Overview
Although Triple Whale doesn't have a native integration with every marketing channel and Email/SMS provider, you can still use Triple Whale to track traffic from those channels by using UTM tracking parameters.
Using UTMs allows businesses to track the performance of non-integrated ad channels by appending unique parameters to URLs. These parameters help in identifying the traffic source and campaign details in analytics platforms. You can then map an assigned Ad Spend value to these UTMs through Triple Whale, providing you a unified view of marketing efforts, while enabling better budget allocation across your multi-channel marketing strategy.
To learn more about Pixel tracking & attribution, visit: How the Triple Pixel Works
UTM Setup
Tracking visitors, sessions, and conversions from a source that's not directly integrated with Triple Whale is as easy as adding three simple tracking parameters to your ad links.
UTM | If the traffic source supports Dynamic Values | If the traffic source supports Static Values |
tw_source= --or-- utm_source= | {source_name} |
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tw_campaign= --or-- utm_campaign= | {campaign_name} |
|
tw_term= --or-- utm_term= | {adgroup_name} |
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tw_content= --or-- utm_content= | {ad_name} |
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UTM Setup Example:
Suppose the ad in question is meant to direct prospective customers to https://yoursite.com/product and the following specifications are true:
Ad Source (tw_source or utm_source):
taboolaCampaign Name (tw_campaign or utm_campaign):
summer-saleAd Group (tw_term or utm_term):
MA-US-18-24Ad Name (tw_content or utm_content):
bogo_summer_sale_TOF_22
The final result of what your ad link should look something like will be something like this:
https://yoursite.com/product?tw_source=taboola&tw_campaign=summer-sale&tw_term=MA-US-18-24&tw_content=bogo_summer_sale_TOF_22
Mapping Specific Email/SMS Channels
As explained above, all marketing content directing prospects towards your site should identify the traffic source using the tw_source or utm_source parameter (ex: tw_source=mailchimp). In specific instances, Triple Whale will identify the source as an Email/SMS channel and map that data to appear on the Pixel Email & SMS dashboard.
Attentive:
tw_source=attentiveorutm_source=attentivePostscript:
tw_source=postscriptorutm_source=postscriptMailchimp:
tw_source=mailchimporutm_source=mailchimpOmnisend:
tw_source=omnisendorutm_source=omnisendSMSbump:
tw_source=smsbumporutm_source=smsbumpVia SMS:
tw_source=viaorutm_source=via
In these cases, using utm_medium and utm_campaign will allow you to drill deeper into those sources to see the conversions tracked to each specific adgroup and campaign.
Unsure where or how to set up UTM tracking parameters in a specific source or channel? Most marketing apps have their own documentation for this process; reach out to your assigned representative or their customer support team to gain access.
Spotlight: UTM Setup for Attentive, Postscript, and Omnisend
Spotlight: UTM Setup for Attentive, Postscript, and Omnisend
Attentive:
To set up your UTM tracking in Attentive, click Settings and select Google Analytics. Make sure the option to Enable Google Analytics Link Tracking is checked.
Then, each campaign you launch will have its' own utm_campaign setting. When creating a new campaign text, click the URL button and you'll be able to input the UTM campaign. This can simply be the name of the campaign, so you'll be able to easily identify them in Triple Whale.
Postscript:
Please follow these directions as outlined by the Postscript team.
Omnisend:
Insert the campaign name into the UTM settings found in your Omnisend campaign builder.
Attribution Dashboards
Track all web and marketing traffic to your store using the Pixel attribution dashboard. Here, you will find every Traffic Source and the data we have tracked in association with that source.
If you have assigned an Ad Spend value to a specific non-integrated traffic source (keep reading to see how!), you will also be able to see a ROAS metric and other revenue metrics for that particular traffic source.
In the above example, I have assigned a $500 Custom Spend to Taboola. As a result, I can measure a ROAS of 6.97 and CPA of $9.42 for Taboola based on our first-party tracking data.
Assign Ad Spend to UTM Data
By assigning an Ad Spend value to any incoming traffic source and/or campaign, you can generate a ROAS report even for traffic sources that lack an API connection with Triple Whale.
To get started, head to Cost Settings. Under Custom expenses, click Add Fixed Expense.
Title the expense, assign an ad spend amount (Cost), and select a date range for the amount to be spread across. You can even create a Category, to keep your expense records tidy. In the example above, I've assigned $3,600 of Ad Spend to the Source entitled test.
Next, select the Source and/or Campaign from either dropdown menu to assign this ad spend towards a specific traffic source. Finally, click Save.
Returning to the Pixel attribution dashboard, I can now see the $3,600 Custom expense correctly assigned to test. Any traffic and conversions tracked to that source will be added to that row, at which point Triple Whale will be able to assign a source-specific ROAS, CPA, and other revenue-related metrics.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. How can I confirm that I have set up UTM tracking properly?
Review the Pixel attribution dashboard for the last 7 days. If there has been any traffic tracked to the source or campaign in question, then the UTMs were properly implemented. If you aren't seeing any tracked traffic to a particular source or campaign, there may be a problem with the UTMs.
2. How does Triple Whale account for Direct traffic?
Direct traffic (meaning, any traffic where we didn’t track any UTMs or referrals) will appear on the Pixel All dashboard.
3. I see a line of attribution data called "Non-attributed" - what is that?
Orders marked as "non-attributed" refer to orders where there is no tracked customer journey or traffic whatsoever. This included imported orders or recurring subscription orders which included no additional visit to your store.
4. What are "Excluded" orders on the Pixel dashboard?
Orders that have been deliberately excluded from attribution data will still be available to you in the "Excluded" line of your Pixel All attribution dashboard. Click into any given order to see the reason behind a particular exclusion Reasons include but are not limited to:
$0 orders
Journey too long
Draft orders