When running ads on Facebook and Instagram, there is an optional “URL Options” field. Here you can write UTM tags that will be substituted for the landing page URL. These UTM tags will help to recognize the source of traffic in Google Analytics and CRM systems. Previously, you had to specify static parameters.
What dynamic parameters are available
In 2018, Facebook rolled out an update and a big list of dynamic settings appeared on some accounts. But something went wrong and they cut that list down to the next one:
- {{ad.id}} — ad id
- {{adset.id}} — ad set id
- {{campaign.id}} — campaign id
- {{ad.name}} — original name of ad
- {{adset.name}} — original name of ad set
- {{campaign.name}} — original name of campaign
A year later, Facebook finally rolled out an update and 2 more parameters appeared in all advertising accounts:
- {{site_source_name}} — source designation (‘fb’ — Facebook; ‘ig’- Instagram, ‘msg’ — Messenger, ‘an’ — Audience Network)
- {{placement}} — placement name (‘Feed’, ‘Stories’, ‘Instant Article’, ‘Right Column’ и etc.).
Without these two parameters, we had to break up placements into different groups in order to pass placements into Google Analytics. For example, separately Facebook and separately Instagram. Now you don’t have to multiply groups in your ads cabinet, but still get the most data in Google Analytics reports, CRM, and other analytics systems.
Which UTM tagging template to use to send the most data
| Parameter | Value |
| utm_source | {{site_source_name}} |
| utm_medium | {{placement}} |
| utm_campaign | {{campaign.name}}{{ad.name}} |
| utm_content | {{adset.name}} |
Prepared UTM-parameters template for copy-paste:
utm_source={{site_source_name}}&utm_medium={{placement}}&utm_campaign={{campaign.name}}{{ad.name}}&utm_content={{adset.name}}What is important to know before using dynamic parameters
- It is necessary to give the correct name to campaigns, groups, ads before they are published. Parameters with the names of objects will take the original values. That is, if you originally named the campaign “Test1” and published it, and then renamed it, it will be “Test1” that will be transmitted to Google Analytics and other systems.
- Importing ad spend data into Google Analytics will not work if you have dynamic values in utm_source and utm_medium. For example, if you use the OWOX Pipeline to import spending from Facebook Ads into Google Analytics, ‘source’ and ‘medium’ are the key parameters that are needed to transfer the data correctly.
UTM tags template for the correct functioning of the import of ad spend in Google Analytics
For most projects, we import data from Facebook Ads into Google Analytics using various services. Therefore, we do not use dynamic values in utm_source and utm_medium:
| Parameter | Value |
| utm_source | facebook_ads |
| utm_medium | cpc |
| utm_campaign | {{campaign.name}} |
| utm_content | {{adset.name}} |
| utm_term | {{site_source_name}}{{placement}} |
A ready-to-use template of UTM parameters for copy-paste (this is the one I use):
utm_source=facebook_ads&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={{campaign.name}}&utm_content={{adset.name}}&utm_term={{site_source_name}}{{placement}}P.s. The given templates are not ideal and in your case may disrupt the construction of certain reports.
P.s.s. At the time of writing, Facebook’s help still has the phrase “Placement Options are no longer supported,” so it’s unclear how long this feature will work
