What Are UTM Parameters?
UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters are short text snippets added to the end of a URL to track the performance of your marketing campaigns. They help you identify where your website visitors are coming from, which campaigns drive traffic, and how these efforts lead to conversions, such as ticket purchases for your events. By appending UTM parameters to the links you share, you can gain detailed insights into your audience’s behavior and optimize your marketing strategies.
In this case:
utm_source=facebook: Identifies the traffic source (e.g., Facebook).
utm_medium=social: Specifies the marketing medium (e.g., social media).
utm_campaign=summer_event: Names the specific campaign (e.g., your summer event promotion).
These parameters are sent to analytics tools like Google Analytics, allowing you to track visitor behavior and attribute conversions accurately.
Why Use UTM Parameters for Your Events?
As an event organizer, UTM parameters provide powerful insights to enhance your marketing efforts:
Track Visitor Sources: Understand where your audience is coming from—whether it’s social media posts, email newsletters, paid ads, or influencer links.
Measure Campaign Success: See which campaigns (e.g., a Facebook ad or an email blast) drive the most visits and ticket purchases to your event page.
Optimize Marketing Spend: Identify high-performing channels to allocate your budget effectively, ensuring maximum return on investment (ROI).
Complete Customer Journey Visibility: Track how visitors interact with your event page, from initial clicks to purchases, to understand what drives conversions.
By using the UTM builder in your backoffice, you can easily create these tagged URLs and monitor their performance.
Using the UTM Builder in Your Backoffice
Our platform includes a user-friendly UTM builder to help you create custom tracking links. Here’s how it works:
Access the UTM Builder: Navigate to the UTM Link Builder section in your backoffice.
Enter UTM Parameters:
UTM Source: Specify where the link will be shared (e.g., facebook, newsletter, google).
UTM Medium: Define the type of channel (e.g., social, email, cpc for paid ads).
UTM Campaign: Name your campaign (e.g., spring_festival or early_bird_tickets).
UTM Term (Optional): Track specific keywords, useful for paid search campaigns.
UTM Content (Optional): Differentiate between variations, like A/B testing ads (e.g., banner_ad or video_ad).
Generate and Copy the Link: As you type, the builder automatically updates the URL. Click the copy button to copy the generated link for use in your marketing channels.
Configuring UTM Parameters with Google Analytics
To gain deeper insights, connect your UTM-tagged links to Google Analytics for comprehensive tracking. Here’s how to set it up:
Step 1: Set Up Google Analytics
Create a Google Analytics Account: If you don’t have one, sign up at analytics.google.com and set up a property for your website. Add Tracking Code: Install the Google Analytics tracking code (or Google Tag Manager) on your event website. Place it in the <head> or before the </body> tag of your site. If you’re unsure, contact your webmaster.
Verify Tracking: Ensure the tracking code is working by checking the “Realtime” report in Google Analytics.
Step 2: Use UTM-Tagged Links
Create Links with the UTM Builder: Use the backoffice UTM builder to generate links for your campaigns (e.g., social media posts, email campaigns, or paid ads).
Distribute Links: Share these links in your marketing channels. For example, post a UTM-tagged link on Facebook or include it in an email newsletter.
Test Links: Before launching, test your UTM links using the “Realtime” report in Google Analytics. Clear your browser cookies first to ensure accurate tracking (in your browser, go to Settings > Privacy > Delete browsing data > Cookies and other site data).
Step 3: View UTM Data in Google Analytics
Navigate to Acquisition Reports: In Google Analytics (GA4), go to Reports > Acquisition > Traffic Acquisition or Campaigns to view UTM data.
Analyze Performance: Expand the parameters (source, medium, campaign) to see metrics like:
Sessions: Number of visits from each UTM-tagged link.
Conversions: Ticket purchases or other goals (e.g., form submissions).
Bounce Rate: How many visitors leave without interacting.
Average Session Duration: Time spent on your event page.
Export Data: Download reports as PDF, CSV, or Excel for further analysis or to share with your team.
Step 4: Set Up Goals for Conversions
To track ticket purchases or other actions:
Create Goals in GA4: Go to Admin > Goals > Create Goal. Define a goal for purchases (e.g., reaching a “thank you” page after checkout).
Link to UTM Parameters: Associate goals with your UTM campaigns to see which sources drive conversions. For example, you might find that utm_source=newsletter leads to more ticket sales than utm_source=facebook.
Monitor ROI: Use conversion data to calculate the ROI of your campaigns and optimize future efforts.
Best Practices for UTM Parameters
To ensure accurate and actionable data:
Use Consistent Naming: Always use lowercase (e.g., facebook instead of Facebook) to avoid duplicate entries in analytics.
Avoid Spaces and Special Characters: Use hyphens (-) instead of spaces or underscores (e.g., spring-sale instead of spring sale).
Don’t Use for Internal Links: Only apply UTM parameters to external links (e.g., social media, emails) to avoid skewing session data in Google Analytics.
Use Short, Descriptive Names: Keep parameters clear but concise (e.g., utm_campaign=summer_event instead of utm_campaign=2025_summer_event_promotion).
Consider URL Shorteners: For long UTM-tagged URLs, use tools like Bitly to create shorter, shareable links.
Document Your Parameters: Maintain a spreadsheet to track your UTM naming conventions for consistency across campaigns.
Get Started Today
Use the UTM Link Builder in your backoffice to create tracking links for your event campaigns. By also combining these links with Google Analytics, you’ll gain awesome visibility into which marketing efforts drive visits and purchases, empowering you to make data-driven decisions for your events. Start tracking now to optimize your campaigns and boost your event’s success!