What is a Token?

[isedo]

Hi folks, I'm reading a very well written journey and I love how it's written. Here and there i'm loosing the focus beacuse I don't understand some technical words.
What thus awesome guy means by "token" in this article?

"Then grabbed the offer link from Zeydoo. Created the offer in Binom. Copy-paste the link, replaced the tokens (the amazing Binom support and Zeydoo will both help you out with this silly stuff), and pretty much done."

Gold - Jaybot’s Follow Along Part 1.

Affiliate Building Blocks. Hi! My name is Jaybot and I'm an Affiliate Marketer. Now, you may be wondering what this blog article/Follow Along/Tutorial thingy is all about. And to be honest with you... So am I :) OK. So, I've been around the block a few times and I am not a total noob, I've...

www.affiliatefix.com

 

[Graybeard]

1. It can be a Bitcoin
2. It can be a parameter for a variable
3. It can pay to get you on the subway (a coin you buy)

#2 is where it probably applies here!
{affiliate}

Becomes: URL/?affiliate=23345&

 

[isedo]

Tanks man. So it's a generic word for some kind of extra tracking data? In his case, what taken was used and why that token?

 

[T J Tutor]

Don't feel confused. It isn't confusion, it's just something you haven't learned yet.

These tokens are used to track specific information. The link may be used in a number of places. you place the link on an ad, or in a word on a site, or anywhere a link may get a click.

"kw" may be what the token is for a keyword. You just need to make sure the actual token used by the traffic network comes after the "=" part in the tracking URL string.

https://YOURTRACKINGDOMAIN.COM/?kw={keyword}

Traffic tokens are dynamic variables (placeholders) that pass data between the tracker, traffic source, and affiliate network. Each token represents one piece of information that is of interest. For example, the conversion, or the click throughs, or maybe where they clicked on your site, any number of variable can be used in a token.

For example, these are some of the tokens available for use at ZeroPark:
{source} – Sends the source ID which allows you to track the performance of each chunk of traffic separately.

{target} – Sends the target ID which allows you to track the performance of each placement (target); targets are a subdivision of sources.

{keyword} – Sends keywords that took part in the bidding process.

{match} – Sends a keyword that won the visit; it is applicable only for keyword campaigns.

{cid} – Sends the click ID for conversion tracking; this token is mandatory in order to keep a healthy track of your visits.

{traffic_type} – Sends the ad format, e.g. POPUP / DOMAIN; it allows you to test different traffic types against each other.

{geo} – Sends the country code; it is the most commonly used token for testing an offer in a multi-geo campaign.

{visitor_type} – Sends the information whether the user came from an ADULT or NON-ADULT type of website.

{campaign_id} – Sends a numeric campaign ID; the token might be particularly useful for external tracking.

{long_campaign_id} – Sends the UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) campaign ID; this token is needed for API calls.

{campaign_name} – Sends the campaign name set by the user.

{os} – Sends the name of the operating system the click is coming from.

{device_id} – Sends the device ID; for in-app campaigns, you are able to collect device IDs that can be used for blacklisting / whitelisting.

{browser} – Sends the browser name the desktop or mobile traffic is coming from.

{target_url} – Sends the target URL; it is only applicable for POPUP campaigns.

{creative_number} – Send the number which identifies each creative.

{visit_cost} – Sends the cost of a visit to track your spend.

{push_type} – Distinguishes between normal push and in-page push traffic type.

Thanks to these tokens you will be able to track all that data using only one URL.


I am glad that tracking has caught your eye. Do not get into "cheap mode" when selecting your tracker. You need to make your tracker your best friend. In this business, data is what makes you a successful and growing publisher and affiliate. I have long stated that we are in the data business because all we do is driven by this information we collect through our tracker. The more info, the smarter and more successful your decisions become.

I use a number of trackers, I can tell you there are an abundance of good ones and a few awesome ones.

Speak to the reps here in the community and have them demonstrate, and discuss with you, the features, benefits, and options they can provide you before making a decision on your tracker. This selection may become one of the most important decisions you make when it comes to the tools you use for your new business.

 

[isedo]

Wow man you are just awesome and it's incredible how much effort you put into this forum. Thabks so much.

What I understood by now is that when u start testing, basically you are investing in data. And yes, i think the process in being able to read them will be very complicated but will worth the time.

The trackers. Yeah. I seem some are very expensive. Is there one you can suggest for a newbie like me in order to start using them and learning to read data without spending to much at the beginning?

 

[T J Tutor]

What I understood by now is that when u start testing, basically you are investing in data. And yes, i think the process in being able to read them will be very complicated but will worth the time.

So, I highly recommend you get rid of some of the trends in thinking you have. Nothing in this is confusing, nothing in this is complicated. You need the mind set here that you simply need to learn, invest, implement, test, refine, and earn. Just keep this as your mindset. When you run into something you don't know, that is all it is, something you do not know.

When starting out in this business you are creating a learning environment for yourself. This very second, you are a student and as a student your entire workload is all about being as proficient as possible at understanding what you implement and understanding the results of what you implement. Here is where soooo many quit, when they learn that the student portion of our business never stops. I've been doing this for more than twenty years and I am still learning. We are in the infancy of online marketing compared to marketing itself. Everything we do is in constant change, evolving daily with more regulations, more tools, and new methods, tactics, and strategies. We and our businesses are in constant motion. Be a continuous student and you will continue to succeed, earn, and grow.

Reading the data from your tracker will take you only minutes per campaign after a month or two of continuous use. you will look at your data and say this worked, that didn't work, this isn't as efficient as needed, I may need to adjust this banner or that landing page, etc., etc.

Learning, for all of time, has always been sustained repetition. Once you do something 100 times, you know it. After a thousand times, you may be good at it or great at it.

I seem some are very expensive. Is there one you can suggest for a newbie like me in order to start using them and learning to read data without spending to much at the beginning?

Do not cheap out on your tracker! This is a business and you cannot cheap out on the foundation of your business. I hear Newbies talk about what's cheap enough for a Newbie? Or something along those lines. This is not a business for those that want to cheap out on the required tools and other investments. However, the cost of starting this type business is next to nothing compared to other businesses. A Subway will cost you $250k just to open the doors, a KFC will require you to $1.5MM in total net worth and $750k in liquid assets. In this business, with a few thousand, you can be earning six figures in less than a year. Do not bring a shovel to a parking lot and tell the owner you can clear the snow for fifteen dollars.

 

[isedo]

Thabks guys for your thoughts and I agree. This is a business and as the owner of the business, we want to optimize our budget right?

Maybe for a newbie it's slightly better to spend let's say 69€ instead of 99€ just for the tracker because with the 33€ we saved we can do something else.

If there is any tacker you can suggest to start with, that would be very helpful. If not I will look in the forum, i think u already covered this topic thoudand times lol

 

[Graybeard]

Yes, you have to invest in possibly risky data.
So qualify your sources.

There are a lot of variables in ad creatives too. You will have to test those as well as pre-landing or landing pages at your own expense.

Business is risky, especially at the beginning.

There is no source of regulated data, that is 100% reliable, in any field --unless you earn it by testing.

I can get 95%+ reliable data from NASDAQ --daily updated, and for free --In fact i do --I date prepend it and load it into a database I prune to <8 days. I developed an algorithm to price my stock orders with it. Even though the stock market is a very regulated industry there are still variables and (a lot of) unknowns to deal with.

I work with about 50K data points every day. I could do the same with affiliate marketing but there is a higher risk and probably a higher daily ROI possible but with a 100% down side.

My conclusion is you have to validate the offer first for integrity (of the owner of the offer) and the affinity of your market segment. Then test the ad sources for both quality and affinity of the ad viewer to the ad delivery method (pop,push,display, SEM) and then to the ad quality that you are paying for.

There may be a trade off in price and quality --based upon return. You will have to discover this by paying for testing.

Being a middleman is no where near as expensive as being the seller of the product (in most cases).

 

[Graybeard]

Do not bring a shovel to a parking lot and tell the owner you can clear the snow for fifteen dollars.

Good analogy