Short answer to the question, “Should I use UTM for social media?”Why not?
Click on the button below to start creating social media posts with UTMs using Circleboom, or keep on reading for more information.
What are UTM Parameters (in a Nutshell)?
UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters are tags you add to the end of a URL. These tags don’t change where the link takes you, but they provide extra information to analytics tools like Google Analytics.
This allows you to see exactly where your website visitors are coming from.
The Main UTM Parameters You Need to Know
There are five UTM parameters in total, but these three are the most important for social media tracking:
utm_source: This tells you where the traffic came from (e.g.,facebook,instagram,twitter).utm_medium: This specifies the type of link (e.g.,social,post,story,bio).utm_campaign: This identifies the specific campaign or promotion you’re running (e.g.,summer_sale,product_launch,spring_collection).
Why Use UTMs for Social Media?
Here’s why UTMs are so valuable for social media marketers:
- Precise Tracking: See exactly which social media platforms and posts are driving traffic to your website.
- Campaign Performance Analysis: Compare the performance of different social media campaigns to see which ones are most effective.
- Track Specific Links: If you’re sharing multiple links in one campaign, UTMs can help you see which one performs best. For instance, does your audience prefer the link in your tweet or your bio?
- Data-Driven Decisions: Use data from UTM parameters to optimize your social media strategy and allocate your resources effectively.
When Should You Use UTM Parameters?
- For Every Social Media Post with a Link to Your Website: If you’re sharing links to your website on social media, using UTMs is generally a good idea. This allows you to track the effectiveness of your social media efforts.
- For Different Campaigns: If you’re running multiple social media campaigns simultaneously, use different
utm_campaignvalues to distinguish between them. - For A/B Testing: If you’re testing different versions of your social media posts, use different UTM parameters to track which version performs best.
When Might You Not Need UTM Parameters?
- Internal Links: If you’re linking to other pages within your own website, you don’t need UTM parameters. Your website analytics should already track this information.
- Simple Link Sharing Without Tracking Needs: If you’re just sharing a link for informational purposes and don’t need to track its performance, you can skip the UTMs.
How to Add UTMs to Social Media Links
You can directly use a UTM builder tool and get that link from that tool to paste it on the platforms you’ll be posting.
But this means one more browser tab, one more thing to keep track of, and one more tool to use, especially if you’re working up with managing multiple social media accounts.
As an alternative solution, I can introduce you to a social media management tool, Circleboom Publish, for a more streamlined approach.
Circleboom Publish lets you create, design, and schedule your social media posts with the ability to add UTMs, all without leaving the same dashboard, even for multiple accounts from diverse platforms.
In either case, you’ll be asked to fill in the necessary fields and the UTM tags will be added to your link, ready to be posted.
As you can see, Circleboom Publish is quite a comprehensive tool for almost all your social media needs.
So… Should You Use UTMs for Social Media?
The answer is a resounding yes—if you want to get serious about tracking and optimizing your social media campaigns. UTMs provide the insights you need to understand your audience, refine your strategies, and maximize your ROI.
Whether you’re a marketer, content creator, or business owner, UTMs can help you make data-driven decisions for better results.