How to track and segment a click on a specific link in an email

It is often good enough to know that someone clicked in your email - period. However, there are circumstances where knowing that someone clicked on a specific link is really, really important.

This is not yet a native feature in the Act-On platform, however, I have a trick to share that will allow you  to accomplish this level of tracking.

The trick here involves Act-On's media library!

Create the Trackable Link

1. Navigate to Content > Media Library > Actions > Add Media Link
2. 
3. Put the URL that you want to track (the link that you will place in your email) in the Web Location and then give it a description in the next box > Submit
4. 
5. Click on the drop-down arrow next to your new Media Library item and choose Public Content URL
6. 
7. Copy the URL from the box - THIS is the URL you will use in your email.
8. 

Create the Message with the Tracked Link

1. Navigate to the message you want to send out with the tracked link
2. You have two options to use the link
1. Hyperlinking text or in a Bulletproof Button
2. 
3. In either case, note that the URL being used is the Act-On Media Library Public Content URL
3. Send your Message as you normally would

Track the Link Clicks

1. Navigate to the List you want to create your segment off of (this is likely your Master List or the list you sent the message to)
2. Click the drop-down arrow and choose Create a Segment
3. Create your segment to track Behavior > in a specific time period > Downloaded Media > At least one of these  OR  All of these (these two options let you choose your specific links to track).
4. Choose the Media Link(s) that you just created and used in your email by name (the Description that you gave it)
5. 

That's It!!

Now, anyone from the list that clicks on that link is actually interacting with the Act-On Media Library link ('downloading' that media) - which directs them to the original link you wanted to track for.

It's a bit of a workaround, but it is effective!

Here are a few tips I have from personal use and seeing others use this method:

1. Use it sparingly - given the time it takes to track, it's not super scalable and should be used in special cases.
2. Keep in mind that this counts as Downloading Media for Scoring purposes - if you are giving a lead score for clicking links AND downloading media, this person would be getting both scores.
3. This setup must be completed BEFORE the message is sent - it is not retroactive.
4. As the number of media links grows, you may want to go back and delete those older than 3 months (or whatever time period makes sense for your use case).

Have a great day and Happy Marketing!