ad campaign performances.

 

Review your campaign conversions

Selecting a campaign will display the option called “View Conversions” which allows you to see the exact conversions attributed to this campaign / ad set. / ad.

 

After clicking on View Conversions you will get to the Conversion Event page where all events related to the campaign will be listed.

You can then filter in/out the specific conversions you want to review.

 

Campaign Drill Down

Select a campaign and drill down into the ad sets and specific ads to see a breakdown of your performances.

 

Conclusion

The campaign report is one of the key building blocks of the AnyTrack platform, and as we grow, it will evolve with additional features, reporting metrics, so you can keep improving your marketing.

 

External references:

Facebook Delayed Reporting:

Google Ads Delayed Reporting: