What Is a UTM Code? The Complete Guide Everyone Can Love

How to use UTM codes and parameters in your social media links Quick:whichsocialnetworkisbringinginthemosttraffictoyourwebsiterightnow?It’sOKifyoudon’tknowoffthetopofyourhead.(Idon’tmemorizethatsortofstuffeither!)Butwouldn’titbegreatifyoucouldpulluptheanswerinjustafewsecondswheneveryourbossasksyouthis?Whataboutrevenuebrokendownbysocialnetwork?Whataboutthepercentageoftrafficgeneratedbysocialversusemail?Youcantrackitall,andyoucantrackitforfree:allyouneedareGoogleAnalyticsandalittlebitofUTMlinkcodes.I’dlovetosharewithyouhowthat’sdone.=)AQuick-and-SimpleOverviewofUTMCodesWhatareUTMcodes,andwhyaretheysoimportant?“UTM”standsfor“Urchintrackingmodule.”UrchinSoftwareCorporationwasacquiredbyGooglein2005,andtheirsoftwarelaidthegroundworkforwhatwenowknowasGoogleAnalytics.UTMcodesarebitsoftextyoucanaddtoalinkthattellGoogleAnalytics(aswellasotheranalyticstools)alittlebitmoreinformationabouteachlink.Here’sasampleofwhatonelookslike:WhyareUTMsimportant?Ifyou’respendingalotoftimeinsocialmedia,youmightbepublishinghundredsofnewlinksperday.UTMcodeshelpyoutracktheperformanceofeachofthoselinkssoyoucanseewhereyourtrafficiscomingfrom.YoucanusetheUTMvariableswithinthelinktotrackgeneralinformation,likehowmuchtrafficyou’regettingfromsocialmedia.Youcanusethemtotrackthefinedetailsalso,likehowmuchrevenueyougetfromyourTwitterbio.Therearemany,manywaystotracklinkswithUTMcodes.Andthegoodnews:Ifyousettleonastrategicwaytotagyourlinksnow,you’llsaveyourselfalotoftime(andheadache!)inthefuture.I’mabouttoshareanapproachtoUTMtaggingthathasbeenespeciallyhelpfulformewhenitcomestomeasuringthesuccessofmylinks,andIhopeitwillbeforyou,too.=)Butbeforewejumpintothat,let’squicklysetourexpectationsforwhatawell-taggedURLcanaccomplishforyou.The3EssentialQuestionsaUTMLinkCanAnswerWhenallUTM’edup,alinkshouldbeabletohelpyouanswersomebasicquestionsaboutyourwebtraffic:Whereisthetrafficcomingfrom?Howisitgettingtome?Whyisitcomingtome?Essentially,UTMcodestellthestoryofhowyourtrafficiscomingtoyou.Thisworksbyusingthree(orfour)elementscalled“UTMparameters,”whichwe’llcoverindetailbelow:SourceMediumContent(optional)CampaignThat’swhyaUTM-taggedURLlookslikethis:https://buffer.com/email-courses/actionable-social-media-strategies/?utm_source=buffer&utm_medium=post-original&utm_content=-image&utm_campaign=25-social-media-strategiesSeeallthose“utm_”bits?That’swherewe’relabelingthetrafficthatcomesfromthislink.Ofcourse,typingthatlongstringofcharactersisprettyscary,somostpeopleuseURLgenerators.Theseniftytoolsletyoupluginthevaluesforeachofthoseparameters,andthenthetoolsdothemagicofstringingthemtogetherintoaniceURL.Somepopulargeneratorsinclude:Google’sURLBuilderEffinAmazing’sChromeextensionTheBufferin-applinkshortenerTheUTMparameters,inturn,tellGoogleAnalyticshowtosortyourincomingtraffic.Ifyou’retrackingyourlinksacrosssocialmedia(andacrosstherestofyourdigitalcontent!),you’llgetalotmoregoodnessoutofGoogleAnalytics’Acquisitionsfeatures—becauseyou’regivingGAmoretotrack.HerearethedifferentplacestofindUTMinformationwithinyourGoogleAnalyticsdashboard:Acquisition>AllTraffic>Source/MediumAcquisition>Campaigns>AllCampaignsNow,let’slookathowtouseUTMcodesandparametersinyoursocialmedialinks.HowtouseUTMcodesandparametersinyoursocialmedialinksWithUTMcodes,we’retryingtohelpGoogleAnalyticstellusthestoryofhowoursocialmediatrafficisgettingtous.We’retryingtoanswerthreequestions:Where’sthetrafficcomingfrom?Howisitcomingtome?Whyisitcomingtome?Thegoodnewsis:choosingyourUTMparametersisassimpleasansweringthosequestionsforeverylinkyoupublish.Let’slookathowthatworkstogether.1.Howtousethe“Source”UTMparameterinsocialmediatl;dr—Youcanusethenameofthesocialplatformyou’resharingthelinkto(e.g.,Twitter,Facebook)asthe“source”UTMtag.The“source”parameterisallaboutansweringthequestion,“Whereismytrafficcomingfrom?”Byaddingtheparameter&utm_source=toyourlinks,you’retaggingeveryvisitthatcomesfromthatlinkinawaythatsays,“thisvisitcamefromsuchandsuch.”So,your“Source”UTMparameterwillsimplystatewherethetrafficiscomingfrom.Now,Isay,“simply,”butthereareamultitudeofwaysthatthiscouldbedone.Forexample,ifyouweretweetingtoyourfollowersaboutasweetblogpostyoujustwrote,youcouldanswerthequestion“Whereisthetrafficgoingtocomefrom?”afewways.It’scomingfromyou,thesharer.It’scomingfromTwitter,theplacewhereit’sbeingshared.It’scomingfromyourfollowers,theonesreadingit.Thereareallkindsofwaysyoucouldthinkaboutthis.ButGooglerecommendsusingthe“source”fieldtodescribethe“referrer,”ortheentitythat’sactuallysendingthetrafficyourway.Inthisexample,agoodsourcetagwouldbesimply“Twitter.”Thereareafewgoodreasonsforthis:YouwilleventuallywanttotrackALLofyourtrafficfromTwitterinoneplace(simplicityFTW!)Inthecaseofsocialmedialinks,thismakesevenmoresense.IfsomeonesharesorRetweetsyourlinks,thenthetrafficisn’treallycomingfromyouanymore­—butit’sstillcomingfromthesamesocialmediaplatform!Insocialmedia,I’vefoundthesimplestapproachistousethesocialplatformyou’resharingthelinktoasthe“source”UTMtag.WhenIsharealinktoFacebookaretaggedwith“&utm_source=facebook”=)2.Howtousethe“Medium”UTMparameterinsocialmediatl;dr—Considersetting“social”asyourmediumtagforalllinkssharedonsocialmedia.Thisparameterisallaboutansweringthequestion,“Howismytrafficcomingtome?”Byaddingtheparameter&utm_medium=toyourlinks,you’retaggingeveryvisitthatcomesfromthatlinkinawaythatsays,“thisvisitcamevia_______.”Thisisalittlelessstraightforwardthanthesourcetagwelookedat,becauseforeverywaytodescribewherethetrafficiscomingfrom,thereareprobably10waystodescribehowit’sgettingtoyou!That’swhyitcanbehelpfultoestablishsomeUTMconventionsupfront.Ifyougiveyourselfagenerallistofoptionsforthe“medium”tag,thenthispartofthelink-trackingprocesscanbealoteasier.GooglesuggestsusingageneralnameofthemarketingmediumforthisparameterontheirURLbuilder:Thathelpskeepitsimple!FortaggingUTMcodesonsocialmedia,areallysimpleapproachistoalwaysuse“social”asyourmedium.Youdon’thavetodothis,butI’vefounditmakesitveryeasytosortthetrafficinmyhigh-levelmarketingchannels—especiallyifI’mtakingGoogle’sadviceonthiswhenI’mtaggingotherlinks.JustFYI,herearesomeother“medium”tagsyoumightconsiderfornon-sociallinks:EmailBlogBlog-guest(forwhenyou’reguestpostingonaninfluencer’sblog)Blog-syndicated(forwhenyou’resharingyourarticleswithsyndicationsites)3.Howtousethe“Campaign”UTMparameterinsocialmediaNowforthelastofthequestions:whyisthetrafficcomingtoyou?Thisiswhatthe“campaign”UTMparameterisallabout.Byaddingtheparameter&utm_campaign=toyourlinks,you’retaggingeveryvisitthatcomesfromthatlinkinawaythatsays,“thistrafficiscomingfromthiseffort.”ThereareSOMANYwaystousethistag!Andthebeautyofitisthatifyou’reconsistentwithyoursourceandmediumUTMparameters,youhavealotofflexibilitywhenitcomestotrackingcampaigns.Hereareafewwaystothinkofusingthecampaignparameter:Useitforspecialpromotions.Doinganewproductlaunch?Try“launch-[ProductName]”asyourcampaign.Useitforpersonas.Ifapostiscraftedespeciallyforonebuyerpersona,youmaywanttoconsidertaggingthatlinkaccordingly.Forexample,youcouldtry“manager-mandy”or“practitioner-pam”asyourcampaignvalues.Useitforbusinessobjectives.Isthatblogpostyou’retweetingaboutgoingtogenerateleads,sales,orthoughtleadership?Youmighttryusingcampaignvalueslike,“contact,”“complete,”or“lead.”Note:beempatheticwithyourtags,asyourreaderscanseethemintheURLbaroftheirbrowsers.=)HowtotrackyoursocialmediaUTMsinGoogleAnalyticsAndonceyou’vebeentaggingandtrackingyourlinkswithUTMs,youcangetareallygoodfeelforwhereyourtrafficiscomingfrombyhoppingintoGoogleAnalytics.GoogleAnalyticsmakesitreallysmoothfororganizingandanalyzingtheseUTMs.YoucanseeUTMcampaign,source,andmediumallfromthesameGoogleAnalyticsdashboard.Here’swhere:GotoAcquisition>Campaigns>AllCampaignsClicktoviewthePrimaryDimensionofCampaign,Source,orMediumCaseStudy:UsingUTMparameterstotellthestoryofStarWarsRemembertheendofStarWars,whenLukeSkywalkerandtheRebelAllianceracetoblowuptheDeathStarbeforetheevilGalacticEmpiredestroystherebelbase?Whatifwetoldthatstory...withUTMtags?LukeSkywalkerisflyingtotheDeathStar.Let’sassumeLukerepresentswebtrafficcomingfromataggedlink.We’llmakeDeathstar.isthetargetURLtherebelsaresending“traffic”to.Thesourceofthattraffic?ThatwouldbetheRebelBase.WhichmeansthatifweweretoexpressthatinUTMterms,we’dhave...SoweknowthattheDeathStariswhereLukeSkywalker(thetraffic)isflyingto,andweknowthesourceofthattraffic(RebelBase).Now...how’sLukegettingthere?InhistrustyX-wingfighter,that’show!Now,whatifweaddedthattoourUTMstory?Itwouldlookalittlesomethinglikethis...SoweknowthatLukeSkywalker(thetraffic)isflyingtotheDeathStar(thedestinationURL).He’sflyingfromtherebelbase(thesource)inhistrustyX-wingfighter(themedium).Butwhy?WhyisthattrafficcomingtotheDeathStarinthefirstplace?BecausetheRebelswanttosavetheirbaseandlatersavethegalaxyfromthelikesofDarthVader.So,ifweweretosumupthisstoryinUTMtags,wewouldneedacampaigntagtotiethisalltogether.We’llchoose“stop-darth-vader”forthisone.=)So,here’sthestoryofStarWarsinUTM-taggedURLform!DestinationURL=wherethetraffic’sgoing(theDeathStar)SourceUTMtag=wherethetraffic’scomingfrom(therebelbase)MediumUTMtag=howthetraffic’sgettingthere(X-wingfighters)CampaignUTMtag=whythetraffic’sgoingthere(tostopDarthVader)QuickrecaponUTMparametersinsocialmediaWe’reabouttojumpintohowtotracktheseinGoogleAnalytics,butfirst,let’sdoasuper-quickrecaponwhatwe’vecovered:The“source”UTMtag=thereferrer(Facebook,Twitter,LinkedIn,YouTube,etc.)The“medium”UTMtag=howthetrafficgetstoyou(formostsocialmedialinks,thiswilljustbe“social”)The“campaign”UTMtag=whythetrafficiscomingtoyou(launch,persona,promotion,etc.)Here’saquicktipforBufferforBusinessusers:youcanautomateyourUTMtagsinBuffer!Here’show.First,goto“Settings”inyourBufferaccountandselect“LinkShortening.”Then,scrolldowntowardthebottom.You’llseethe“GoogleAnalyticsCampaignTracking”section.You’rejusttwostepsawayfromcustomizingyourBufferlinks:Togglethat“EnableCampaignTracking”switchto“Yep.”Clickthe“CustomizeCampaignTracking”button.Behold,yourowncustomGoogleAnalyticstaggingoptions!=)I’vegotmyTwitteraccountsetupsothateverylinkItweetthroughbufferistaggedaccordingly:Source=twitterMedium=socialCampaign=jeffrey-the-red(aformofmyTwitterhandle)BOOM!Nowallmytweetedlinksareautomaticallysorted.(Yourscanbe,too.)Summary(andafewgoodies)NowyouknowhowtouseUTMtags,andyou’rereadytokeeptrackofallyoursocialtraffic.Now,Buffer’sagreattoolforautomaticallytagginglinkstobeusedonsocial...butwhatifyouwanttotagLOTSoflinksinsocialandoutsideofsocial?Whatifyou’rerunningahugecampaignthatencompassesblogposts,PPCads,tweets,andemails?That’salotoflinkstobuildoneatatime.Solet’smakeiteasier!We’veputtogetheraUTMtaggertemplatespreadsheetthathelpsyougeneratelotsofUTMtaggedURLsforanycampaign—anditjusttakesafewsecondstotagALLyourlinksatonce! Broughttoyouby Didyoufindthisarticlehelpful?Youmightalsolikeourall-you-needsocialmediatoolkit. Getstartedforfreenow Onthispage TryBufferforfree Broughttoyouby Theall-you-needsocialmediatoolkit Broughttoyouby PublishFlawlessly.AnalyzeEffortlessly.EngageAuthentically. Bufferistheall-you-needsocialmediatoolkitthatletsyoufocusondoingwhatyouloveforyourbusiness. Getstartedforfreenow RelatedArticles: HowtoMakeTheMostofTikTok’sFeatures TherearemanyTikTokfeaturesthatyoumayhaveheardtermsforthrownaround,butneverknownhowtouse.Here’showtousethedifferentTikTokfeaturesyoumayormaynotbeawareof.... When’sTheBestTimeToPostOnTikTok? CreatingyourTikToksisjustonepartofpostingontheplatform.Figuringoutwhenexactlytoschedulethemtakessomeresearch,butthisguideprovidesbestpracticesforfindingtheperfecttimetopostyourTikToks.... OrganicMarketingandWhyIt’sImportant Inthisarticle,wediveintowhyorganicmarketingisoneofthebestwaystosustainablymarkettocustomers.... 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