UTM codes can be added to URLs in order to pinpoint specific sources of traffic to a website. Like really specific.
The power of UTM codes
Setting up UTMs gives us a TON of data - for social media, guest blogs, ad campaigns, email marketing. We get to see which specific pieces of content perform the best and drive the most conversions. 📈
And let the content repurposing begin - no need to reinvent the wheel every time you sit down to create content. UTM codes are money makers, time + energy savers, and no brainers! 😌
UTMs might seem daunting, but they're actually pretty simple to set up.
UTM code example
Here are a few sample URLs to give you a better idea of how UTM tracking works.
Scenario: You are an outdoor recreation retailer tasked with measuring how much traffic your annual summer sale generated through paid search, paid social, and email marketing.
1. Cost Per Click (CPC) Tracking
You first want to create a tracking URL for a Google cost per click (CPC) campaign promoting your annual summer sale landing page targeting the keywords “camping gear.”
Your tracking URL might look something like this:
- www.example.com/page?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=summer-sale&utm_term=camping-gear
2. Social Media Tracking
You need another tracking URL to determine the success of a paid social media campaign on Facebook directing users to your summer sale landing page.
Your tracking URL might look something like this:
- www.example.com/page?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=paid-social&utm_campaign=summer-sale
3. Email Marketing Campaign Tracking
You also need to measure traffic generated from a promotional email that includes three links — a logo, an image and an orange CTA (call to action) button — directing users to the summer sale landing page.
Your tracking URLs might look something like this:
- www.example.com/page?utm_source=summer-promo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=summer-sale&utm_content=logo
- www.example.com/page?utm_source=summer-promo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=summer-sale&utm_content=main-image
- www.example.com/page?utm_source=summer-promo&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=summer-sale&utm_content=orange-cta
