The easiest way to get UTM Parameters into Nutshell CRM
Identify which marketing channel attracts future leads, opportunities & customers by tracking UTM parameters in Nutshell CRM
The key to growing any business is identifying what marketing channels, content & campaigns are generating leads & customers at a positive ROI, and then doubling down on those initiatives.
But if you can't measure exactly the amount of leads, customers & revenue being generated by your marketing efforts, how do you know which ones are working and which ones aren't?
The key to success is making sure you're tracking the source of every lead & opportunity in your CRM. That way, you can easily run reports that show which campaigns, content & channels are working.
In this article, we'll show you how to capture UTM parameters in Nutshell CRM so you can get the kind of reporting you need.
4 steps for capturing UTM parameters in Nutshell CRM
Using Attributer to capture UTM parameters in Nutshell CRM is easy. Here's how to do it in 4 easy steps:
1. Add UTM variables to your ads
The first thing you need to do to start tracking UTM parameters in your CRM is to add them to your ads and campaigns. This allows Attributer to determine exactly where your website visitors are coming from, and in turn, pass them through to your CRM for reporting on.
You should add UTM parameters to any ads or campaigns you are running. This could be on social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter, or on search engines like Google and Bing. It's even a good idea to use them on bespoke campaigns as well, such as advertisements you may have in trade publications, email campaigns, etc.
2. Add hidden fields to your forms
The second step involves integrating hidden fields in your lead capture forms (I.e. the forms you use to collect information from site visitors). These fields are not visible to end-users but still exist on the form, meaning tools like Attributer can interact with them without visitors seeing them.
It's quick and easy to add hidden fields in lead capture forms. If you're using a form building tool like Contact Form 7, Gravity Forms, Wufoo, etc then it's as easy as changing a few settings on your form. For those using custom HTML, just add input type="hidden" into your lead capture form's HTML code.
Here the hidden fields you need to add to your forms:
• Channel
• Channel Drilldown 1
• Channel Drilldown 2
• Channel Drilldown 3
• Landing Page
• Landing Page Group
3. Attributer automatically completes the hidden fields with UTM data
Remember what we said about Attributer being able to see your hidden fields?
What Attributer does is complete the hidden fields with the UTM parameters you put behind your ads in Step 1.
Let's take Dropbox as an example. A user googling ways to share large files comes across a Dropbox ad in Paid Search and clicks on it, and it leads the user to fill out a form to request a demo. Attributer would then completes the hidden fields with UTM data like that might look like this (depending on what you put in your UTM parameters):
- Channel = Paid Search
- Channel Drilldown 1 = Google
- Channel Drilldown 2 = Brand Campaign
- Channel Drilldown 3 = Dropbox
On top of this, Attributer would also track what page they arrived on and pass it through in the hidden fields. Continuing the Dropbox example from above, it could be:
- Landing Page = www.dropbox.com/features/share
- Landing Page Group = Features
4. UTM parameters are passed into Nutshell CRM
Now for the exciting part. When a site visitor submits a form, the landing page data, as well as the channel data acquired from the UTM parameters are sent to Nutshell CRM, together with the lead's name, email, phone number, and other information provided on the form.
Once the data is in Nutshell CRM, feel free to employ your reporting and other existing BI tools to create reports that can inform and guide your subsequent marketing plans.
Aside from knowing which of your channels are pulling in the highest number of leads, you should also be able to view the Closed Won deals from your channels, the conversion rate to opportunity, etc.
What is Attributer?
From the steps above you can get an idea of how Attributer works to get UTM parameters into Nutshell CRM.
If you're interested in the more technical details around how it works though, Attributer is a nifty piece of code that, when placed on your website, looks at technical data such as UTM parameters, HTTP referrer information, device, etc. to ascertain where a particular visitor came from.
Based on that technical data, it then categorizes each visit into a series of channels - Paid Search, Organic Search, and Paid Social are good examples - and stores it in the visitor's browser as a cookie.
Then when that visitor completes a form on your website, Attributer writes those values to the hidden fields in your form and they are passed into your CRM.
Attributer was built by a B2B marketing consultant who saw the need for a tool that can be used to identify which channels were actually turning visitors into leads and customers. I originally built it to use on my client's website but after a while, I realized it could be useful for B2B marketers everywhere.
Why using Attributer is better than capturing raw UTM parameters
Of all the tools you can use, why choose Attributer?
Simple: Attributer doesn't only capture raw UTM parameters, like most other tools do. It does a whole lot more, including:
1. Captures all traffic
Attributer keeps a record of all sources of traffic to your site and passes this on to Nutshell CRM. This record includes not just UTM parameters, but also channel information on visitors to your site who arrive there through channels where there are no UTM parameters present (i.e. Organic Social, Organic Search, Direct, Referral, etc.).
So, because you've got all traffic sources, you'll be able to know where all of your leads are coming from, not just those arriving on your site through paid advertising.
2. Provides cleaner data
Attributer gives you cleaner, more organized data. One of the problems with capturing UTM parameters raw is that you inevitably end up with loads of messy data that can make Marie Kondo cry.
As an example, imagine some of your Twitter campaigns are tagged with UTM_Source=Twitter.com (capital T), others with UTM_Source=twitter (lowercase, no domain), and others with UTM_Source=tw.
When you run reports in Nutshell CRM with just these raw UTM parameters to see how many leads your Twitter campaigns have brought you, you get three different sources that you would then have to stitch together.
With Attributer, you don't have to deal with this because it takes the possibility of capitalization and other inconsistencies into account, and will ascribe leads to Paid Social.
3. Captures landing page data as well
If you want to know how well certain content on your site is doing (I.e. your blog) in terms of bringing in customers and leads, you can rely on Attributer to help you out.
In addition to UTM parameters and other channel information, Attributer also captures landing page data (the exact landing page and the landing page category included). This means you'll be able to assess the performance of your content, whether it's a quick listicle or an in-depth piece you spent days perfecting.
Wrap up
Attributer exceeds expectations as a UTM parameter capturing tool because it does a whole lot more.
Attributer captures and passes UTM parameters into Nutshell CRM while also giving you data on leads from channels where UTM parameters aren't present It could be from Organic Social, Organic Search, Referral, or other channels.
Ready to experience what Attributer can do for you? It's free to try, so get started using Attributer today.
Get Started For Free
It's free to get started with Attributer, and paid plans start at just $49 per month