Creating UTM parameters to track your marketing efforts is so important, and keeping a consistent taxonomy really helps! It brings clarity to your analytics and makes it much easier to evaluate how each campaign is performing
Standard UTM parameters
utm_source: Identifies where your traffic originates.
Examples:
Social media:
facebook,instagram,twitter,linkedin,pinterestSearch engines:
google,bingEmail:
newsletterOther:
affiliate,direct,referral
utm_medium: Describes the type of marketing effort.
Examples:
Paid campaigns:
cpc(cost per click),display(banner ads),videoOrganic:
social,organic,emailAffiliate marketing:
affiliateOther media:
banner,video,direct
utm_campaign: Indicates the specific campaign.
Best Practice: Use consistent naming conventions for clear insights.
Examples of naming conventions:
brand_awareness_2024product_launch_whiskey_julyseasonal_promo_fall_2024special_offer_januaryholiday_sale_july_2024
utm_term: Identifies keywords for paid search campaigns.
Examples:
vodkawhiskeytequila
utm_content: Differentiates specific ads or content pieces within a campaign.
Examples:
banner_ad_1video_ad_2email_headersidebar_bannerfooter_banner
Best Practices for UTM management
Be consistent
Use uniform naming conventions for campaign names, dates, and content types. This ensures accurate reporting in your analytics tools.
Avoid overcomplicating
Only use the parameters necessary for your specific campaign. For example,
utm_termis only needed for paid search campaigns.
Track and evaluate
Regularly monitor analytics to evaluate the performance of each source, medium, and campaign.
Document your taxonomy
Keep a centralized document of your UTM taxonomy to ensure team-wide consistency.
Examples of full URLs with UTM parameters
Email campaign for holiday sale
arduinoCopy codehttps://yourstore.com?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=holiday_sale_december&utm_content=email_header
Social campaign on Instagram for product launch
arduinoCopy codehttps://yourstore.com?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=product_launch_january&utm_content=video_ad_1
Google ads for whiskey
arduinoCopy codehttps://yourstore.com?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=seasonal_promo_summer&utm_term=whiskey&utm_content=sidebar_banner
By following this UTM taxonomy, you’ll ensure clear tracking of your marketing efforts, helping you make data-driven decisions to optimize future campaigns. Let me know if you’d like more examples or additional guidance!