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Ad Stats Tracking Workflow

Updated

Table of Contents

Ads Stats Strategy Overview 

Ads posted using the Sponsors/Ads module include statistics showing the exposure these ads provide to advertisers.

  • Advertisements posted using the Sponsors/Ads module have stats that can be reported.

  • The stats are available in three locations:

    • In the Sponsors/Ads Summary report.

    • On the advertisers' Engagement tab.

    • In the report that can be emailed to the advertiser from the Engagement tab.

  • Included stats are Reach (Unique visitors) and Click-throughs (how many times someone clicked the ad)

  • Paid add-on option: Impressions (total number of views) and Click-Thru rate 

The Sponsors/Ad module is for staff to view and report on the reach and impressions generated by sponsors/ads uploaded and posted through GrowthZone.

Associations are able to:

  • Report on the reach and impressions of the ads they are posting.

  • Secure repeat advertisers for future ads by showing the value of engagement with their ad.

  • Save money by tracking and viewing stats in GZ vs. implementing and maintaining separate stats.

Ad Stats Workflow

A successful ad stats tracking strategy follows these three distinct phases:

  • Phase 1: Ad Creation & Placement ​
    • Use the Sponsors/ Ads module to create and manage advertising opportunities for members.​
  • Phase 2: Viewing Ad Stats​
    • Review advertisement performance statistics through thereporting dashboard.​
  • Phase 3: Engaging with Ad Stats ​
    • Access an advertiser's engagement record to view and export advertisement performance statistics

Phase 1: Ad Creation and Placement

Basic Setup Workflow:

  1. Create Ad Sizes (dimensions & style)​
  2. Add Advertisements (image, link, dates, member)​
  3. Choose Placements (pages, directories, or custom locations)2026-03-30_10-36-11.png

Important:

  • Sponsors/Ads module must be enabled to use ads. ​

  • Multiple placements can be assigned to a single ad.

Phase 2: Viewing Ad Stats

How to View Sponsors/Ads Summary Stats:

  1. Navigate to Reports and open the Sponsors/AdsSummary report.​

  1. (Optional) Select a date range for stat values.​

  1. Under Fields to Display, include desired stat columns (e.g., Reach, Click-Throughs).2026-03-30_10-37-35.png

Important:

  • Impressions and Click-Through Rate are only available if the add-on is enabled.

Phase 3: Engaging with Ad Stats

How to View Contact Ad Stats:

  1. Navigate to Contacts and select a contact with ads.​

  1. Open the Engagement tab → Web Content section.​

  1. Click the Ad Placement count to view stats.​

  1. Use Email Report or Download to share results.2026-03-30_10-40-07.png

Important:

  • Date range is auto-set (editable in Setup).

Where to View AD Stats

The new stats are available in three locations:

  • In the Sponsors/Ads Summary report.​

  • On the advertisers' Engagement tab.​

  • In the report that can be emailed to the advertiser from the Engagement tab. 2026-03-30_09-58-14.png

How to Use Reports to View Ad Stats

  1. Go to Reports.

  2. Select the Sponsors/Ads Summary report.

  3. (Optional) Select a date range for the stat values.

  4. In the Fields to Display, select to include the stat columns. i.e., Reach, Click-Throughs.
    IMPORTANT: Impressions and Click Through Rate are only visible if the add-on is enabled. 

Engagement with Ad Stats Tracking

  1. Go to the Contacts module.

  2. Select a contact that has advertisements.

  3. Click the Engagement tab.

  4. Scroll down to the Web Content section.

  5. Click the quantity in the Ad Placements.

  6. You’ll see the same stats as in the report; however, these stats have a date range that is automatically filtered to the date range shown at the top of the Engagement tab. 
    Note: This date range can be changed under Setup > Contact Engagement Report Settings. Select Rolling Year or Current Year.

  7. Click the Email report or Download report. The stats are included in the PDF file that can be emailed or sent to the advertiser.

Important Details on A Stats Tracking

  • Stats are not updated in real-time, but update each night with the prior day's totals.

  • The statistics we provide are very clean, filtered stats. The stats we provide have bot traffic filtered out, which is not always the case in other stat programs. Bot traffic today vs. even a year or two ago has skyrocketed with the rise of AI. See this article. Bots now account for over half of all internet traffic. The company we partner with has very clean statistics and is constantly updating its logic to keep stats to humans only.  Other competitors may have filtered out some bot traffic, but it will be difficult to compare exactly because of the variety and types of new bots that may/may not be added to their exclusion list.

  • If your analytics tool counts that traffic as human, your data becomes misleading. You don’t want to see “non-real” traffic in your analytics as it could inflate your pageviews and distort your engagement metrics, conversion events, and other insights. If the scale is large, it could lead you to make highly misleading business decisions or invest in the wrong marketing channels.

    • GrowthZone Ad Stats:

      • Exclude bots, crawlers, referrer spam, and other known non-human traffic

      • Block traffic based on the User-Agent header

      • Filter out known referrer spam domains

      • Block traffic originating from data centers

      • Detect and exclude unnatural traffic patterns 

  • Why is Reach Included by Default? Despite advancements in technology, measurement, and analysis, a constantly shifting media landscape, and media consumption trends, media strategy always comes down to two things: reach and frequency.* These both have their place in the advertising world, but a focus is often placed on Reach vs Frequency in cases where the goal of advertising is brand awareness vs. trying to sell products. When the goal is brand awareness, reach is a very valued statistic. Many of our customers have brand awareness as a goal for their advertisers, so we are offering it as the default baseline for our customers.

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