{"id":3586,"date":"2016-08-01T00:35:11","date_gmt":"2016-08-01T00:35:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/postcron.com\/en\/blog\/?p=3586"},"modified":"2018-02-07T20:52:30","modified_gmt":"2018-02-07T20:52:30","slug":"how-to-create-utm-codes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postcron.com\/en\/blog\/how-to-create-utm-codes\/","title":{"rendered":"How to create UTM codes in just 6 steps to find out where each visit is coming from (and boost your marketing actions)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"UTM<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you know where each <\/strong>visit<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 your website receives comes from?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Better yet: do you know how much traffic a specific tweet, or<\/em><\/strong> Facebook publication<\/em><\/strong><\/a> link in the form of text or image in your blog article generates?<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you don\u2019t know, don\u2019t worry: when you finish reading this article you\u2019ll know how to monitor the origin of each visit in a fast and easy way in real time.<\/strong><\/p>\n

You can do all of this thanks to UTM codes<\/strong>; a special type of parameters added to the end of a URL to personalize it and thus be able to know where each of your visits is coming from. And the truth is, if you want to have a profitable business, you simply can\u2019t pass them up.<\/strong><\/p>\n

So whether UTM codes sound like Chinese to you <\/strong>or if you know what they are but have no idea how to create them<\/strong>, then come with us because we promise you that by the end of this article you\u2019re going to become an expert on where your traffic is coming from<\/strong>. Are you ready to explore the fascinating world of UTM codes??<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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\"UTM<\/p>\n

What are UTM codes and why should you use them?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Like the mathematical physicist, Lord Kelvin<\/a>, said:<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t define what you can\u2019t measure. What can\u2019t be measured, can\u2019t be improved. What doesn\u2019t improve, always degrades\u201d.<\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And with digital marketing<\/a>, that\u2019s something we can\u2019t afford to forget. That\u2019s why UTM codes are so important.<\/p>\n

To explain it in layman\u2019s terms, UTM codes<\/strong>, or Urchin Tracking Module<\/strong>, are text fragments added to the end of URL addresses so that Google Analytics<\/strong>, or whatever analytical tool you use, can track the origins of your visits and record the channel through which people are arriving at a determined page<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For example, Postcron blog\u2019s URL is: http:\/\/localhost\/en\/blog\/<\/p>\n

If we wanted to add a UTM code, the link would look like this: http:\/\/localhost\/en\/blog?utm_source=blog&utm_medium=articulo_utm&utm_campaign=ejemploutm<\/p>\n

Everything you see after the \u201c?<\/strong>\u201d in the URL is a UTM parameter. <\/strong>And while it doesn\u2019t modify anything on your website, it will help you in measuring the success of your campaign<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Why are UTM codes so important and how do they help you measure the success of your digital actions?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

UTM codes basically enable you to personalize your links <\/strong>to later monitor them <\/strong>and measure the results<\/strong>: from clicks <\/strong>to conversions<\/strong>, purchases<\/strong>, records<\/strong> and any other type of activity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

In other words, UTM parameters enable you to obtain valuable information on your visitors<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

What does this mean? It means that you\u2019re going to know which publications on each social network<\/strong>, which advertisements <\/strong>and which of your blog posts<\/strong><\/a> have led more traffic to a determined page and why it functioned best.<\/p>\n

Using this in your marketing campaign will on one hand enable you to know what actions you should maximize and on the other hand which actions or publications didn\u2019t function as expected; so it\u2019s better stop implementing them and wasting efforts.<\/p>\n

So you understand,<\/p>\n

Utilizing UTM codes or any other tracking systems is essential for being able to optimize your marketing strategy<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

For example, imagine that you dedicate yourself to selling online shopping baskets with healthy ingredients for cooking nutritious recipes<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

This is exactly what HelloFresh <\/strong>does on their digital platform for food products where they frequently publish the same campaign on their different social profiles, and they insert UTM codes in order to know which of their publications functioned best:<\/p>\n

\"UTM<\/a><\/p>\n

By adding UTM parameters to your links you\u2019ll be able to know which channels you should invest in<\/strong>, what changes to make to your site in order to improve user experience <\/strong>and what actions to stop implementing<\/strong>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

To sum it up, without adequately tracking the origin of your clicks you\u2019re flying blind<\/strong>. You\u2019ll be able to improve everything you track. If you don\u2019t do this, then you\u2019re passing up a huge opportunity to take your business<\/a> further.<\/p>\n

And now that you know a little more on the subject, let\u2019s put it to practice and see how to create UTM parameters step by step.<\/strong><\/p>\n

How to easily and rapidly create UTM codes? Learn how in just 6 steps<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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  1. \n

    Define where you are going to use UTM codes<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The first thing you should do to start utilizing UTM codes is decide where you\u2019ll implement them.<\/strong><\/p>\n

    For example, maybe it\u2019ll be helpful to compare, on different online platforms, a publication where you invite people to download an e-book and find out whether the publication had more success on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn<\/a>, \u00a0Instagram, via e-mail or through a promotional advertisement<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    Or maybe, for example, you are launching a Facebook campaign over a few days and want to know which publication resulted in more visits to the sales page<\/strong>. Or perhaps your conducting an e-mail marketing<\/strong><\/a> campaign where you have an active promotion and want to know which e-mail got the most results (whether it was due to content, schedule<\/a>,<\/u> day it was sent).<\/p>\n

    We\u2019ve created this infographic<\/a> so you have an idea where you can use them:<\/p>\n

    \"UTM<\/a><\/p>\n

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    1. \n

      Learn about how UTM parameters function<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      The best thing about UTM codes is that you\u2019ll only have to learn about them once and then you\u2019ll just be able to focus on taking advantage of them. <\/strong>So, let\u2019s take a more detailed look at how they function.<\/p>\n

      To begin, as we said earlier, UTM parameters always start after the question mark we\u2019ve added to the end of our site\u2019s URL.<\/strong><\/p>\n

      And from here different variables <\/strong>are added, which you can see in the third point, that are accompanied with specific symbols like \u201c=<\/strong>\u201d to make way for each variables use and \u201c&<\/strong>\u201d to separate the different variables. You should additionally keep in mind that you can\u2019t use spaces <\/strong>in UTM codes.<\/p>\n

      On another note, UTM codes are case sensitive <\/strong>so if you use \u201cFacebook\u201d and \u201cfacebook\u201d, Google Analytics will understand that they are different parameters and will display them separately.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

      Now let\u2019s take a look at what the UTM code variables are and how to complete them.<\/p>\n

      \"UTM<\/h3>\n
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      1. \n

        Familiarize yourself with UTM code variables<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

        Like we mentioned earlier, UTM codes are made up of different variables that will help you identify where your views are coming from with better precision. The variables are as follows:<\/strong><\/p>\n

        Campaign<\/strong><\/span>. This variable is where we write the campaign\u2019s name to identify the promotion <\/strong>of a certain product or a strategic campaign. It\u2019s identified by utm_campaign <\/strong>and, for example, if we want to launch a campaign in July to promote one of our products we could use utm_campaign=promo_july2016<\/em>.<\/p>\n

        Source<\/strong><\/span>. For the source we\u2019ll write the website\u2019s name that is prompting traffic<\/strong>, like Facebook or Pinterest for example. It\u2019s identified by utm_source<\/strong>; for example, utm_source=twitter<\/em> o utm_source=mail.<\/em><\/p>\n

        Medium<\/strong><\/span>. This is the form in which traffic arrives<\/strong>, for example, like pay-per-click (PPC), e-mail, banners or social networks (from the link in your profile\u2019s biography to a status update). It\u2019s characterized by utm_medium<\/strong>. Example: utm_medium=social<\/em> o utm_medium=profile<\/em>.<\/p>\n

        Content<\/strong><\/span>. This variable is optional and is used to differentiate sections to create greater depth<\/strong>. For example, it\u2019s useful for differentiating text, logo and image links<\/strong> or if it\u2019s a Pinterest pin <\/strong>or header photo<\/strong>. They\u2019re characterized by utm_content<\/strong>. Example: utm_content=logolink<\/em> o utm_content=textlink<\/em>.<\/p>\n

        Term<\/strong><\/span>. This is another optional variable and is used in paid searches to identify the target keywords <\/strong>of a campaign. Example: utm_term=online_marketing_strategies<\/em> or utm_term=utm_codes<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

        Just chose any of the parameters that you think will be helpful to you and think about how much more complete and detailed the tracking of your visits\u2019 origins will be<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

        Don\u2019t worry if this seems a little complicated: after a few times of doing it, you\u2019ll be a UTM code master?<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

        And likewise, you can always keep this image at hand which just sums up the different variables<\/strong>:<\/p>\n

        \"UTM<\/a><\/p>\n

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        1. \n

          Now it\u2019s time to create your UTM codes<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          There are numerous ways you can create your own UTM codes. For example, you can do it manually by creating a template with your content of different platforms and then adding a UTM code to each of them to save a list of all of them.<\/p>\n

          Or you can save yourself the time and trouble and create your own UTM parameters with the\u00a0<\/strong> Google URL builder<\/strong><\/a> where you can fill in all the variables like shown in the following image:<\/p>\n

          \"UTM<\/a><\/p>\n

          If you\u2019ve already configured Google Analytics for your websites, then it\u2019ll automatically track the campaigns you\u2019ve configured so you\u2019ll be able to know absolutely everything on your views: what site they\u2019re coming from, through which publication and which link was clicked on. This allows you to optimize<\/strong><\/a>\u00a0 your campaigns to the max<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

          Postcron Tip! <\/em><\/strong>If you don\u2019t want to individually create UTM codes for the links you share on social networks, then program your posts with Postcron<\/a> and Postcron will automatically create a UTM for each of your links so you can track them on Google Analytics.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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          1. \n

            Shorten the links<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Now that you have the link, surely you\u2019re wondering how you\u2019re going to add this three-and-a-half-mile long URL to your Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn post. To do this you can use tools such as bitly<\/a> or goo.gl<\/a>\u00a0 that will help you considerably reduce the length of your URLs.<\/p>\n

            Postcron Tip! <\/em><\/strong>\u00a0If you program your posts with Postcron<\/a> for different social networks, you have the option to shorten the link automatically <\/strong>and avoid this little URL problem.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

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            1. \n

              Measure your success and use the data to improve<\/strong><\/h3>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

              Once your UTM codes are in place you\u2019re going to have to track your URLs, <\/strong>but don\u2019t stop here: measure your success <\/strong>because like we said earlier, what can\u2019t be measured, can\u2019t be improved<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

              For example, if you put a text link on an article and an image link the form of a button in the same article, this will bring your more visits to your website and then you\u2019ll know which actions to enhance.<\/p>\n

              The same thing occurs when you publish a link on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or a promotional banner, advertisement or post: UTM codes give you the possibility of knowing which platform and format functioned best so you can take the necessary actions<\/strong>. Therefore\u2026<\/p>\n

              Don\u2019t limit yourself to just measuring the results, use them to improve your business because after all, that\u2019s the purpose of UTM parameters.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

              \"UTM<\/p>\n

              And while including UTM codes in your campaigns is very important, they\u2019re not the only thing you should keep in mind.<\/p>\n

              This said, there are many actions that can help you obtain better results for your business whether it be through your blog or social networks<\/strong>. Here are some articles from our blog that will help you have a successful business:<\/p>\n