How to Use UTM Codes to Track Your SMS and Email Results
How to Use UTM Codes to Track Your SMS and Email Results
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The best thing about eCommerce and online marketing is that we can collect data, later examine and measure it, and ultimately optimize our efforts. In order to do that effectively, we first need to set up our tracking in the best possible way.
What are UTMs?
Urchin Tracking Module (UTM) parameters or UTM “tags” are parameters that we can add to our URL links, so that we can track where our website visitors are coming from. Additionally, they allow us to measure our marketing efforts effectively inside Google Analytics and other analytics solutions (Mixpanel, Adobe Analytics, Kissmetrics, and others). 
Yotpo SMS & Email allows you to use UTM parameters to track your links and measure the results of your SMS and email marketing campaigns. With the Yotpo SMS UTM builder, you can create your own UTM parameters and automate the link creation process. That way the information you collect in your analytics solution will always be relevant and synchronized and your measurements - accurate.
How to use the Yotpo SMS & Email UTM builder
- In your Yotpo SMS & Email main menu, go to Settings > General Settings.
- Scroll down to Attribution.
- Make sure that the UTM tracking is set to Enabled.
UTM Parameters
Once you have enabled your UTM tracking, let’s quickly go over the available UTM parameters. In SMBump you can use up to 8 UTM parameters. Three of the parameters are default, as they are also set within Google Analytics and other analytics tracking solutions. The other five available are custom and you can set them up as you like.
Source
Your utm_source parameter should be the channel from where the traffic originates, or where you will put the link. Popular sources include Newsletter, Facebook, Yotpo, SMS&Email. For SMS marketing campaigns we suggest you add the static value “SMSBump” as the utm_source, so you easily identify which sales have come from your SMS efforts.
Medium
The utm_medium further defines the type of source, or where the link originated. Popular mediums include email, CPC, and SMS. We suggest you use the dynamic value “SMS/email” as your utm_medium, so you know the link was from a text or email marketing campaign.
Campaign
The utm_campaign parameter should tell you which campaign the link belongs to. The name of the campaign may be a seasonal one like Christmas, Easter, or a special offer. Or you can use the name of the original Campaign, Automation or Flow. We suggest you use the dynamic value “Event name” as your utm_campaign, so that you know which Campaign link was clicked. “Event name” is the name of your campaign, automation or flow (the name will automatically populate this parameter).
Custom parameters
The custom parameters are for any further defining information you would like to add to your measurement. You can add up to 5 custom parameters to dive deeper into your results.
Example: If you have your source set to “SMSBump”, your medium as “SMS” and your Campaign - “Cart_abandonment” - you can add “event type” as an additional parameter. That way you can compare the performance of your SMS campaigns, automations and flows and weigh them against each other.
Types of UTM parameter values
For each UTM parameter you decide to use there are 3 types of values you can choose from: Dynamic, Static and Custom.
Dynamic values
Dynamic values can be either Event Type, Event Name, Event ID or a combination of the three. They are called dynamic because they will vary, as you will see below.
- Event type will be the type of communication being sent - Campaign, Automation or Flow.
- Event name is the Name of your Campaign, Automation or Flow.
- Event ID is an unique identifier for the message sent.
The Dynamic values can also be combinations of any of the three above. For example “Event type + event name” or “Event name + event ID”.
Static values
Static values will always remain the same under all conditions, regardless if the link is from a Campaign, a Flow or an Automation. For example, if you choose your UTM source to be “SMSBump”, all your outgoing links will be tagged as “&utm_source=SMSBump”.
Custom values
You can also add your very own Custom values. Just make sure to define what you would like to track and measure.
Important:
Although UTM parameter values are not set in stone, every time you make changes to the tagging, you will also need to make the same changes to the tracking and measurement, to make sure your current and past results are aligned.
UTM Tracking for pasted links
Although you can add your very own links and UTM’s in SMS & Email, we highly recommend you check the box for UTM tracking for pasted links, because that way you will have the most accurate results from your marketing efforts.
UTM Tracking and Analytics
The most popular tool for tracking website traffic is undoubtedly Google Analytics. Everybody uses it (we sure do!) and we recommend you use it too. In Google Analytics you can find UTM parameter values and results in either Acquisition > All Traffic > Source/Medium using the Source and Medium parameters you selected above, or you can check your results in GA from Acquisition > Campaigns > All Campaigns.
In order to improve, we must track and measure the effectiveness of our marketing efforts. And since we can’t track and measure everything, it is crucial to start with the most important data. In UTM tracking those are the three default parameters - utm_source, utm_medium, and utm_campaign. Once you feel comfortable, start to add custom parameters to get a more detailed and granular view of your marketing efforts.
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