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Get the most out of your digital marketing efforts and track your listing with analystics and pixels, ensuring you can track your audience's journey and optimise your campaigns for success. As you prepare for Adelaide Fringe, diving into your data will be a game-changer for reaching more people and selling more tickets.

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Understanding Server-Side Tracking

When you register your venue or event for Adelaide Fringe, you'll find the option to add analytics tracking codes for platforms like Facebook Conversions (now part of Meta) and Google Analytics. We've made some important changes to how this tracking works to improve accuracy and user privacy.

What's Changed? From Client-Side to Server-Side Tracking

Previously, tracking user behaviour on our website relied on what's called "pixels" or "tags". These are small bits of JavaScript code placed directly on web pages. When someone visited a page, this code would run in their web browser (the "client") and send data back to the company providing the pixel, like Facebook or Google. This is known as client-side tracking.

While effective for a time, client-side tracking comes with a few challenges:

  • Privacy Concerns and Ad Blockers: With more people using ad blockers and privacy tools, many pixels can be blocked, leading to incomplete or inaccurate data.
  • Performance: Every extra tracking pixel can slow down a page's loading time, which isn't ideal for user experience.
  • Reliability: Because tracking happens in the user's browser, it's subject to their network conditions and browser settings, sometimes resulting in unreliable data.

To address these issues, we're shifting to server-side tracking. Here's how it works now: when a user takes an action on the Adelaide Fringe website (like viewing your event page or clicking to buy tickets), that data is first sent to the Fringe's own secure server. From there, our server sends the data to the tracking servers of companies like Meta (for Facebook and Instagram) or Google. This approach significantly improves data accuracy, reliability, and helps us navigate modern privacy landscapes.

How to Set Up Your Event Analytics in AVR

Setting up your analytics tracking for your Fringe event is done directly within the Artist and Venue Registration (AVR) platform. This is where you'll input the necessary codes to connect your marketing accounts with your Fringe event pages.

If you're new to digital advertising and haven't set up a business account with Meta (Facebook/Instagram) or Google Analytics yet, we recommend starting with a beginner's guide to get those foundations in place. You'll need to have your Meta Business Manager account, Ad Account, and tracking Pixel/Dataset ID, as well as your Google Analytics 4 Property ID, ready before you connect them in AVR.

Once your accounts are ready, the AVR platform will provide clear, step-by-step instructions on where to paste your tracking codes. Look for the dedicated section within your event registration or profile where you can input these details.

Step By Step Resource (Advanced)

If you have never set up a business account use this beginners resource to set-up your account.

Important Privacy Considerations

As part of our commitment to privacy and data security for all our patrons, customers now have the choice to opt out of their account details being shared with your tracking pixel. This option is available in their personal account settings on the Adelaide Fringe website, similar to how they can opt in or out of email communications from previous seasons.

It's super important to remember to keep your API keys and secrets secure. These are sensitive pieces of information that link your advertising accounts to the Fringe platform, so never share them publicly.

Further Learning: Digital Advertising and Analytics with Kwasi

Ready to truly elevate your digital marketing game? We've teamed up with our brilliant partners at Kwasi, a leading digital marketing agency, to bring you professional development sessions that will turbocharge your social media advertising and understanding of data.

These sessions are designed to help you transform raw data into real-world outcomes for your Fringe show:

  • Digital Marketing Basics: Georgia Lake, Adelaide Fringe's Former Marketing Manager, guides you through the foundational principles of digital marketing, helping you build a solid understanding.
  • The Power of Analytics: Dive deep into the world of analytics and discover how to interpret your data to make informed decisions and improve your marketing strategies.

You can watch the full session recording to gain valuable insights:

Summary

  • Adelaide Fringe has moved to server-side tracking for more reliable and private analytics data.
  • You can add Meta (Facebook/Instagram) and Google Analytics 4 tracking codes directly in your AVR event registration.
  • Always keep your API keys and secrets secure and understand that audience members can opt out of data sharing.
  • Utilise resources like the Digital Advertising: Analytics with Kwasi session to deepen your understanding of analytics and optimise your marketing efforts.

Additional Resources