Start using UTMs (and stop being a marketing detective with zero clues)

You know that feeling when you check Google Analytics and it just says "87 people visited from Referral sources" with absolutely no other context?

Cool. Very helpful. Was it that LinkedIn post about your latest feature? Your random Twitter reply that went viral? That TikTok you posted ironically at 2am?

Cue the Scooby Doo mystery music 🔍

Your 15-minute mission:

‍→ Set up a UTM tracking system (check out this free Google Sheet template)

→ Create UTM links for your next marketing activity (e.g. LinkedIn post)

→ Pop a reminder in your diary to check Google Analytics in 1 week to check the data is pulling through

What are UTMs anyway?

‍Those little question mark thingies you add to links that tell Google Analytics exactly where your traffic came from.

(Or in more technical terms... UTMs (Urchin Tracking Modules) are short bits of text added to the end of a URL to help you track where your website traffic is coming from. They let you see which campaigns, platforms, or content are driving clicks and conversions in tools like Google Analytics.)

Think of them as tiny detectives that follow people around the internet and report back with gossip.

"Psst... Someone clicked your newsletter link about pricing, then signed up for a demo."

vs.

"Someone... did something... somewhere. Good luck figuring it out! 🤷‍♀️"

Resources to get you started

At Stella Startups, we have a UTM builder & tracker in Notion built from a free template, but if you’re not on Notion, our (also free) Google Sheet template works just as well - just duplicate it, bookmark it and off you go!

Will you sometimes forget to set up a UTM and be kicking yourself? 100% (I am totally guilty of this!). The goal isn't to be perfect. It's to start forming habits that make you that bit less clueless the next time you go to make a marketing decision.