When running user acquisition campaigns with influencers, attribution is one of the hardest problems. Not all of "influencer traffic" is easily measurable. In fact, a significant portion of influencer-driven traffic is often wrongly classified as organic. In this article, we'll explore how influencer marketing drives non-tracked traffic and how brands can measure this impact. Finally, we'll share findings from our own campaigns that shine some light around what this traffic may look like for other brands.
What is Non-Tracked Traffic?
Non-tracked traffic refers to website visits that are not attributed to a specific source. This can happen for a variety of reasons, such as when a user types in a URL directly or does not use a discount code when purchasing. Non-tracked traffic is often overlooked by brands because it is not easily measurable through traditional analytics tools.
Influencer Marketing: Measuring the Organic
On lower funnel campaigns with influencers, we heavily rely on links (see How to Use UTM Tracking for Influencer Marketing) and promo codes to track the impact of the campaign. However, we know that many users were not clicking on the link nor using the discount codes, so trying to measure the impact of the campaign on non-tracked traffic is key to correctly evaluate the true performance. There are two ways we've measured this:
Organic Traffic Baseline Analysis: Establish a daily organic baseline (e.g., 100 website visits) and monitor for spikes post influencer promotions (perhaps a leap to 200 visits). The surge can be attributed to influencer impact, and with continuous data, brands can determine a ratio between tracked and non-tracked interactions.
WDYHAU Surveys: The simple query "Where Did You Hear About Us?" can provide illuminating insights when it offers options like specific YouTubers or Instagrammers.
Tatam's Case Studies in Numbers
When we embarked on our journey to measure non-tracked traffic's contribution, results were undeniable:
Baseline Analysis revealed a staggering 1,737% jump in organic subscribers post-campaign across six markets. The data hinted at a compelling narrative: for every tracked subscriber, three organic subscribers emerged, a 3x multiplier effect.
WDYHAU Surveys, employed during a significant US campaign, bolstered our campaign user attribution by 30%. This translates to a 1.3x multiplier, reiterating the undeniable influence of non-tracked traffic driven by influencer campaigns.
Wrapping Up: Do it yourself
Influencer marketing is a powerful tool for driving traffic to brands, but not all of this traffic is easily measurable. Non-tracked traffic can be a significant source of traffic and there are data-driven methodologies to measure and estimate the ratio for better attribution and performance measurement.
If you are a fan of attribution, we suggest you check our study on Last-Click vs. Touchpoint Attribution and it's effects on Influencer Marketing.
