A UTM code is a simple code that you can add to a URL to track the performance of campaigns and understand where your traffic is coming from. UTM stands for "Urchin Traffic Monitor," and it was originally developed by a company called Urchin Software Corporation, which was acquired by Google in 2005.
How to Create and Use UTM Codes
To create and use UTM codes, follow these steps:
Choose a tool to create your UTM codes. There are several tools available for creating UTM codes, such as Google's Campaign URL Builder or Bitly's UTM Builder. These tools make it easy to create and customize UTM codes for your campaigns.
Determine the parameters you want to track. The three most common UTM parameters are:
- utm_source identifies the source of the traffic (such as Facebook or Google)
- utm_medium identifies the type of marketing medium (such as social media or email)
- utm_campaign identifies the specific campaign.
You can also use additional parameters, such as utm_term to track specific keywords and utm_content to track different versions of your ad, call-to-action, email or destination page.
Fill out the form in your chosen UTM code tool. This will typically include the website URL you want to track, the UTM parameters you want to use, and the values for each parameter.
Then, generate the UTM code. The tool will generate a UTM code for you based on the information you provided. This code will be added to the end of your URL as a query string.
Finally, add the UTM code to your link. Once you have your UTM code, you can add it to any link that you want to track. For example, you could add it to the link in an email campaign or to a link on a social media post.
Track the performance of your campaigns. To track the performance of your campaigns, you'll need to use a website analytics tool such as Google Analytics. In your analytics dashboard, you can create custom reports to see how many clicks each UTM code generates and how much traffic it drives to your website. This will help you understand the effectiveness of your campaigns and identify areas for improvement.
Benefits of Using UTM Codes
There are several benefits to using UTM codes for tracking the performance of your marketing campaigns. UTM codes:
- Provide valuable insights into the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. By seeing how many clicks each UTM code generates and how much traffic it drives to your website, you can better understand which marketing efforts are working and which are not.
- Allow you to track the performance of specific campaigns, pages, or links. This can be especially helpful if you are running multiple campaigns at the same time and want to see which ones are performing the best.
- Make it easy to segment your contact lists. By using UTM codes to track the performance of specific pages or links, you can create segments of your contact list based on their behavior and target them with relevant content and offers.
- Are easy to use. UTM codes are simple to create and add to your links, and there are many tools available to help you do so.
Using UTM Codes in HubSpot
For B2B marketers using HubSpot CRM, UTM codes can be a powerful tool for tracking the performance of marketing campaigns and understanding the effectiveness of different marketing efforts.
In HubSpot CRM, you can use UTM codes to track the performance of specific campaigns, pages, or links and see how they are driving traffic and conversions for your business. This can help you understand which marketing efforts are the most effective and where you should focus your efforts in the future.
To use UTM codes with HubSpot, you'll need to add them to the end of a URL, as described above. Once you've done this, you can track the performance of your campaigns by creating custom reports in the CRM dashboard. This allows you to see how many clicks each UTM code generates and how much traffic it drives to your website.
You can also use UTM codes to segment your contact lists in HubSpot. For example, you can create a segment for contacts who have visited a specific page on your website or who have clicked on a particular link. This can be helpful for targeting specific groups of contacts with relevant content and offers.
Overall, UTM codes are a valuable tool for B2B sales, ops, and marketing leaders using HubSpot, as they can help you track the performance of your campaigns, understand the effectiveness of your marketing efforts, and segment your contact lists for targeted marketing.
The Takeaway
UTM codes are a valuable tool for tracking the performance of your marketing campaigns and understanding the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. Whether you are an inbound marketer using HubSpot CRM or just looking to track the performance of your campaigns, UTM codes can provide valuable insights and help you make informed decisions about your marketing strategy.
