How to create a UTM link to track the performance of your Social Media Ads?

UTM links are important to use when tracking the performance of LinkedIn advertising campaigns because they allow businesses to see exactly where their traffic is coming from, and which campaigns are driving the most conversions and revenue. By adding specific parameters to the URLs of your ads, you can track the number of clicks, conversions, and revenue generated by your LinkedIn ads in Google Analytics. This information can help businesses understand the effectiveness of their social media advertising campaigns and make data-driven decisions about future campaigns.

Creating an advertising report for businesses is an important step in analyzing the performance of LinkedIn advertising campaigns. The best way to create an advertising report is to use the data from Google Analytics, in combination with other data sources such as LinkedIn Ads Insights.
The report should include the following data:

• Impressions: The number of times the ad was seen

• Clicks: The number of times the ad was clicked

• Click-through rate (CTR): The ratio of clicks to impressions

• Conversion rate: The percentage of clicks that resulted in a conversion

• Revenue: The amount of revenue generated by the campaign

• Cost per click (CPC): The amount spent on the campaign divided by the number of clicks

• Return on ad spend (ROAS): The ratio of revenue to ad spend

• Audience demographics: The demographic information about the audience that engaged with the ad

It's also essential to analyze the performance of the landing page. This can be done by looking at the bounce rate, time on site, and conversion rate of the landing page.
Once the data is collected, the report should be presented in a clear and concise manner, with the key metrics highlighted and easy to understand. The report should also include recommendations for future campaigns based on the data analyzed.
It's worth noting that it's important to track the performance of your social media advertising campaigns regularly to identify any issues or opportunities for improvement. Additionally, you should compare your campaign's performance with industry benchmarks to understand how you are doing compared to other companies in your industry.

Let's deep dive a little bit. What is a UTM?

UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) is a simple code that can be added to the end of a URL in order to track the performance of specific campaigns. These codes are used to track the source, medium, and campaign name of the traffic that is coming to a website. The technology behind UTM is based on the use of query parameters appended to the end of a URL. These parameters are added using a specific format, which is recognized by Google Analytics. The format consists of a question mark followed by a series of key-value pairs separated by an ampersand.

Here is an example of a UTM link:

https://www.example.com?utm_source=LinkedIn&utm_medium=sponsored_content&utm_campaign=Product_A

In this example, the UTM link includes three parameters:

utm_source: The source of the traffic (LinkedIn)

utm_medium: The medium of the campaign (sponsored_content)

utm_campaign: The name of the campaign (Product_A) 

As a digital marketer, it's crucial to use UTM codes to track the performance of your campaigns and make data-driven decisions. By using UTM codes, you can gain valuable insights into which campaigns are driving the most traffic and conversions, allowing you to optimize your marketing strategy and allocate resources more effectively. It is vital to have a consistent naming convention for your UTM parameters and use them consistently in all your campaigns. This will make it easier to analyze and compare the performance of different campaigns over time.

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to create a UTM link to track your advertising performance on Google Analytics:

1. Go to the Google Analytics Campaign URL Builder: You can access the Google Analytics Campaign URL Builder by visiting https://ga-dev-tools.appspot.com/campaign-url-builder/

2. Enter the website URL: In the Website URL field, enter the URL of the page you want to track. This is typically the landing page for your social media ad.

3. Enter the campaign source: In the Campaign Source field, enter "LinkedIn" to indicate that the traffic is coming from LinkedIn.

4. Enter the campaign medium: In the Campaign Medium field, enter the medium of the campaign. For example, if it's a sponsored content enter "sponsored_content", if it's a sponsored InMail enter "sponsored_inmail"

5. Enter the campaign name: In the Campaign Name field, enter a name that describes your ad campaign. This can be something like "LinkedIn Sponsored Content - Product A"

6. Enter additional parameters (optional): You can also add additional parameters such as campaign content or campaign term if desired.
   

7. Generate the UTM link: Click on the "Generate URL" button to create your UTM link.

8. Use the UTM link in your LinkedIn ad: Use the UTM link as the destination URL in your LinkedIn ad.

9. Verify the data in Google Analytics: Once the ad campaign has been running for a while, you can go to the Google Analytics > Acquisition > All Campaigns, you will find your campaign data and track the performance of your LinkedIn ads.
   

   Note that it can take a day or two for Google Analytics to start tracking the data from the UTM link.

When creating UTM links, it's also important to ensure that the links are properly formatted and that the parameters are spelled correctly, as any errors can lead to inaccurate tracking.

Another important aspect to keep in mind is to test your links before you use them in your campaigns. By testing your links, you can ensure that they are working correctly and that they are properly redirecting traffic to the correct landing pages.

In summary, UTM codes are an essential tool for digital marketers, allowing them to track the performance of their campaigns and make data-driven decisions. By using UTM codes, digital marketers can gain valuable insights into which campaigns are driving the most traffic and conversions, allowing them to optimize their marketing strategy and allocate resources more effectively.