The easiest way to get UTM Parameters into ActiveCampaign
Use Attributer to get UTM parameters into ActiveCampaign with each new lead, so that you can ultimately track where all your leads and customers are coming from.
You can track UTM parameters in ActiveCampaign using Attributer. Simply add hidden fields to your forms, Attributer writes the data into them, and it gets sent to ActiveCampaign alongside each new contact. It even captures attribution data on leads from organic channels (like Organic Search, Organic Social, and more).
Do you know which marketing channels and campaigns are actually driving your leads and customers?
If not, you're probably spending money in the wrong places and flying blind when it comes to growing your business.
The good news? There's a simple fix.
By capturing UTM parameters from your campaigns and passing them into ActiveCampaign with each new contact, you can run reports that show exactly which channels and campaigns are generating leads, customers, and revenue.
In this article, we'll show you how to do it using Attributer.
4 steps for capturing UTM parameters in ActiveCampaign
Using Attributer to capture UTM parameters in ActiveCampaign is easy. Here's how to do it in 4 easy steps:
1. Add the Attributer code to your website
When you sign up for a 14-day free trial of Attributer, you'll get a small snippet of code to add to your website.
The exact process varies depending on your website builder (WordPress, Webflow, Squarespace, etc.), but it's generally done through the settings section of your site.
If you need help, there are full step-by-step instructions for all the major website builders in Attributer's documentation.
2. Add hidden fields to your forms
Next, you need to add hidden fields to your website forms. These hidden fields don't appear on the form when it's shown to your website visitors, but still existing on the form in the background, allowing tools like Attributer to write information into them.
You'll need to add the following 6 hidden fields to your website forms:
- Channel
- Channel Drilldown 1
- Channel Drilldown 2
- Channel Drilldown 3
- Landing Page
- Landing Page Group
If you are using ActiveCampaign's built-in form builder then instructions for adding the hidden fields can be found here.
If you're using a 3rd party form builder (like Gravity Forms, WP Forms, Typeform, etc.) then it's as simple as adding 'Hidden' field types to your form.
3. Attributer automatically completes the hidden fields with UTM data
Once everything is set up, Attributer will automatically populate the hidden fields whenever someone completes a form on your site.
Here's an example of how it works. Say you're a marketer at an accounting firm and someone searches "small business accountant Sydney" on Google, clicks your paid search ad, lands on your site, and fills out a form to get in touch. Based on the UTM parameters behind that ad, Attributer would write the following into the hidden fields:
- Channel = Paid Search
- Channel Drilldown 1 = Google
- Channel Drilldown 2 = Small Business Campaign
- Channel Drilldown 3 = Small Business Accountant Ad
It also captures where they landed:
- Landing Page = www.smithaccounting.com/services/small-business
- Landing Page Group = Services
4. UTM parameters are passed into ActiveCampaign
Finally, when a user submits one of your website forms, all the UTM parameters and landing page data from Attributer are submitted and sent to ActiveCampaign.
With this data, you can then run reports that show you how many leads & customers you got from each channel or campaign and determine the ROI of each of them.
What is Attributer?
Attributer is a small piece of code that runs on your website.
When someone lands on your site, Attributer figures out how they found you and categorises them into a marketing channel (like Paid Search, Paid Social, Organic Search, etc.), storing that information in their browser.
Then, when they fill out a form, that channel data gets captured by your form tool and can be sent to ActiveCampaign alongside their contact details.
Attributer was built by Aaron Beashel, a B2B marketing consultant who kept running into the same problem with his clients: they could see how many visitors their campaigns were driving in Google Analytics, but had no way of knowing how many of those visitors were turning into actual leads and customers.
"I originally built it to use on my client's websites, but after a while, I realized it could be useful for businesses everywhere."
Why using Attributer is better than capturing raw UTM parameters
There are other tools in the market that can just capture raw UTM parameters and pass them into ActiveCampaign. But Attributer does more, including:
1. Captures all lead sources
Attributer provides information ALL lead sources, not just the users who arrive at your site from your paid ads with UTM parameters. So, even if a user comes from channels like Organic Social, Organic Search, Direct, Referral, etc. Attributer will still send information into ActiveCampaign.
This means that you can run reports that show where ALL of your leads are coming from, not just those that come from your paid ad campaigns.
2. Remembers the data across pageviews and sessions
With most other UTM tracking tools, the form needs to be completed on the same page the visitor first landed on in order for the tracking to work. If they browse to another page before filling out the form, the data is lost.
Here's why that's a problem. Say someone clicks one of your Facebook Ads and lands on your homepage. They browse around, click "Request a Quote," and get taken to a separate page to fill out the form. Because they moved to a different page before submitting, the UTM parameters are gone and nothing gets passed into ActiveCampaign.
Attributer solves this by storing the UTM data in the visitor's browser as soon as they land on your site. That way, no matter which page they end up completing the form on, the original attribution data is always captured and passed through.
3. Capture's Click ID's
Attributer can also capture click IDs like the Google Click ID (GCLID), Microsoft Click ID (MSCLKID), and Facebook Click ID (FBCLID) with each form submission.
Once those click IDs are in ActiveCampaign, you can send them back to the ad platform as an offline conversion at a key point in your sales process (like when a contact becomes a paying customer).
That means, instead of optimising your campaigns around form submissions or thank-you page visits, you can feed ad platforms data on your actual customers, which tends to produce much better results.
4. Captures landing page data as well
Not only does Attributer capture UTM parameters and other channel data, but it also captures the landing page (I.e. attributer.io/blog/capture-utm-parameters-activecampaign) and the landing page category (I.e. /blog).
With this landing page data, you can further understand how effective those content pieces you spend hours writing and editing actually are.
And, because Attributer captures both the landing page and its group, you can analyze how groups of content are performing (I.e. your blog) as well as understand the performance of individual pages or pieces of content (I.e. individual blog posts).
Helping Non Plus Ultra understand the ROI of their digital marketing campaigns
Non Plus Ultra (NPU Events) transforms iconic properties like the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco and Sports Castle in Denver into event spaces. They were running Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and other campaigns to drive bookings, but while Google Analytics showed them how many visitors each campaign was sending, they had no way to connect those visitors to actual event bookings.
That's when they started using Attributer.
Now, whenever someone fills out their booking form, Attributer automatically passes through UTM parameters and other information with the form submission, and it is captured by their form tool and sent to their CRM.
For the first time, the NPU team could see exactly which campaigns were generating leads, how many of those leads went on to book an event, how much revenue each campaign was responsible for, and whether their ad spend was actually paying off.
They also uncovered something unexpected. Because Attributer tracks all leads (not just those from paid campaigns), they discovered that referral traffic from the venue websites they manage was driving a significant number of bookings. It was something they never would have found without it.
The result is that the NPU team now knows exactly which ad platforms, campaigns, and ads are driving the most bookings, and can make smarter decisions about where to put their budget.
“Attributer allows us to go beyond just measuring form completions in Google Analytics and truly understand which of our marketing initiatives are generating event bookings and revenue."
Maria Redin - COO, Non Plus Ultra
4 example reports you can run when you capture UTM parameters in ActiveCampaign
If you are using Attributer to capture UTM parameters with each contact in ActiveCampaign, then it should be easy to run reports like the following:
1. Leads by Channel
The report above shows the number of leads generated each month, broken down by the channel they came from.
Reports like this are possible because Attributer captures attribution information on ALL leads, including those that come from organic sources (Organic search, Organic social, Direct, etc) without UTM parameters.
This means you can see how your paid ad campaigns are performing in comparison to your organic marketing efforts (like SEO and social media) and adjust your resources accordingly.
2. Leads by Facebook Ads Network
If you have ads running on the different networks Facebook offers (i.e., Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, etc.), the report shows you how many leads you are generating from each network.
The network the ad appears on can have a significant impact on performance, so being able to see how many leads you are getting from each can help you optimise your ad spend and generate more leads.
3. Customers by Google Ads campaign
This report shows you the number of customers generated each month from your Google Ads, broken down by the campaign they came from.
Being able to report on this data can help you see which campaigns are actually generating customers, as opposed to those that are just generating clicks and visits that don't actually convert.
And with this information, you can make informed decisions about how to best allocate your budget and grow your business.
4. Revenue by Keyword
If you put the keyword in the UTM parameters behind your Google Ads (which is easy to do using tracking templates), then you can capture the keyword your leads are typing into Google to find you.
This can give you granular insights into which of the keywords you are bidding on are actually generating customers and revenue, and can ultimately help you optimise your Google Ads spend and grow revenue.
Wrap up
If you're looking for a way to capture UTM parameters with each new contact in ActiveCampaign, then Attributer is a great solution.
It stores the UTMs as visitors browse your site, so they are never lost, and it also passes through additional information on leads that come from organic channels like Organic Search, Organic Social, etc.
Ultimately, by using Attributer, you'll have a much better understanding of where your leads and customers are coming from and what you need to do to get more of them.
And the best part is that there's a 14-day free trial and it takes less than 10 minutes to set up, so you can try it out today!
Get Started For Free
Start your 14-day free trial of Attributer today!
About the Author
Aaron Beashel is the founder of Attributer and has over 15 years of experience in marketing & analytics. He is a recognized expert in the subject and has written articles for leading websites such as Hubspot, Zapier, Search Engine Journal, Buffer, Unbounce & more. Learn more about Aaron here.