Tracking social media campaigns

Campaigns help you understand how well your communication efforts are paying off and which outreach activities are more effective. Each Commonplace comes with campaign tracking but requires a bit of extra information for this to work.

This extra information is called UTM parameters - extra bits that are added to the end of URLs.

When producing a campaign it is important to make sure that your name is clear and explanatory.

A link to your Commonplace with campaign information may look similar to this:

What does UTM stand for?

UTM stands for "Urchin Tracking Module". A few years ago, Google purchased a company called Urchin and rebranded it Google Analytics. A UTM tag is a tracking marker appended to a webpage link (URL) and is recognised by website analytic software as a dimension to understanding user behaviour better. ( Source: Google)

How do you create these long URLs?

We recommend using the URL campaign builder by Google. It lets you set the base URL and any additional parameters. Please ensure that you've provided a "Campaign Name" - this is the campaign title that will be displayed on the Campaign dashboard panel.

Why is a UTM important?

We recommend using the UTM as it will highlight the direct route the audience has taken to land on your page. The data will then be collected on the Commonplace dashboard.  In return, the journey recorded will help shape future campaigns and advertisements for your projects. Highlighting channels and platforms which have done well for reach and the others which need more support in your campaign.