Facebook ads are a great and cost-effective way to get potential customers to your website or to re-engage with past customers to boost repeat business. They are a useful part of Digital Marketing and your Digital Strategy. But how can you tell which ads and campaigns are getting the most engagement and action on your site? How did the traffic from your paid social ads contribute to the goals and events set up in Google Analytics?
UTM Tracking Code for Facebook Ads
Using the utm source, medium, content and campaign links in your ad URL gives Google Analytics all the data it requires to properly categorise your traffic. Creating a UTM code for each ad can be time consuming and give opportunity for error (Google will classify “August Summer Offer” and “august Summer Offer” as different campaigns). Fortunately, Facebook provides placeholders for your campaign tracking code:
Source {{site_source_name}}
Content {{ad.name}}
Campaign: {{campaign.name}}Combining these variables with a medium of “PaidSocial” or something recognisable will mean you can easily identify and filter this traffic in Google AdWords.
For simplicity, you can cut and paste this URL into your URL Parameters box in the ad editor on Facebook:
utm_source={{site_source_name}}&utm_medium=PaidSocial&utm_content={{ad.name}}&utm_campaign={{campaign.name}}Updating Your Facebook Ads
Your UTM tracking code needs to be placed in the “URL parameters” box in the “Tracking” section of each Facebook Ad.
We’ve noticed that after updating each ad we see a visit in Google Analytics with the source as the placeholder names. This visitor bounces, but later visits will be registered correctly with source, medium and campaign data.
Interpreting the Data
Now the traffic from Facebook Ads is recorded and categorised correctly you can view and filter based on paid search. This will allow you to see conversions, assisted conversions, interactions, events, pages viewed and funnels from your campaigns. Use this data to improve and update your campaigns.
If you would like support with your digital marketing, across any channel, contact Ricorocks Digital Agency and we’d be happy to give you a no-obligation quote.