Beyond the View: Measuring What Actually Matters in Sweepstakes Campaigns

Beyond the View: Measuring What Actually Matters in Sweepstakes Campaigns

When it comes to digital campaigns, everyone wants the same thing: results. But somewhere along the way, “results” got hijacked by vanity metrics — clicks, impressions, and vague traffic numbers. The truth? None of that matters if it doesn’t move the needle on engagement or conversions.

At RAVEN5, we take a different approach. We build focused, goal-driven microsites, and we measure what actually counts — using Google Analytics to track user behavior, campaign performance, and brand engagement from top to bottom.

Let’s break down some of the metrics that matter — and how they work within the context of a sweepstakes microsite:

• Users: These are the unique individuals who visit your campaign. If 1,000 people enter your sweepstakes, that’s 1,000 users. It’s your total reach — your audience footprint.
• Sessions: A session is a single visit. If one user visits your microsite today and comes back tomorrow, that’s two sessions. It tells you how often people are engaging with your campaign.
• Pageviews: This tracks how many times pages were loaded. A high number might look good, but it means nothing unless it’s paired with real interaction — like completing an entry or clicking share.
• Average Engagement Time: This shows how long users are actively interacting with your microsite — not just loading it and bouncing. The longer, the better. It’s a strong signal they’re paying attention.
• Event Completions / Conversions: These are the gold standard. Submitting an entry form, clicking a “Share on Facebook” button, subscribing to a newsletter — each one is a tracked event that shows real user action.

With GA4, we configure custom events and conversion tracking that are hyper-specific to your campaign goals. Want to know how many users clicked through from a paid Instagram story and completed the entry form within two minutes? We can show you. Wondering which version of a headline drove more shares? We’ll A/B test it and give you the results.

And this is where microsites give you the edge. Unlike your main website — which has dozens of goals, distractions, and unrelated pages — a campaign microsite has one job. That singular focus makes it easier to track behavior, attribute success, and optimize performance in real-time.

Plus, we don’t sacrifice analytics just because it’s off your main domain. Quite the opposite:
Microsites allow for tighter UTM tracking, cleaner segmentation in GA4, and a fully controlled conversion funnel. You get clearer data, sharper insights, and no noise from the rest of your brand’s digital ecosystem.

Because at the end of the day, it’s not about how many people landed on your page — it’s about what they did once they got there. Did they engage? Enter? Share? Did they come back?

That’s the kind of data that informs your next campaign — and makes the current one better while it’s live.

If your marketing reports are still bragging about bounce rates and vague traffic numbers, it’s time to recalibrate. At RAVEN5, we believe in analytics with purpose — the kind that tells you something useful, not just something impressive.

Let’s stop counting clicks.
Let’s start measuring impact.

Learn More

Clarifying the Misconception: “All Traffic Should Go to the Main Website”

Where Clicks End and Campaigns Begin: Building High-Impact Microsites with RAVEN5

Why the Click Doesn’t Matter — The Power of Microsites in Sweepstakes Campaigns

Hosting Matters: Why Your Sweepstakes Microsite Needs a Rock-Solid Foundation

Beyond the View: Measuring What Actually Matters in Sweepstakes Campaigns