Short Trackable Links (URL Shortener)

A Short Trackable Link is a feature that automatically shortens any URL to just 22 characters, saving you valuable space in your SMS messages and helping you to keep costs down when sending web addresses in your messages. Using STLs also allows you to track interactions by recipient, offering you real time analytics by showing you which links have been clicked and who's clicked them.

How do I get Short Trackable Links?

The first thing you should do is double-check whether STLs are already enabled on your account. You can do this by navigating to Account in the main menu and clicking on Account Settings. Then under Messaging, look for Short trackable links and you'll easily be able to see if the feature is Enabled or Disabled:

When this feature is enabled, any time you add a link to your message content, the message preview will show you that the link has been shortened:

Who enables STLs?

If Short Trackable Links are disabled and you'd like to activate the feature, all you have to do is contact your 2degrees account manager and they can easily activate it on your account. Keep an eye out for a confirmation email letting you know that STLs are good to go.

What are the benefits of STLs?

Keep it simple by shortening links directly from the Hub, eliminating the need for additional link-shortening platforms.
Automatically shorten long URLs to 22 characters. This is a great way to reduce the characters you use in your message, which can in turn reduce your costs by keeping you within character limits.
Track exactly which of your recipients have clicked a link, and send a follow-up message to those who haven't clicked on important links.

Is it possible to have a Shortened Link without Tracking?

You can use a Shortened Link without tracking, although we wouldn't recommend this as you won’t be able to download reports and analyse which links have been clicked, and who's clicked them.

Where do you find the reporting for STLs?

To review the interactions that recipients have had with your links, go to Reporting and then Broadcast Reports, and then click on the name of the broadcast you want to review:

From the broadcast dashboard, just select the Link clicks tab and you'll see a list of the recipients and the number of times they've clicked on the link:

You can export a .csv of this data by clicking on the Export view / tab button.

Note - you can only track clicks on links that have been shortened using the Hub's inbuilt STL feature. It won’t work on a third-party link shortener or a full URL.

What are some use cases for STLs?

Employee Communications - If you need to share an important link or document, trackable URLs will tell who has clicked the link.
Alerts & Notifications - Short URLs make it easier to track who has received time-sensitive and important alerts.
Payment Reminders - You can send trackable links to invoices and follow up on customers who haven’t clicked the link.
Appointment Reminders - You can message customers about upcoming appointments or bookings and send shortened URLs that allow them to reschedule.
Renewal Reminders - Send shortened links to remind customers about their upcoming subscriptions or to make changes.

Can I send files through STLs?

Yes, you can upload and send files up to 410KB. File types include png, jpg, pdf and gif formats. Messages will be sent as a Shortened Link to download the file. Click here for more info.

How much does it cost?

The good news is, it’s free. STLs are included in your package, all you have to do is get them enabled.

Depending on your needs, you might prefer to send full URLs in your messages, particularly if you'd like to retain your full company URL in the text:

If you'd like to send full links in your messages all you have to do is make sure the STLs feature is disabled. Just contact your 2degrees account manager if you'd like the feature deactivated.