Bit.ly is one of the many URL shortening applications available on the internet. Applications such as bit.ly create a shortened version of the link address e.g. http://bit.ly/2g4TpX – a feature which is especially useful for Twitter with its 140 character limit. However, Bit.ly ( and many of the other URL shortening apps) can also be used as a simple, free marketing tool.

Features of Bit.ly

Click Counter

The most obvious and main feature of Bit.ly is the ‘click –counter’ Bit.ly tracks the number of people who use your custom shortened URL to get to the destination website. This means simply, that you can track how many people are clicking through on your links.

Scenario 1: you have 2,000 twitter followers -> yet only an average of 5 clicks on each link you post. This indicates a low conversion rate and shows that you are posting content which is either of little consequence to your target followers, or that you have ‘un-targeted’ followers i.e. people who are not your target audience.
Scenario 2: you have 120 twitter followers- and an average of 100 clicks on each link posted. High conversion rate with both well targeted content and followers.

So how can this help your marketing campaign?
Alongside the click counter there is a built in free and simple to use traffic tracker, this shows how popular certain things are on different days and also how your rate of conversion is (hopefully) improving. This can help target your marketing campaign and provides the statistics and information needed to track your progress and success.

Due to the fact each URL is measured separately, bit.ly also provides an insight into the popularity of different topics. For example, say you are a …. and therefore post content on both … and … with your target customers being…. . If your bit.ly information shows that there are more conversions for … than…. then you need to re-evaluate your marketing campaign and try to target your followers to more …. – or if the correct target is being converted, you can post more content to do with that topic to ensure more click-through’s and therefore (hopefully) more customers.

Conversations

The conversations feature of bit.ly also gives you information on re-tweeters and different online locations in which your bit.ly URL s are being used. This means that you can accurately track which topics are being ‘re-tweeted’  regularly and which topics need to be focused on. Re-tweeting is invaluable for networking and reaching new clients. Re-tweeted twitter posts allow your message or links to reach extended networks and new potential customers.

Locations

Bit.ly provides a simple overview of where in the world, your followers ( and conversions) are from. This can be helpful in audience targeting and tracking your conversions. Whilst  information on location is provided in greater detail by analytic software such as Google Analytics or a custom tracker, it is still a handy feature of bit.ly.

Where to use Bit.ly

Bit.ly is especially useful for twitter and other websites with a limited character space. However, it is also indispensable for Blogs, other Social Media sites e.g. Facebook and commenting on other peoples blogs – as it provides an overview of which of your marketing strategies or which areas of the internet you are more likely to pull prospective customers from and therefore target marketing.

In blogging it is also an advantageous tool for ‘Read More’ buttons, allowing you to track how many people are actually reading your blog as opposed to just clicking through the link.

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