One Way To Help Track Media Buys With P202

dickarmy

dickarmy

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Nov 24, 2008
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First off, I don't use Prosper202 and I don't recommend using it for a Media Buy with any volume but a lot of people are wondering how you might track a media buy with it (this won't track impressions so you'll have to reconcile the info you get with the Publisher's ad server or stats).

Here's a simple approach

1. Install this 202 modification
2. Setup your traffic source as a PPC account
3. Setup your aff network, campaign and landing pages as usual
4. Text Ads - This Part Is Important. You need to create a text ad in Prosper for each ad variation that you are using (and you should have a MINIMUM of 5 for each ad size).
5. Create unique links for each individual ad and assign the text ads that you created.
6. Use those unique links for each corresponding creative that you are running and submit them to the Publisher.
7. Track like you would any other campaign and pay attention to clicks and lp ctr.
8. Access your Publisher's impression counts and figure out your CTR from there. If they are optimizing your ads based on CTR, it should become clear pretty quick which ad is performing the best.
9. Remove what doesn't work. Scale what does.
10. Test more ads and landing page elements
11. After you realize how much of a headache this is - get an ad server.

This is nothing ground breaking and you will need other data to get the whole picture (impression counts) but thought it would help some people. If anyone has better idea, maybe you can post it.

Again, I no longer use Prosper202 and I think people should be aware that by using it you are exposing your campaigns and traffic sources. Knowing a 202 install domain and using a couple of other commercially available tools, it is easy to figure out what offers you're running AND where you are getting your traffic.

BTW- it doesn't matter if you change the name of the 202 login page, use a redirect, 404 error, blank index, whatever. A lot of people know this I'm sure but just a heads up.
 


For the regular PPC campaigns, you're not using Prosper202 as well? What are you using then?
 
4. Text Ads - This Part Is Important. You need to create a text ad in Prosper for each ad variation that you are using (and you should have a MINIMUM of 5 for each ad size).
5. Create unique links for each individual ad and assign the text ads that you created.
Click to expand...

Alternatively, you can just create one ad and just use the subid field (t202kw=) to track the ad variations. Gotta agree though, that p202 will definitely buckle under a heavy tracking load that can come from media buys.
 
illeat said:
Alternatively, you can just create one ad and just use the subid field (t202kw=) to track the ad variations. Gotta agree though, that p202 will definitely buckle under a heavy tracking load that can come from media buys.
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I've always found that doing this had two problems.

First, if you're putting any important info in the field anybody can see it.

Second, the keyword doesn't pass about 10% of the time, so you've always lost 10% of your data, whereas that number's about 2% with the text ads.
 
hannahmcintyre said:
I've always found that doing this had two problems.

First, if you're putting any important info in the field anybody can see it.

Second, the keyword doesn't pass about 10% of the time, so you've always lost 10% of your data, whereas that number's about 2% with the text ads.
Click to expand...


1. figure out how to "encode" your string so you understand it but others dont
2. don't have it be the last field in your string, add another variable
3. if something can/does overwrite the keyword field, it can overwrite the other field(s) and not go to the correct offer anyway.

it is WAY faster to use the keyword field to track ad variations than to do it by making all text ads. I used to only make new text ads for non search tracking and using the keyword field instead has spead things way up.
 
i understand completely how to see all the offers someone is running if they are using prosper202. I have no idea how people see traffic sources, and I've looked at the code, so if this is being done, I don't know how.
 
conv3rsion said:
i understand completely how to see all the offers someone is running if they are using prosper202. I have no idea how people see traffic sources, and I've looked at the code, so if this is being done, I don't know how.
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It has nothing to do with whether you are using Prosper or not.
 
i use subid+kwd variations and have predefined views created in my database so i can just refresh in the query browser. much faster than any web-based solution.
 
conv3rsion said:
I have no idea how people see traffic sources, and I've looked at the code, so if this is being done, I don't know how.
Click to expand...

It has nothing to do with whether you are using Prosper or not.
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That^

Just think about it for a minute. What information displays traffic coming to and from a site? It's not that hard to figure out. There is a relatively low cost tool that you can get which can help you. Data is not great but it's useful.

Being overly obsessed with finding out what other people are doing is pretty much a waste of time imo though. It will be even more so as the big traffic sources start eliminating jackasses who just copy/paste.

There's enough money for everyone, and then some. Focus on your campaigns, stop wasting your time on what everyone else is doing.

Once you get outside of PPC, you are pretty much protected by optimized traffic too. There are no keywords to steal and most media sources (most) are not going to use a competitor's data for your optimization (maybe with a 7 fig a month ad spend).

So trying to use someone else's ads and landing pages is pretty much pointless. Especially when the optimization has to take place so frequently and networks take copyright infringement seriously.

Besides, if you come in with your $15k test buy and try to use my creative when I'm spending $500k a month, how hard do you think it's going to be for me to get you shut down?

Besides, I think almost all the high volume guys in the media space don't copy and paste anyways it's a whole different playing field. They understand that knowing how to market actually matters.

alright, off the soapbox
 
illeat said:
that p202 will definitely buckle under a heavy tracking load that can come from media buys.
Click to expand...


I buy a lot of media and the only issue I have is my spy table fills up several times a day and I have to empty it, but it doesn't "buckle". I also have it on a very nice server.

Now I wouldn't want to be running huge PPV campaigns with it that's for sure.
 
gopher said:
It has nothing to do with whether you are using Prosper or not.
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Ok, my understanding was (from people who have said similar things) it was possible specifically through prosper. I understand what you are saying, I didn't know if there was also something actually in the software that I was apparently unable to find.

None of my proftiable campaigns have been achieved through copying. Usually they have been through trying something I actually didn't think was going to work and then being amazed.
 
Any p202 alternatives that you guys would suggest for high traffic media buys and/or ppv campaigns? 202 is definitely where it's at for search and the likes but I'm sure there are more tailored tools that you big media guys are running.
 
Spades said:
Any p202 alternatives that you guys would suggest for high traffic media buys and/or ppv campaigns? 202 is definitely where it's at for search and the likes but I'm sure there are more tailored tools that you big media guys are running.
Click to expand...

dickarmy has said basically get an ad server. he has lots of posts on it.
 
Spades said:
Any p202 alternatives that you guys would suggest for high traffic media buys and/or ppv campaigns? 202 is definitely where it's at for search and the likes but I'm sure there are more tailored tools that you big media guys are running.
Click to expand...

I think the MediaPlex MOJO ad server is the most aligned with the affiliate model. Can be tough to get a good deal there. Sales people are arrogant.

But since it is owned by the same people who own CJ (ValueClick), they have integrated it into the ad server's functionality.

The multi-variate ad tester is bad ass as well.

One big downside though - ValueClick runs big CPA campaigns in house so don't be surprised if they use your data to benefit themselves.

MOJO
 
hannahmcintyre said:
Second, the keyword doesn't pass about 10% of the time, so you've always lost 10% of your data, whereas that number's about 2% with the text ads.
Click to expand...

yeah ive also experienced that. does anyone know a way to get around this problem? why doesn´t prosper pass the keywords sometimes?
 
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