Marketing With UTM Parameters
What is a UTM?
Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) parameters are five variants of URL parameters used by marketers to track the effectiveness of online marketing campaigns across traffic sources and publishing platforms.
How are UTMs Used?
UTMs are used to send information to Google Analytics that contain data about external links that you are wanting to report on. You will use UTMs to track social, banner ads, traditional marketing collateral, emails, directory listings, audio/video platforms, and more.
How to Create a UTM
To create a trackable UTM you must first identify how you will report on the link you are building. The first rule of thumb is to be consistent with the way you are setting up your UTMs. This requires proper naming conventions and case sensitivity. You can find examples of setting up UTMs specific to the media throughout the next few pages.
Keep it Consistent:
| Source (Correct) | / | Medium | Incorrect | Difference |
| / | Post | Lowercase | ||
| / | Tweet | Mixed Case | ||
| TripAdvisor | / | Banner | No Spacing between | |
| Google My Business | / | Profile | Needs Spacing |
Here is a template example of how to track and generate UTMs:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1A5HdtDfC6JSBo7Ep0aK2iYyzUtVC_2K_lQEMLGdokgU/
How to Use UTMs Effectively
Once you have created the UTM link make sure that you copy it from the spreadsheet and past it in the browser to confirm that the UTM is generating properly. After the URL has been generated, copy the URL directly from the browser to be shared socially (see below).
Copied link below
https://www.megamikejr.com/blog/seo/google-people-also-ask-paa-content-discovery/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=PAA&utm_content=Content Strategy
Compared to rendered link below
https://www.megamikejr.com/blog/seo/google-people-also-ask-paa-content-discovery/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=PAA&utm_content=Content%20Strategy
If the url doesn’t have a self preview in the platform you are sharing it in then you must not compromise the user experience of that link for the direct social signal. In other words, share the link but not in the original UTM format. Process the url and its UTM parameters through a URL shortner such as bit.ly or goo.gl
Customer facing links with UTMs in them look spammy, unrelatable, and not very inviting. Shorten them as a fallback if there is no other way to present them to your viewers/audience.
Facebook Post Example:
| Campaign Sourceutm_source | Use utm_source to identify a newsletter name, or social platform. Example: Facebook |
| Campaign Mediumutm_medium | Use utm_medium to identify the delivery method of your source Example: Post |
| Campaign Nameutm_campaign | Use utm_campaign to identify a specific product or service Example: PAA |
| Campaign Termutm_term | Used for paid search. Use utm_term to note the keywords for this ad. Example: |
| Campaign Contentutm_content | Use utm_content to differentiate ads or links. Examples: Content Strategy |
Original link:
https://www.megamikejr.com/blog/seo/google-people-also-ask-paa-content-discovery/
UTM Link:
https://www.megamikejr.com/blog/seo/google-people-also-ask-paa-content-discovery/?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Post&utm_campaign=PAA&utm_content=Content%20Strategy
Twitter Post Example:
| Campaign Sourceutm_source | Use utm_source to identify a newsletter name, or social platform. Example: Twitter |
| Campaign Mediumutm_medium | Use utm_medium to identify the delivery method of your source Example: Tweet |
| Campaign Nameutm_campaign | Use utm_campaign to identify a specific product or service Example: PAA |
| Campaign Termutm_term | Used for paid search. Use utm_term to note the keywords for this ad. Example: |
| Campaign Contentutm_content | Use utm_content to differentiate ads or links. Examples: Content Strategy |
Original link:
https://www.megamikejr.com/blog/seo/google-people-also-ask-paa-content-discovery/
UTM Link:
https://www.megamikejr.com/blog/seo/google-people-also-ask-paa-content-discovery/?utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=Tweet&utm_campaign=PAA&utm_content=Content%20Strategy
TripAdvisor Banner Link Example:
| Campaign Sourceutm_source | Use utm_source to identify a newsletter name, or social platform. Example: TripAdvisor |
| Campaign Mediumutm_medium | Use utm_medium to identify the delivery method of your source Example: Banner |
| Campaign Nameutm_campaign | Use utm_campaign to identify a specific product or service Example: Maui |
| Campaign Termutm_term | Used for paid search. Use utm_term to note the keywords for this ad. Example: |
| Campaign Contentutm_content | Use utm_content to differentiate ads or links. Examples: Domestic Bookings |
Original link:
https://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/hawaii/maui
UTM Link:
https://www.vrbo.com/vacation-rentals/usa/hawaii/maui?utm_source=Trip%20Advisor&utm_medium=Banner&utm_campaign=Maui&utm_content=Domestic%20Bookings
Radio Spot Link Example:
| Campaign Sourceutm_source | Use utm_source to identify a newsletter name, or social platform. Example: Clear Channel |
| Campaign Mediumutm_medium | Use utm_medium to identify the delivery method of your source Example: Radio |
| Campaign Nameutm_campaign | Use utm_campaign to identify a specific product or service Example: One Month |
| Campaign Termutm_term | Used for paid search. Use utm_term to note the keywords for this ad. Example: |
| Campaign Contentutm_content | Use utm_content to differentiate ads or links. Examples: 30 Sec Spot |
Original link:
wordcamp.info
Forwards to UTM Link:
https://wordcamp.info/?utm_source=Clear%20Channel&utm_medium=Radio&utm_campaign=One%20Month&utm_content=30%20Sec%20Spot
Billboard Link Example:
| Campaign Sourceutm_source | Use utm_source to identify a newsletter name, or social platform. Example: Clear Channel |
| Campaign Mediumutm_medium | Use utm_medium to identify the delivery method of your source Example: Billboard |
| Campaign Nameutm_campaign | Use utm_campaign to identify a specific product or service Example: Four Months |
| Campaign Termutm_term | Used for paid search. Use utm_term to note the keywords for this ad. Example: |
| Campaign Contentutm_content | Use utm_content to differentiate ads or links. Examples: Free Quote |
Original link:
housing.info
Forwards to UTM Link:
https://housing.info/?utm_source=Clear%20Channel&utm_medium=Billboard&utm_campaign=Four%20Months&utm_content=New%20Free%20Quote
All the example UTMs above are simple iterations of how a UTM can be implemented for different mediums. There are many online tools you can use for setting up UTMs for your site but I have found it to be a lot easier if you track them within a document. This is partially the reason why I created a spreadsheet that auto generates UTMs and keeps them stored.
If you leverage UTMs personally or professionally and have a best practice to share feel free to leave a comment below. There is more than one way to skin a UTM and everyone uses them differently for their marketing efforts.
