Digital marketing has become so varied and accessible that even a small business can have multiple approaches. Social media ads, newsletters, and QR codes (just to name a few) can be easily set up. However, when it comes to knowing which of them drove conversions, some managers are still left in the dark, unless they use UTMs (Urchin Traffic Monitor).
UTMs are codes embedded in the URL of a marketing campaign to track its performance. An effective UTM campaign tracking tells where traffic and conversions came from, whether a customer clicked on it from an email or an ad on Instagram, for instance. Here’s how it works.
Following the Leads
UTMs have been around for over two decades now, becoming an indispensable part of a well-planned marketing strategy. However, it’s just a tag on a link, requiring tools like Google Analytics to translate this data into valuable insights. Its use is also relatively straightforward, and users can even add this tag manually to a link. Alternatively, companies and individuals use a UTM link builder tool.
Since UTMs are case-sensitive, differences in capitalisation can make a mess of the data. That’s why it’s preferable to use a UTM maker. By adding specific snippets to sales pages (let’s say one for social media ads and another for newsletters), simple URLs become incredibly valuable data points. For once, it allows managers to assess assertively which ad has been more successful.
Parameters of Success
A utm creator identifies a link mainly using five parameters: source (utm_source), medium (utm_medium), campaign (utm_campaign), term (utm_term), and content (utm_content). Not all of them need to be included in the same link, but it’s possible to do so if it makes sense for the strategy. Tools like Google Analytics require at least three of them (campaign, source, and medium) for measuring purposes.
The source parameter indicates where the click originated, whether it was from Google or a social media platform like Facebook. It’s also possible to subdivide the source. If the source is “Google,” it might be helpful to indicate the medium, such as a pay-per-click link or Discovery-Ads. The term parameter indicates which terms were used in search queries that led to that click.
Common Mistakes
A UTM is a tool, and as such, it requires skill from the user. It goes to say that its creation is prone to errors that can ruin the entire strategy.
Mistakes like inconsistent naming, incorrect parameter usage, and misconfigured server settings turn potentially useful data into digital garbage. The situation becomes more complicated when someone is trying to track multiple domains, where such mistakes can have a cascading effect.
From Guesswork to Smart Work
Thanks to UTMs and tracking tools, marketing strategies no longer need to play by ear. When done right, it returns a wealth of valuable data, allowing companies to assess the most successful campaigns and manage resources accordingly. There are pitfalls, but the learning curve isn’t steep, and it’s not only worthwhile but necessary in today’s world.