When a promotion is created in Easypromos, the system automatically generates a unique URL that directs users to the promotion's microsite. This URL is what the administrator will share with their audience when launching the campaign.

Easypromos offers the possibility to customize the promotion URL with additional parameters. These parameters are automatically transferred to the user's properties when they access the promotion, making it easier to collect information and segment participants.

In this tutorial, we will explore the most common use cases for adding parameters to a promotion URL. You will learn how to configure these parameters, how to apply them according to different needs, and how to retrieve the information collected from participants.

Here are the contents of the tutorial:

1. Most common use cases

2. Using custom parameters to measure traffic sources

   • 2.1. How to manage UTM parameters for advanced traffic source measurement

   • 2.2. How to obtain traffic source information from participants

   • 2.3. How to measure traffic sources from promotion visitors (non-registered users/participants)

3. Using custom parameters to transfer user data

   • 3.1. Features of passing custom parameters via URL

   • 3.2. How to create a user field through a URL parameter

   • 3.3. Can I use this functionality if the promotion is embedded as a Widget?

4. Using custom parameters to automatically assign segments

1. Most Common Use Cases

Adding parameters to a promotion URL can serve three different objectives:

1. Measuring traffic sources of participants

By adding UTM parameters to the promotion URLs, you can track where users come from. This allows the administrator to identify how many participants registered through each dissemination channel, such as ads, emails, or social media.

2. Transferring user data via URL parameters

URL parameters can be used to transfer personalized user information, such as unique identifiers. This enables associating a participant with a specific campaign, like a newsletter subscriber accessing a survey with a unique parameter.

3. Automatically assigning segments to users

Through URL parameters, tags or segments can be automatically assigned to participants. This facilitates creating user groups for specific actions, such as restricting access to certain promotion stages or rewarding additional entries to members of a specific segment.

 

Next, we will explain each use case configuration in more detail.

2. Passing Parameters to a Promotion URL to Measure Traffic Sources

Using parameters in a promotion URL allows you to track and analyze traffic sources, helping identify which channels generate the most participation and optimizing your campaigns. Below, we explain how to configure and maximize their potential.

2.1. Managing UTM Parameters for Advanced Traffic Source Measurement

The promotion organizer can manage traffic sources by adding the utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign parameters to the promotion's main link. If a new visit arrives via a link containing any of these parameters, they will be considered the user's source, overriding Easypromos' automatic source detection system. Specifically, mapping occurs as follows:

• utm_source: Level 1 source
• utm_medium: Level 2 source
• utm_campaign: Level 3 source

This is useful when the organizer conducts dissemination campaigns through various media and channels. The organizer can define a UTM parameter for each source, allowing them to know the exact number of users who registered through each defined source.

These UTM parameters must be added to the promotion's main link, which can be found here:

Here's a specific example of using UTM parameters to define multiple sources when the organizer is disseminating through a newsletter, Facebook Ads, and X. Assuming the promotion's main link is: https://a.cstmapp.com/p/987815

For each channel, the organizer could define the sources as follows:

• Newsletter communication to the Sports list in March:
• https://a.cstmapp.com/p/987815?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Sports&utm_campaign=March
• Facebook Ads campaign:
• https://a.cstmapp.com/p/987815?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=holiday-promo
• Campaign via X:
• https://a.cstmapp.com/p/987815?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Tuesday&utm_campaign=holiday-promo

You can use the tool to create personalized URLs for link campaigns. It is available under Publishing Resources Link Campaign:

This is how you construct and obtain the full URL:

Note: You can also obtain a QR code of the promotion link that includes the UTM parameters you've configured. This can be used for your print communications.

2.2. How to Retrieve Traffic Source Information of Participants

The traffic source information of participants through custom link campaigns is only available for the Premium and White Label versions of Easypromos.

The traffic source of each individual participant can be obtained from the promotion's participant list:

As additional options, the organizer can:

• Export all participants in CSV/Excel format, and the user's source will appear in it.

• Filter the participant list by source. Create segments of participants by source, and perform actions on this segment: Draw among them, export to CSV, send bulk emails, reject, accept, create participation graphs among these segments.

Additionally, from the Statistics section, you can view graphs for each of the sources, daily evolution, and the level 2 and level 3 details for each level 1 source.

Discover all the information you can obtain about traffic sources that can be viewed from the promotion's Statistics module. 

2.3. How to Measure Traffic Sources of Visitors to the Promotion (Not Registered/Participating Users)

Easypromos' statistics system shows the sources of registered participants, but it does not display the sources of visitor users who have not yet completed their registration.

To obtain this statistic, it is necessary to integrate the promotion with Google Analytics and analyze the visitor sources there.

• How to integrate Google Analytics into my promotion.
• How to view the data recorded in Google Analytics for my promotion.

3. Passing Parameters to the URL to Transfer User Data

Easypromos allows passing parameters from the incoming URL to the promotion to participant user properties. This way, the promotion administrator has a feature that allows adding identifying fields to the participating users based on the reference URL with which they entered the promotion. 

A practical example:

A brand sends a newsletter to its subscribers with a link to a survey. All those who complete the survey will enter a prize draw. In this case, the brand will include a parameter in the survey link in the newsletter that uniquely identifies the subscriber. The user will receive the newsletter, click on the survey link, complete the survey, and enter the draw without needing to re-identify themselves, as Easypromos will read the identification parameter from the URL and add this value as a participant user property.

Note: The ability to pass parameters via URL is only available for White Label type promotions.

3.1. Features of Passing Custom Parameters via URL

The administrator can pass custom parameters to the promotion's URL. These are the characteristics that the parameters should have:

• The administrator can add as many parameters as desired. Each parameter will be a new property of the participating user.
• Parameters can be one-time use. This means that, if enabled, the system will ensure no other participant has this value registered previously.
• Validation rules can be added to parameters. This means that only users with values in the URL parameters that meet these validation rules will be allowed to participate in the promotion.
• Parameters can be optional.
• User properties passed via parameters can be used as a filter for participants in the promotion control panel. Example: You can search for participants with external reference XXX, or filter all users with parameter value YYY.
• User properties passed via parameters can be used to add extra entries. Example: Give extra entries to all users who have the VIP parameter set to 1.
• User properties passed via parameters are available in CSV export files and in participant export through the REST API.

3.2. How to Create a User Field via a URL Parameter

Below, we outline the steps you need to follow to create the fields.

1. Go to Editor > Pages > Login and Registration > Registration.

2. Add a new field of type: “Hidden field via URL parameter”.

3. Configure the field through the following options:

• Short title: The name of the property. This is how the user property will be shown in your user management panel.
• Parameter name: This is the exact name of the GET parameter that you will pass via the URL. Easypromos will check that there is a parameter in the incoming URL of the promotion with this exact name.
• Validation: Enable this if you want the values of this parameter to be one-time use or if you want to apply validation rules using regular expressions on the parameter values.
• Required field: Enable this if you want this parameter to always be required in user registration.

 

Example:

In this example, the brand wants to register participants with their community member ID, and also wants to register if the user is VIP, because VIP users will receive an additional entry into the draw.

To do this, the brand has created a raffle and created two hidden fields via URL parameters, which are:

• member_id
• vip

The member_id field must be a 6-digit numeric value, and only one participant can register with this value.

If the promotion's URL is: https://a.cstmapp.com/p/987815 the brand should pass the following link to member 789001 (who is a VIP member):

https://a.cstmapp.com/p/987815?member_id=789001&vip=1

The user will see the following after clicking:

Note: This dynamic parameter link must be generated by the brand from their system, according to the parameters of the fields created in the registration form.

If the user registers, the brand will see this in their control panel: 

Additionally, the brand can apply filters to identify all the VIP members who have registered, and perform bulk actions on the filtered user segment:

3.3. Can I use this functionality if the promotion is embedded as a Widget?

Yes, it is possible to use this functionality in promotions embedded on a website, whether using the "Embed your promotion" widget, the "Popup Widget", or the "Widget link". It works the same as without the widget. In the widget code, there is an iframe element, and inside the iframe element, there is the 'src' attribute, where the URL that loads the widget is specified. You need to add the parameters to that URL within the iframe code.

4. Passing parameters to the URL to assign segments to users automatically

The functionality User Segments allows you to apply tags to participants in promotions to create user groups. This way, the administrator can create multiple user segments to group them according to the criteria needed and then apply specific actions to those user segments.

For example, here are two use cases for segments:

1. Restrict access to a participation stage to users in a segment. This way, users who do not belong to the segment will not be able to participate.
2. Award additional entries to a draw based on the user's segment. This way, you can reward users in a specific segment with more entries in the draw.

One way to assign segments to users is through the promotion's URL, incorporating the segment directly into the URL for automatic segment assignment. This way, the system will automatically assign the segment to the user when they access the promotion's URL and participate.

Note: The functionality to assign segments to users automatically via the promotion URL is only available for White Label promotions.

To do this, you need to add the IDs of the created segments in the link.

Here are the steps you need to follow to automatically assign a segment to users through the link:

1. Go to Configuration > User Segments:

2. Check the IDs of the segments you want to use to segment users. The IDs are the references for each of the segments that you will find in this section:

Note: The segment(s) you want to use must be global for the entire account.

3. You must insert the IDs in the promotion link using the following format:

?segments=XXX

You can add more than one segment. To do so, you must write the first ID followed by a comma.

Example 1: In this example, we will add a single segment. We will use the ID:653, which is the "Bronze" segment. The link with the segment will have the following format: https://a.cstmapp.com/p/974802?segments=653

Once registered, we will see that the user has been assigned the segment corresponding to this ID:

Example 2: In this example, we will add more than one segment. We will use the ID:653 and the ID:654, which are the "Bronze" and "Silver" segments. The link with the segments will have the following format: https://a.cstmapp.com/p/974802?segments=653,654

Once registered, we will see that the user has been assigned the segments corresponding to these IDs: