A quick guide to setting up UTM tags
Introduction
It’s a real cliché but as they say, if it’s not measured, it’s not managed. To set yourself up for success and to know precisely how to improve your marketing, you must ensure you are tracking the impact of each marketing campaign on an individual basis. UTM codes, otherwise known as Urchin Tracking Modules, are parameters which you can add to any link in order to more effectively track the success of your online marketing campaigns.
Recommended Steps
First, you need to decide on your UTMs.
utm_source: This identifies where the traffic has come from e.g. utm_source=Facebook
utm_medium: This identifies the type of link used such as CPC, email, ad, stories, event or post e.g. utm_medium=post
utm_campaign: This is the name of the specific promotion or campaign e.g. utm_campaign=concertannouncement2
IIn the following table, you can see how traffic will be categorized depending on the values of these UTM codes:
Next, you can begin adding your chosen parameters to your URL. In this example we will pretend that we are directing users to a venue event page on your usheru Connect platform.
Begin with the destination URL: e.g. yourwebsite.com/event/concert-name
Add a question mark: e.g. yourwebsite.com/event/concert-name?
Add your first UTM: e.g. yourwebsite.com/event/concert-name?utm_source=Facebook
Add an & and your next UTM: e.g. yourwebsite.com/event/concert-name?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=post
Add as many UTMs as you like, with an & in between each one
Here is an example of a link for a Facebook campaign promoting a live show: yourwebsite.com/mynewevent?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=post&utm_campaign=concertannouncement2
It’s important to note that while creating UTM codes manually is relatively simple, it is still very easy to make mistakes which can lead to issues with tracking. If you would like access to our UTM calculator (a handy tool to help generate UTMs for you) please contact clientsupport@usheru.com.
Other Tips
If you are promoting the same creative in a Facebook social post as a digital ad, simply change the medium. Or if you are using it in Instagram, change the source.
If you want to test different CTAs, enter them in the campaign name or content. For example, if you try different messages with different audiences on different platforms, you can measure the impact immediately down to the individual marketing campaign.
It becomes extremely clear which ads are generating the most ticket sales or engagement for your venue and events. This allows you to divert your time, energy and/or digital spend to the most successful messaging, and can serve as a learning for saving money on future campaigns.
Summary
To effectively track marketing performance in the venues and live entertainment industry, UTM tags help identify traffic sources, mediums, and campaign names. By appending these parameters to URLs, marketers can measure the impact of each campaign. Testing variations like CTAs or platforms reveals which strategies drive the most value. This data-driven approach enables smarter spending and better campaign optimization.