What the heck are UTMs?

UTM parameters are codes that are added to the end of a URL to track the source, medium, campaign name (and more) of a particular marketing effort. UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module, named after the company that developed it. These codes can also be used for tracking Facebook ads, which is particularly useful for getting more accurate data on the performance of your campaigns. Keep reading to find out why and how to use UTMs on Facebook ads for better data.

Why Use UTMs on Facebook Ads?

Facebook Ads Manager provides a lot of data and insights into the performance of your ad campaigns. However, by adding UTM parameters to your ad URLs, you can get even more detailed information about how people are interacting with your website once they’ve clicked an ad, where they are coming from, and which specific ad placements are performing best. Here are some of the benefits of using UTMs on Facebook ads:

1. Accurate tracking:
   
   By using UTMs, you can track the exact source and medium of your traffic. This is particularly useful for tracking traffic from different Facebook placements, such as the news feed, right-hand column, or Instagram. By default, ALL traffic from Facebook and Instagram gets categorized as a referral with no distinction between your organic and paid efforts. With UTMS, you will be able to distinguish between organic and paid to get a deeper understanding of your traffic from each.
   
   
2. Better attribution:
   
   UTMs make it easier to attribute conversions to specific campaigns, ads, or even individual creatives. This information can help you optimize your ads for better performance. We love getting a closer look at how individual placements are performing to help us optimize where we let our ads show. If a certain placement is just bringing traffic that only stays on the site for 2 seconds, you can remove it on FB so you don’t waste your money there!
   
   
3. Improved insights:
   By using UTMs, you can get more detailed insights into the behavior of your audience. This can help you understand which types of content and messaging are resonating with your audience and adjust your strategy accordingly. Ever since the iOS 14 updates, you get very minimal granular data in Facebook Ads Manager in relation to your conversions (it won’t tell you which placements or demographics lead to the conversion anymore). With less data in Ads Manager, it becomes harder to optimize and make sure you are utilizing your ad spend efficiently. BUT once you pair it with data in Google Analytics through UTMs, you’ll open a whole new world of optimization possibilities!
   
   

How to Use UTMs on Facebook Ads

Here are the steps to add UTM parameters to your Facebook ad URLs:

Step 1: Copy this dynamic UTM template:

utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium={{placement}}&utm_campaign={{campaign.name}}&utm_content={{adset.name}}&utm_term={{ad.name}}

This dynamic template will bring in which placement your ad showed in, and won’t require you to manually update any naming if you duplicate an ad into another campaign/ad group.

Step 2: Add the UTM link to your Facebook ad:

In Ads Manager, navigate to the ad you want to add the UTM link to (you should put it on all of them). Then, click on the “Edit” button and scroll down to the “Tracking” section. Paste the template above into the “URL Parameters” field.

Step 3: Track your results:

Once you’ve added the UTM link to your Facebook ad, you can track the results in Google Analytics. Simply navigate to the “Acquisition” tab and within your source/medium reporting you’ll be able to see the data for your Facebook ad campaign.

Conclusion

UTMs are a powerful tool for tracking the performance of your Facebook ads beyond the Ads Manager. By adding UTM parameters to your ad URLs, you can get more detailed insights into the behavior of your audience once they reach your website, optimize your ads for better performance, and attribute conversions to specific placements, campaigns, ads, or creatives. So, if you’re not already using UTMs on your Facebook ads, it’s time to start!