Overview

When using Element451 to manage and engage with your students, their activities are automatically tracked and captured in their profiles. This includes form submissions, campaign interactions, event registrations, and conversations. Element451 also tracks how students interact with Element Pages, recording activities such as page views and link clicks.

Element451 also offers a tracking pixel, a snippet of code that can be placed on your institution's website. Adding this pixel enables you to see how students explore your pages. Activities on your institution's website will appear on the student record as page views and link clicks.

You can segment students by these activities. For example, if you want to send a deadline reminder email to students who have started an application but have not completed it, you can segment by the milestone: application start date. For more information, see our article, Milestones.

Best Practices for Tracking Website Activities

To gain the most insight into your students' activities, we recommend the following:

Add the Element451 tracking pixel to your institution's website.
Add your Google Tag Manager (GTM) container to all Element modules.

Depending on how your institution's website is managed, this task may require involvement from your marketing or web team or an IT staff member.

Implementing the Element451 Tracking Pixel

The Element451 tracking pixel can be added to your institution's website in the following ways:

Directly onto each page
Via Google Tag Manager (GTM)
Via another tag management software

Explore More: Setting Up Tracking Pixel

Adding Your Google Tag Manager Container to Element Modules

Google Tag Manager (GTM) is a free service offered by Google that allows you to manage multiple tracking pixels through a single interface. It is commonly used to add Google Analytics, the meta-tracking pixel, and other analytics or digital ad-related scripts to your website.

Many Element451 modules feature a setting to add your GTM Container ID. Placing your GTM Container on Element module sites allows you to track activity in Google Analytics or set up digital ad conversion events on those sites.

Ensure there are no spaces before or after your container ID, as spaces will cause the script to fail.

Step 1: Find Your GTM Container ID

Visit tagmanager.google.com.
On the home page, locate the list of containers associated with your account.
Locate the Container ID in the third column.
Copy the ID.

Step 2: Adding Your GTM Container ID to Element Modules

Application Sites

Navigate to Applications > Applications > Sites.
Select the site you want to edit.
On the "General" tab, under the "Setup" section, locate the Google Tag ID field.
Enter your GTM Container ID in the field.

Events Site

Navigate to Data + Automations > Packs > Content Tokens.
On the left menu, locate the "General" tab.
Locate the Google Tag Manager ID field.
Enter your GTM Container ID in the field.

Forms

Navigate to Engagement > Forms.
Select the form you want to edit.
Under the Embed Code tab, select either the JavaScript Embed or iFrame Embed option depending on your use case.
Locate the Google Tag Manager ID field and paste your GTM Container ID.

Microsites

Navigate to Engagement > Microsites > All Microsites.
Select the site you want to edit.
On the left menu, locate the "General" tab under "Settings."
Locate the Google Tag ID field.
Enter your GTM Container ID in the field.

Scenarios for GTM When Using Forms and Pages

The implementation of your GTM Container ID in Element451 Forms and Pages will vary depending on how they are used. Review these scenarios to determine the best fit for your use case:

Using an E451 Form on an E451 Page

When using a form on a page, only add your GTM Container ID to the page. Your container will be able to detect analytic events on both the page and the form.

Embedding an E451 Form on Your Website (iFrame)

This scenario assumes your GTM Container is already implemented on your institution's website, including the page where your form will be embedded.

An iFrame embed effectively creates a page for the form within your institution's page. This allows the form to display as previewed in the Forms module within Element451. However, because the iFrame is its own page, the GTM Container on your institution's page will not detect analytic events on the form. Therefore, you need to add your GTM Container ID to the form settings.

Embedding an E451 Form on Your Website (JavaScript)

This scenario assumes your GTM Container is already implemented on your institution's website, including the page where your form will be embedded.

A JavaScript embed integrates the form into the body of your institution's page. This might change the visual style of the form, but it allows the form to be styled to match your website by your web development team. Because the form is built into your page, your GTM Container will detect analytic events on the form. Thus, you only need to add your GTM Container to your institution's page when using the JavaScript embed method for Element451 forms.

If your GTM Container is not on your institution's page, or if you are embedding the form on a website not owned by your institution, you will need to add your GTM Container ID to a JavaScript embed.