Getting a target audience’s attention is extremely difficult these days, and keeping it even more difficult. Our attention span is narrowing, and it is harder and harder for us to stay focused and remember things. It can be caused by overwhelming information buzz around us that never stops, or maybe it is just a sign of our times.
If you operate in a digital world, you probably know that it is a real bear to catch users’ attention and stay in their mind for a bit. That is when vanity URLs come in handy. What are they and how to make the most of such links? We will solve this mystery.
What is a vanity URL?
Vanity URLs lead from one location to another like typical links but they are very informative and memorable. Thanks to such characteristics, they are in favor of making your brand noticed. In other words, such links are long URLs converted into shorter but branded links. Vanity URLs are also known as custom short URLs or simply branded links.
Such links allow you to add your brand name or keywords to the links which support SEO efforts and build brand awareness. You can place such URLs across social media, emails, or even in offline materials.
What does it look like in practice?
Instead of:
www.yourdomainname.com/new-customers-campaing/christamas-gifts
You can place, e.g.:
yourdomain.com/christmas-gifts
What do you think? Isn’t it easier to navigate and make it clear where the user will be directed once they click on it? We believe the answer is yes.
Why should you use vanity URLs?
Such links can support your brand performance and strengthen your marketing strategies. Your lead generation efforts are more likely to be effective if you stay in potential customers’ minds, which happens when you branded your links. What are other reasons to use vanity links?
#1 SEO supporter
As we already mentioned branded links support SEO and make your brand more visible. In order to be ranked higher, you should add keywords to your links and this is how vanity URLs can help.
Thanks to such marketing action your site can be more visible in the search engine, and thus more people will be able to see that your brand meets their requirements. Remember that the best strategy is a coherent strategy so you need to be consistent with what keyword you add to your link and use in other content you provide.
#2 Easier to get offline
How to share a link offline? Print it. If your marketing strategy consists of both online and offline channels, good for you! You increase the chances to be noticed. If you distribute some leaflets or use DOOH, you need to provide a short but informative text. It is very common nowadays to place links on offline materials. In this case, a link can not look like two lines of random letters. It should indicate clearly what is behind. Additionally, it must be easy to remember and type, because only then will the campaign be successful. After all, there is no way to copy-paste such URLs.
It would look way better and easier to remember such a link: yourdomain.com/competition than two lines of incomprehensible text.
#3 More sharable
Sharing things online is our daily habit. We share many things across our social media, including pics, videos, links, and more. Referral programs and word-of-mouth marketing are very popular since they rely on people’s ability to recommend products or services to their friends or family through, e.g., social media. It is easier to share basically a few words that indicate what links contain than the long tangle of numbers, letters, and other characters. It is quicker to share such links because people do not have to spend time typing extensive descriptions about what the links contain and assuring it is not a virus.
Furthermore, basically, every social media platform limits the number of characters that can be used so it’s crucial to use the space wisely, presenting information not a long link.
#4 Less suspicious
Speaking of viruses, long links look very unsafe, and people are afraid to click on them. If you want to share the news about promotion on your website and place a link to it, it should look legit. If the link were longer than the whole post, nobody would click on it.
Your social media presence must be trustworthy; you should build a relationship with your customers, not making doubts because of strange-looking links. If you want to strengthen such bonds, you need to start sharing vanity URLs instead of regular ones.
#5 Stay in mind for longer
We have already said a few words about this topic. If you use longer unreadable links the name of your domain probably won’t be remembered because of the crowd of characters. If you use branded and shortened links, your chances increase significantly. It is worth trying.
#6 Monitor with ease
Tracking links’ performance is a crucial aspect of running digital marketing. The best way to ensure success is always to be aware of what is working and what needs improvement.
With vanity URLs, you can easily track their performance, for example, thanks to UTM tags to observe who clicks on your link and what the source of this traffic. You will see all these metrics clear as a day in your Google Analytics dashboard. It is just one tag, thanks to which you will be able to minor traffic generated by each link.
#7 Reach the new audience
How to reach a new target? Start retargeting. You can easily do it with vanity links. What you need to do is simply add retargeting pixels and reach people who haven’t clicked on the link yet. It is effortless to do, and it won’t take you much time. As you can see, with vanity URLs, you can increase brand awareness and also expand your brand’s reach.
How to use vanity links with RocketLink?
It is easy as a pie, and you can do it in a flash. You can convert basically any link into a shorter and branded one. How to start?
First, you need to create a new link so paste the link you want to get shorter. You can name it as you want or copy the original title. What is crucial to add is that with RocketLink you can edit your links any time you want. You can change the destination, modify CTAs or add UTMs. It is always a good time to provide some updates.
With RocketLink, you can also create a thumbnail and design it as you wish. Thanks to adding thumbnails, you make your links more user-friendly, especially if you want to share them across social media. In this way, your share will be more appealing and you will be one step to reach your marketing goals.
But there is more to explore with RocketLink.
This tool offers you the ability to add CTAs to each of your links. Why are call-to-actions so important? They simply encourage people to click, therefore generating more traffic and enabling you to accomplish the goals you’re trying to achieve. Moreover, RocketLink allows you to take care of your widgets, you can embed them in your links. You can choose pop-ups, chat boxes, or even videos. It will be a gamechanger for your links!
As you have read above, retargeting pixels can support your link’s reach. You can handle this aspect with RocketLink. When you’re trying to reach a different target or, for example, remind yourself of those who have previously expressed interest in your offer, it can be a huge relief. Try with one link and check how it works.
Speaking of your links’ reach – UTMs. There is no problem with adding them via RocketLinks and tracking how your links perform. You have all types of UTMs to choose from:
- campaign
- medium,
- source,
- content,
- term.
Once you establish these, you will be able to track in your Google Analytics and optimize your campaigns to give you the best results.
After you get all these steps done, you are ready to publish your vanity link! Share it, monitor it, and get the most of it!
How to make the most of vanity URLs?
You know what vanity URLs are and how to create them. Now it’s time for some practical tips on how to use their whole power.
- Do not overdo it. The main goal of such links is to be associated with your brand and stay in recipients’ minds for longer. You don’t have to get shorter and branded each of your links. If you have a regular link that performs well and gives you desired traffic, leave it that way. Do not change something that works well.
- Choose the right tool. To provide vanity links you will need a links shortener. To make your life easier, you should use an intuitive and user-friendly one. Well, consider it done. Since we recommend RocketLink, you know which one will work best.
- Be specific. In order to bring you some traffic, vanity links should be done without a rush. No typos, no misspelled words. You should also be clear with what you put into these URLs. Remember that it should indicate where the link leads without any misconceptions.
With links, the rule the shorter, the better, but just keep these three tips in mind. If something is working, do not change it; just observe its performance.
Polish up your links!
Vanity URLs are very handy when you want to expand your brand awareness or get to a wider target. They support your marketing campaigns and SEO efforts, increasing your web traffic and getting you closer to your goals.
You should definitely give it a try with RocketLink. You can set up an account in a flash, and you will be ready to get your links shorter and branded. Are you ready to make the most of your links?
