For some time now marketers have struggled with seeing which of their marketing campaigns are not only generating the most leads but bringing in the right kind of leads. With Google UTM values, this problem is a thing of the past. Using UTM values, you can create a straightforward way of understanding which marketing campaigns are worth investing in.
What are Google UTM values?
So let me acquaint you with the Google UTM values of “Campaign Name”, “Medium” and “Source”. These are the three obligatory “labels” required to deliver a coded URL that tracks which marketing campaign has brought that lead to your website.
The “Campaign Name” tag could be a product, promotional code or slogan you have created a campaign around, and gives you a good idea on the topic that has interested your lead.
The “Medium” UTM tag tells you which particular medium your lead came from. For example, was it a blog, banner, email campaign…etc?
The “Source” tag tells you which channel drove traffic to your website. Google, LinkedIn, Twitter, Yahoo, Newsletter_0602…you get the gist.
Below is what a URL with UTMs looks like:
https://www.communigator.co.uk/?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=webinar&utm_campaign=500sales
The UTM makes the URL long, so from a commonsense point of view, it is sensible to utilise a URL shortener like goo.gl or bit.ly to create a more outwardly normalised URL. This one leads to a UTM builder you can use: http://goo.gl/lt6841
So set yourself this goal going forward. When you create all inbound links to your site make sure they carry a UTM value. This will help you measure the effectiveness and ROI of your marketing campaigns.
Now you have these UTMs, what can you do?
Rather than use your generic reporting from Google, now Google Analytics can give you a great correlation of how your mediums or campaigns have performed. What number of visitors came from your last email campaign? How does Twitter contrast with LinkedIn for inbound links and leads?
Significantly more important GatorLeads can give you a rundown of your hot leads, or better still WON clients by campaign name or advertising channel. This allows you to see and demonstrate the genuine quality you are creating from your marketing spend.
You cannot improve what you cannot measure. The tools to get an accurate measure of your marketing performance are available to you. Perhaps you should ask the question as to why you’re not doing this already before your boss does.
To get started using UTM values, you can read our full guide here.