WHY Track Your Ads?
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Some time ago, I was chatting with a fellow Internet marketer. Now this gentleman is a full time "net-preneur," who HAD been devoting eight to ten hours each day marketing on the Internet. He’s been rather successful, and makes a full-time income (although not a fortune) with his on-line endeavors, so I asked him what source of advertising he found to be the most successful. His answer…

"I don’t know."

I was astounded!

Here was a guy who was obviously successful. In fact, this guy taught me a lot of what I know about Internet marketing. How could he NOT know exactly where his responses were coming from!? At any one time I, personally, have more than 100 ads in various places. There are some "tried and true" places that ALWAYS carry my ads, where I ALWAYS get good responses (the CHIP programs sites, for example).

But then I am always testing NEW places to promote, techniques, ads, and headlines.

IF I DID NOT HAVE A FOOLPROOF METHOD OF KNOWING JUST WHAT WORKS AND WHAT DOESN’T, I WOULD NEVER KNOW IF I AM WASTING MY TIME AND MONEY!!!

So I suggested to my friend that the first thing he should do was to establish a system to track his advertising results – so he would know how MANY people were clicking on a certain link, and just WHERE the those clicks were coming from.

IN LESS THAN A MONTH, HE DOUBLED HIS RESULTS AND CUT HIS EXPENSES AND TIME BY HALF!

What I recommended to my friend was that he HAD to start tracking his ads!

Here's the bottom line...

"If you’re NOT tracking your ads, you’re NOT going to be a PROFESSIONAL, SUCCESSFUL Internet marketer!"

Plain and simple!

And the ad-tracker program in the CHIP programs answers this need spectacularly!

And coming up next in your training is our Fast Track Tutorial on how to quickly and easily set up adtracking for all the CHIP programs, as well as any additional advertising sources you will be testing in the future.

Now, understand that if you already have an adtracking program that accomplishes adequate tracking duties, and that you are comfortable with, then by all means continue using it.  Our next tutorial uses the ad-tracker in the CHIP programs specifically to set up your tracking URL's for the Big Dogs program, but you should have no problem reconfiguring the instructions to be compatible with your current adtracking program

Just remember.....

To be a SUCCESSFUL Internet marketer you absolutely, positively NEED good quality ad-tracking.

So..... just what IS a "tracking URL" or , more simply,
an "ad tracking link?"

A "tracking URL" is a special URL that keeps track of the total number of "clicks" your ad gets.  A "click" simply means that someone has read your ad, and is sufficiently impressed by what you had to say that they use the link in your ad to go to your website for further information (and hopefully to purchase the product you are promoting!)

Your tracking URL is also a "redirect" URL.

It is called a "redirect URL" because it first "takes" your prospect to the ad-tracker site for a split second.  It is during this tiniest fraction of a second that the ad-tracker site logs this particular click to the total clicks in your account.  Thus you can see at any time how effective your ad is by looking at the number of clicks you have in your ad-tracker member's area.

Then - after the click is logged - your prospect is immediately "redirected" to another, second URL.  It is this second URL that actually takes your prospect to the website you are promoting.

Would you like to guess what that second URL is?

Yep!  That's right!  If you are promoting the Big Dogs program, that second URL is your ClickBank hoplink!  (And - before you ask the question - yes, ClickBank hoplinks and ad-tracker Tracking URL's are BOTH different types of "redirect URL's")

1.  Your prospect reads your ad.  He is excited by what you have to say and wants to learn more by going to your website.

2.  By way of your ad-tracker tracking URL he is first taken to the ad-tracker site where that click is logged.

He is then "redirected" to your ClickBank hoplink.

3.  By way of your ClickBank hoplink he is first taken to the ClickBank site where he is "connected" to your ClickBank nickname.

He is then "redirected" (a second time) to your actual website - the Secrets of the Big Dogs website.

Got it!?

Your ad-tracker tracks your total CLICKS (but not your sales).  ClickBank tracks your total SALES (but not your clicks).

And you need both of these numbers to tell how effective your advertising is, don't you?  We all wish that ALL clicks resulted in sales.  But that's not the case, is it?  (sigh)  For example, if over a period of time your ad-tracker stats show that you've had 100 clicks, and your ClickBank stats show you've had 50 sales, THAT is a pretty dog-gone good ad, isn't it?  (100 clicks and 50 sales gives you a 50% closing average).  But let's say over a period of time you run another ad and your ad-tracker stats show that you've had 10,000 clicks and your ClickBank stats show you've had just one sale.  Now THAT is a lousy ad, right?  (10,000 clicks and 1 sale gives you a .01% closing average.)

You need BOTH total clicks AND total sales to judge the overall performance of your advertising.

Now, aside from tracking clicks (which obviously, is VERY
important), is there any other reason to use tracking URL's?

Actually, there are TWO:

The first reason is that ClickBank's Terms of Service simply do not permit placing their "bare" hoplinks DIRECTLY in any form of email advertising.

The second reason is that the standard form of the ClickBank hoplink.....

http://affiliate.company.hop.clickbank.net

...is rather lengthy and "ugly."  Many email programs automatically make all URL's in an email a hotlink.  If your prospect is fortunate enough to have such an email program, then all they have to do to get to your website is click on the URL in the email.  However, if their email program does NOT automatically make it a hotlink, then they would need to copy and paste that long URL into their browser to go to you website.  But, y'see, a lot of newbies always try to TYPE that URL into their browser, instead of copying and pasting it.  With such a long URL, typing errors invariably occur, resulting in your prospect thinking that your website no longer exists!  BAM!  Sale lost!!!!

What can you do about it?  How can you make your URL "short and sweet" so even a "newbie" can type it into their browser without mistakes, AND fulfill ClickBank.s Terms of Service all at the same time?

Below is the standard form of a typical ad-tracker tracking link.....

https://www.trker.com/go/123456

Obviously, it's a lot shorter, sweeter, and less "sales-y" than a ClickBank hoplink.  Plus a newbie can more easily type it into their browser without errors, AND it fulfils ClickBank's Terms of Service to a "T"

Now let's continue on to the next Tutorial, and get you started setting up your own ad-tracker tracking links (tracking URL's)!

 

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