UTM Codes

UTM codes (short for Urchin Tracking Module) are small snippets of text added to the end of a URL that enable you to track how people are finding your ticket sales page (or event website or another web page), and whether or not those people are buying tickets to your event.

For example, instead of using the regular link to your ticket sales page, such as:

https://yourevent.com/tickets

A link to the same page with UTM codes is much longer. Here’s an example:

https://yourevent.com/tickets?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=summer_festival

A UTM code is made up of one or more parameters that give you different information to identify how a visitor to your ticket sales page got there. You can get quite specific using multiple UTM parameters in a single UTM code.

Several UTM parameters are included in the UTM Reports you can set up in TicketReach: source, medium, ad spend, campaign term, and campaign content.

SOURCE

(utm_source)

The UTM source parameter tells you where the traffic is coming from. In other words, when someone lands on your ticket sales page, where did they originate from? What specific website, publication, or advertiser drove them to your page?

Some common examples include:

• newsletter
• facebook
• instagram
• google
• attendstar

The parameter looks like this in a UTM code appended to a URL:

utm_source=newsletter

MEDIUM

(utm_medium)

The UTM medium parameter tells you how someone who landed on your ticket sales page (or other web page) got there. What marketing method drove the visit?

Some common examples include:

• email
• social
• cpc (cost-per-click ads)
• banner
• referral

The parameter looks like this in a UTM code appended to a URL:

utm_medium=email

CAMPAIGN

(utm_campaign)

The UTM campaign parameter tells you the specific campaign that drove traffic to your web page. For example, if developed an early bird ticket sale and promoted it through your email newsletter, paid search ads, and social media posts, you can use the campaign parameter to group all of the links together. This way, you can track the overall campaign performance.

Some common examples include:

• early_bird_sale
• vip_upgrade
• local_promo

The parameter looks like this in a UTM code appended to a URL:

utm_campaign=summer_concert_series

SPEND

(utm_spend)

The UTM spend parameter tells you how much you spent on the campaign. It’s used to pass a specific monetary value (e.g., the cost of the click or the budget for that specific link) into a TicketReach’s tracking system. With this data, you can track ad spend associated with a specific link or campaign and calculate ROI.

Some common examples include:

• 1.50
• 200
• 1500

The parameter looks like this in a UTM code appended to a URL:

utm_spend=200

TERM

(utm_term)

The UTM term parameter tells you which keywords, search phrases, ad group, or audience targeting that triggered a visitor to click your link.

Some common examples include:

• live_music_fans
• family_events
• air_show_nashville

The parameter looks like this in a UTM code appended to a URL:

utm_term=live_music_fans 

CONTENT

(utm_content)

The UTM medium parameter tells you which specific version of your ad, email, etc. drove a visitor to your page. This is useful to track the performance of A/B split tests or to track different links in the same campaign.

Some common examples include:

• button_top
• text_link_footer
• image_banner
• version_a
• version_b

The parameter looks like this in a UTM code appended to a URL:

utm_content=button_top