Third-Party Provider
Please note that the instructions in this article pertain to a third-party provider and as such may not reflect all current settings. Should you have any questions or issues, please contact the third-party provider directly.
You can set up a Google Analytics 4 integration to track when an email or SMS is sent and opened. If enabled, all emails and SMS sent from Fountain will automatically contain a tracker.
Important Note:
Your data retention policy on your Google Analytics 4 account may impact the duration that this data is stored. To learn more about your data retention settings on your Google Analytics 4 account, please see here.
Integrating SMS and Email Tracking
In order to enable both email and SMS tracking, you must first integrate Google Analytics 4 into Fountain.
Set Up Google Analytics
Create a free Google Analytics 4 account or log in to your Google Analytics 4 account. If you are logging into an existing account, once logged in, click on the gear icon on the bottom left, then click + Create Account.
Enter an account name and check boxes for desired Account Data Sharing Settings. Click Next.
Create a property to measure your web and app data. Fill out or adjust the required fields. Click Next.
Select industry category and business size. Click Next.
Choose business objectives. Click Next.
Accept the Data Processing Terms and the Measurement Controller Data Protection Terms.
Choose the Web option on the Start collecting data screen.
Enter the Website URL and Stream name. Click Create stream.
The installment window will automatically open. Click the X to close this pop-up.
There will be a Measurement ID on the screen behind the installation pop-up in the format of G-XXXXXXX-X. Copy this ID. You will be using this Measurement ID in future steps.
Under the Events section, click Measurement Protocol API secrets.
Click Review terms and then click I acknowledge.
Click Create. Enter a Nickname and then click Create again.
Copy the code listed under Secret Value. This is your Secret API Key. We will be using this Secret API Key in future steps.
Set Up Fountain Integration
In Fountain, click on your initials in the top right corner.
Click Integrations in the drop-down.
Click Screening on the left bar.
You should see a list of different conversion trackers. Scroll down to the Communication Analytics section. On the right side of Google Analytics Tracker (Email) and Google Analytics Tracker (SMS), click Connect.
There should be a grey Manage Integrations button to the left of both of these trackers. Click one of them.
Enter the Measurement ID and Secret API Key we got from within Google Analytics 4.
Select which openings you want to track. Click Save Changes.
Measurement ID and Secret API Keys: You can set up multiple Measurement IDs and Secret API Keys for multiple openings. While one Measurement ID and Secret API Key may be used for multiple openings, each opening can only be connected to one Measurement ID and Secret API Key.
Repeat steps 5-6 for the other tracker. You can choose to use the same Measurement ID and Secret API Key for both SMS and email, or you can use different trackers by going to the Settings screen and clicking + Create Property in Google Analytics 4.
Set Up Click Tracker
Users can also see how often links in emails and SMS have been clicked. This can be done with the following steps.
In the email or SMS message you want to send to the applicant, include a Fountain merge key link (e.g. [DATA_COLLECTION_FORM_LINK], [PORTAL_URL], etc.] in your message to insert the link to the application.
That's it! To view the data for clicking the URL, go to Google Analytics 4 and click Reports on the left then Examine User Behavior.
Tracking Email and SMS
You can track email sends and opens as events in Google Analytics 4. For every email, we record the following information under the corresponding Google Analytics 4 Parameters. You can track email sends and opens in Real Time or over a specific date range. Click the options below to expand and learn more:
Tracking in Realtime
Tracking in Realtime
Sign in to Google Analytics 4.
Click Reports on the left side then click Realtime.
Tracking in a Specific Date Range
Tracking in a Specific Date Range
Sign in to Google Analytics 4.
Click Reports on the left side then Examine User Behavior.
Click Events.
When viewing Google Analytics 4, keep in mind the vocabulary that Google Analytics 4 uses and which Fountain parameters these translate to.
Google Analytics Parameter | Corresponding Fountain Parameter: Email | Corresponding Fountain Parameter: SMS |
GA4 Custom Definition ec | Message Template Name in Fountain | Message Template Name in Fountain |
Event Name | “Send”, “Open”, link_click | "Send", "Open", link_click |
GA4 Custom Definition el | Email Subject | None |
GA4 Custom Definition cn | Opening Name in Fountain | Opening Name in Fountain |
GA4 Custom Definition cs | Stage Name in Opening | Stage Name in Opening |
GA 4 Custom Definition cm | “Email” | "SMS" |
Creating a GA4 Custom Definition
To create a GA4 Custom Definition, follow the steps below:
Once logged into your GA4 account, click the Admin gear icon in the bottom left corner.
Click Custom definitions.
Click Create Custom dimension.
Name the Custom dimension. Make this name something easily identifiable. For example, if you are using it for an email message template, you may want to name the Custom dimension Message Template.
Enter your Event Parameter (such as ec as seen in the screenshot below).
Click Save. Custom dimensions are available in the EXPLORE section of GA4 when creating custom reports.