Once initially set up, small ad setups with Header Bidding, Google AdSense, or a few affiliate links can be easily managed. Yet, when the number of campaigns, ad clients, and ad space bookings grows, administering such an ad setup can become a considerable challenge.
Automatic email reports are a tool that assists in tracking monetization. Advanced Ads can dispatch these reports, showcasing either the aggregated performance data of your ads or individual ad performance reports. Furthermore, you can also generate those automated reports through integration with Google Analytics. Bear in mind that these reports primarily highlight ad performance rather than ad setup management.
In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to link WordPress’s email function with Advanced Ads using the third-party service SureTriggers. This integration allows you to tailor an email notification that kicks into gear when an ad hits its expiration date. This notice helps you guard against unexpectedly vacant ad spaces or campaigns failing to get extended.
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How to sign up to SureTriggers
To set up this workaround, create a free account on SureTriggers. This service is freemium, which means that you can expand its features with a premium plan. However, our workaround only requires the free account, which is ready to use immediately.
After registering, download and install the SureTriggers plugin. Once you’ve connected your SureTriggers account to your WordPress backend, you can start setting up automations—which are called “workflows” here.
How to create a new SureTriggers workflow
First, click on “Start from Scratch”, and give a title to your workflow.
How to set up the SureTriggers event
Next, select the app whose events should trigger a specific action. Scroll down the long list or use the search filter to find and choose the Advanced Ads element.
Now, specify which Advanced Ads event should trigger the automation. Since the goal is to set up an email notification for when an ad has expired, choose the “Ad Status Changed” event.
With the next dropdown menu, you can select a specific ad and set both the old and new statuses that will trigger the email notification. Alternatively, you are also able to set this status change of any ad to act as a trigger.
Since your website should send the email after an ad expires, the ad status must change from “Published” to “Expired.” After setting this, click the “Fetch Data” button to synchronize the data and save your settings. Great—You have successfully set up the trigger for this automation!
How to adjust the SureTriggers action
In the next step, define which action this trigger should initiate. Select the WordPress element that sends an ad-specific email notification using WordPress’s internal email function.
Choose “Send Email” under “Select Event” in the settings. You can then determine the sender’s address, recipient’s address, Cc, Bcc, and email subject. Next, design your email in the Rich Text editor.
In my example, I set up an internal automation that automatically reminds my colleagues and me to review an expired ad and update it if necessary. To make things even more convenient, I added a shareable link to the statistics and a direct link to the ad’s edit screen in this email.
Lastly, test the connection by clicking the “Test Action” button and save your settings.
How to activate the SureTriggers automation
Once you’ve set up the action initiated by the trigger, you only need to activate the workflow. For this, navigate to Dashboard > SureTriggers > Workflows and activate the newly set-up workflow via the toggle in the Status column.
That’s all. When the selected ad’s status changes from “Published” to “Expired,” your WordPress site will automatically send the prepared email to the designated recipients.