The internet has never been more populated and relevant as it is today. Most brands know that taking their online presence more seriously poses several advantages. Thousands of programs have been developed with the sole purpose of maximizing exposure and engagement. Seminars on building brands and advertising have been held across the globe.
The internet has continually revolutionized advertising–for better or for worse. With multiple techniques and tricks created to gain traction for one's brand, perhaps one simple tool has been continuously taken for granted—the UTM tracker.
So, here's what UTM tracking and tags could do and how it could give your business an edge. Read on to find out more.
What Are UTM Trackers and Tags?
In digital marketing and paid media, traffic and visitors are being sent back and forth through different websites. It can be challenging to figure out where everything is coming from. That's where UTM tracking comes in.
Simply put, UTM tracking is essential for answering the question, "Where did my user come from?" When someone clicks your link, digital programs can automatically figure out and record how the user stumbled upon your site. This is possible by placing tags on specific links.
You can figure out how your users got to your site with UTM tracking. It shows you whether they got to you through specific social media platforms, whether they clicked on an email, looked you up on a search engine, and more. It then keeps a record of how many users clicked different tags.
For example, if you decided to post links across social media–Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.–a UTM tracking program can count how many users got to your site and give you specific information. It can tell you how many users reached your website from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and so on. The same principle works for other social media platforms, search engines, emails, etc.
Why UTM Tracking and Tags are Important for Your Brand
When it comes to marketing, knowledge is definitely power. That is precisely what UTM tracking and tags offer: knowledge specifically aimed to get the most out of your advertising. Here are two ways UTM tracking and tags help your brand:
1. UTM Trackers Tell You Which Platforms Are the Most Effective in Engagement
Paid, online advertising—especially when not selected carefully–can quickly become very expensive. Oftentimes, less experienced brand owners will simply pay what they think are good platforms to advertise their ads. Can you imagine continuously paying several platforms to promote your brand and then just hoping for results?
At the same time, less experienced brand owners will focus their attention and promotions on one or two platforms and neglect other means of effective advertising. Being uninformed on statistics can not only cost you your money, but it may also lay waste to your concentrated efforts. That's why knowing the effectiveness of your advertising is essential.
For example, brands may focus all their efforts on social media, paying Twitter and Instagram hefty amounts for the sake of promotion. At the same time, this brand may try light advertising via emails. When they receive viewers, the chances of assuming the viewers came from social media are likely. So they decide to focus there even more and stop advertising via email.
But what happens when most of the users had come from the email advertisements instead? Money and effort are wasted, and their primary source of exposure has been cut off. This is why UTM trackers are essential.
When UTM trackers show you which platforms generate the most and least users, you can determine which platforms are worth your penny and focus on that. At the same time, you can cut off ineffective, paid advertising platforms to make your marketing expenditure more efficient.
2. UTM Trackers Are a Great Way to Get a Feel on Whether Your Exposure Is Thriving
In most cases, results take quite some time. In fact, waiting too long for results can cost you a lot—maybe even your whole brand. The effectiveness of your business strategies lies solely in the results it produces. UTM tracking can help here as well.
The results could be vague or confusing if a brand owner advertises across multiple platforms without UTM tracking. They'd have to wait for a spike or some interaction from potential viewers or clients to tell them that their advertising is working.
Without figuring out where his viewers are coming from, they wouldn't have the time to focus on the specific platform. They could even cut off the platform that produces the most users if they do not know their statistics.
This is precisely why being aware of how much exposure you are getting almost instantly is advantageous. With UTM tracking, you can tell whether your advertising strategies are successful before it is too late. If your marketing plan proves to be unsuccessful, you would know almost immediately, and you could change or adjust your strategy to make it more effective.
Short.io Tracks Clicks and Statistics for You
Short.io is a service that specializes in links and everything they can do. This also includes UTM tracking and tags. When you use Short.io, UTM tracking is simplified so you can focus your attention on other matters while we take care of the rest.
UTM Tracking is Only the Beginning
UTM tracking is undoubtedly an asset to any brand that utilizes digital marketing. However, smart brand owners know that UTM tracking is only one of several ways to promote a brand. Links hold a world of information and features that give you and your brand the edge it may need. Success may very well come from learning how they work and using them to your advantage.
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