Email Campaign UTM Code Tagging and Naming Convention Guidelines

What is campaign tagging?

Campaign tagging is the process of appending UTM codes, (engagement tracking tags) to destination URLs on outbound marketing assets for tracking in Google Analytics. These tags allow Google Analytics to track how tactics and assets work together within an overall campaign. 

A simple way to remember the importance of email tagging for Salesforce Marketing Cloud – the email's name within the tool is the resulting UTM tracking appended to all links/urls within the email. (One exception is email address links - SFMC does not track clicks on email addresses.)

Why does tagging matter?

Tagging our email links consistently allows for comprehensive reporting and channel attribution through Google Analytics. This enables all of us to measure the impact and effectiveness of our email marketing efforts (alongside our marketing efforts in other channels).

What are the different parameters within UTM codes?

You only need to address the three in bold for email:

• Campaign (utm_campaign) – This is the name of your email
• Medium (utm_medium) – This is always “email”  identifies that the page view originated a bulk email send
• Source (utm_source) – Specifies your email system (e.g. sfmc)
• Content (utm_content) – Specifies a module ID, text link, image link, A/B test or other indicator of content
• Term (utm_term) – Identifies search terms like product name or major

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UTM_parameters

Tagging by email tool 

If you are using any tool outside Salesforce Marketing Cloud, you will need to append the UTM string (example shown below in bold) to all links in the email. Each URL in your email will need to be updated by hand to include this tracking.

Sample of url/link with email tags appended. See the detail after the "/?" for the start of a utm tag (note: all lowercase characters):

https://undergrad.osu.edu/majors-and-academics/?utm_campaign=studl_student-event_fy24_fall-visit-october&utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=email

This is because these tools (Mailchimp, Constant Contact, Ticketmaster, etc.) do not append tracking to URLs, and therefore they will not come through to Google Analytics and will appear to be direct traffic. This does not allow us to accurately attribute traffic coming from email. If you need to add your links manually and would like the assistance of the url builder rather than writing them by hand, you can use the builder here (select email as your channel). 

How do I tag my emails?

For email, you will use the tagging structure as part of your campaign or mailing name. In Salesforce Marketing Cloud, this will be the name of your email message.

Campaign (utm_campaign)

The utm_campaign tag is the starting code of your UTM string, and is a required field. The campaign naming structure for email marketing efforts is as follows:

unitcode_marketing-activity_fyXX_additional-qualifiers(note: all lowercase characters)

• Unit Code (see linked spreadsheet below for reference)
• Marketing Activity — made up of the following components:
  • Audience (see audience table below)
  • Email Type (see email type table below)
• FYXX (fiscal year)
• Additional Qualifiers: Email Descriptor (Keep in mind, this will display in your email urls and therefore your users will see this descriptor. Avoid using anything that could be considered sensitive or offensive [i.e., "senior alumni," "never-given," "low income," etc.].) 

Unit Code

Use the linked unit code spreadsheet below to find the appropriate unit code. If you need to categorize something outside these approved conventions, contact emailmarketing@osu.edu for assistance.

Audience

Refer to the chart below to determine which audience to use in your campaign name.

Email Type

Refer to the chart below to determine which email type to use in your campaign name.

Naming your email to create the UTM tag for the links

Let's put it all together!

If you need to add your links manually and would like the assistance of the url builder rather than writing them by hand, you can use the builder here (select email as your channel). 

unitcode_marketing-activity_fyXX_[additional-qualifiers] = Your output for UTM_Campaign (note: all lowercase characters)

Medium

Your medium will always be "email" and will be appended to your URLs automatically by Salesforce Marketing Cloud. (utm_medium=email)

Source

Your source will be your email sending tool, and will be appended automatically by Salesforce Marketing Cloud. (utm_source=sfmc)
 

Sample url/link with utm code appended, showing the bold text for the  "source" and "medium" parameters:
https://undergrad.osu.edu/majors-and-academics/?utm_campaign=studl_student-event_fy24_fall-visit-october&utm_source=sfmc&utm_medium=email

Questions regarding email tagging?

Reach out to emailmarketing@osu.edu.