This guide will walk you through how to set up your SMS campaigns with Vibes using Universal Email to automatically convert your SMS links into multi-platform deep links.
Universal Email allows you to automatically convert your SMS links into multi-platform deep links that take users directly to content in the app on mobile devices, while still maintaining the same web experience for desktop and mobile users without the app.
When a link is clicked by a user without the app, it will route that user to the original web URL (including on desktop). When a link is clicked by a user with your app, it will direct that user into the relevant in-app content regardless of platform or email client.
DEVELOPER MAY BE REQUIRED
The following Universal Email prerequisite includes providing URI schemes and other components that may require a developer:
DEVELOPER REQUIRED
The following Universal Email prerequisites involve app code changes:
To enable the integration:
Branch automatically detects any global link settings you have already provided during the initial setup of your Branch account as outlined above.
If you have not set up your global link settings and redirect preferences, you will be prompted to do so at this time.
Click tracking domains allow you to track engagement on SMS opens and link clicks.
If you're unsure what your click tracking domain (CTD) is, take a look at one of your recently sent emails. If you hover over the link or right-click/copy the link address, you will see that the domain of the link in the email does not match the URL in your HTML. This domain is your click tracking domain used by your ESP to provide you click reporting.
Alternatively, please contact Vibes Support .
Remove
http://
orhttps://
when adding your click tracking domain in the Branch dashboard
Before you click NEXT and proceed to the Validate & Test section, please complete the following section as it’s required for passing integration validation.
The majority of ESP integrations require updating the DNS record for your CTD to include a CNAME (alias) record that points to Branch’s thirdparty.bnc.lt
domain.
Please follow your web hosting provider’s instructions on how to configure your DNS CNAME. Here are a few common provider’s instructions for reference:
Important CNAME Info
Once the SSL certificates and AASA file (iOS only) have been generated, you can proceed to reviewing the validation tests, fix any issues and then test the integration.
Branch automatically validates the following:
Common Validation Issues
CNAME Does Not Point to Branch
Pointing your DNS CNAME to Branch is a vital step of the integration process. Unfortunately, it’s also the step that causes the most headaches.
Please make sure to do the following:
- Log into your DNS provider’s console and add the CNAME record as described here.
- Wait at least 60 minutes after you’ve added the CNAME record so that it has time to propagate and Branch can create the resulting SSL certificates and AASA files (for iOS apps only).
NOTE: This warning will always show for integrations where the CNAME must remain pointed to the ESP. If you see this warning when validating the following ESP integrations, you can disregard and continue validation.
- Oracle Responsys
- Salesforce Open Web Default
- Salesforce Open App Default
- Salesforce Legacy v2
- Salesforce Legacy v3
SSL Not Correctly Set Up
If you are having issues with the SSL certificate validating, the culprit is generally the fact that your click tracking domain already has SSL set up and there are restrictions that prevent a 3rd party from submitting a Certificate Signing Request on your behalf.
AASA File is Invalid
Luckily the easiest issue to fix as the main reason for this error is the fact that it depends on the SSL being set up correctly. By addressing the SSL error, the AASA file error should resolve itself simultaneously.
Once the validation process is complete, you can test the integration by generating a test link. The test link generated by Branch is unique in that it’s already converted to a Branch link for you and allows you to test without creating an email template in your ESP. In reality, this conversion happens behind the scenes once a user clicks on your normal email template link.
To generate a test link:
Once you’ve generated your test link, click the link on your mobile device; don’t forget to make sure your mobile device already has the app installed!
Congratulations, you’ve successfully set up the integration with your ESP! Before you start setting up your email campaigns, you need to determine what flow you want the user to experience and flag your email link accordingly.
Most ESPs support the following user flows:
Deep linking users to in-app content
<a href="links.example.com?$deep_link=true" >Link to your app!</a>
<a href="http://example.com" deeplink="true">Link to your app!</a>
Linking users to web-only content
<a href="links.example.com?$web_only=true" >Link to your app!</a>