Adding UTM Parameters to Communications

UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters are simple tags added to the end of your URLs. When a recipient clicks a link in your email, these tags are sent back to your analytics tool (like Google Analytics), allowing you to track exactly which campaigns, channels, and links are driving traffic and conversions to your website.

TalkBox makes UTM tracking effortless by allowing you to establish account-wide default settings, while still giving you the flexibility to customise parameters on individual links, buttons, and images directly within the email editor.

1. Setting Account-Wide Default UTM Parameters

Save time by setting up global default UTM values. These defaults will automatically apply to any new links you create in TalkBox.

How to configure your global defaults:

1. Navigate to Communication Settings in your TalkBox account.
2. Click on the UTM Parameters tab.
3. Toggle the switches next to each UTM parameter you want to enable.
4. Fill in or select the Communication Value for each parameter:
   • Source (utm_source): Set to talkbox to identify the platform.
   • Medium (utm_medium): Defaults to [Channel] , a dynamic placeholder that automatically inserts “Email” or “SMS”.
   • Campaign (utm_campaign): Use the dropdown to select [Communication name] so your analytics matches your TalkBox campaign name automatically.
   • Content (utm_content): Use [Link type] to dynamically track whether a click came from a text link, button, or image.
   • Term (utm_term): Use [Link name or alt text] to automatically pass the specific text of the link or the image alt text.
   • You can also select Section name or Voucher name for the Campaign, Content or Term parameters.
5. Click Save in the bottom-right corner.

Updating Existing Communications

When you click Save, a confirmation modal will appear:

Update existing communications?

• Update all: This will apply your new UTM settings to all future communications as well as any currently scheduled or automated communications.
• No, only new: This will preserve the settings of your currently scheduled or automated communications, applying the new defaults only to drafts and communications created from this point forward.

2. Customising UTM Parameters in the Email Editor

While default settings keep your tracking consistent, you can easily override these values for specific links, buttons, or images when building an email.

Customising a Text Link

1. Highlight the text you want to link and click the Link icon in the editor toolbar and click Insert Link.
2. In the link modal, enter your destination URL.
3. Expand the UTM Parameters section.
4. TalkBox will automatically pull in your global defaults. To customise a value (for example, to group links under a custom campaign name like utms), simply click into the text field and type your new value.
5. Click Insert.

Customising a Button or Image Link

1. Click on the Button or Image block within your email layout.
2. Click the UTM Parameters button in the block settings.
3. Check or uncheck individual parameters to enable or disable them for this specific link.
4. Overwrite any fields as needed. TalkBox will automatically default the Content (utm_content) value to Button (or Image) and the Term (utm_term) value to the button’s text.
5. Click Apply.

Advanced: TalkBox Custom ID Tracking

At the bottom of your UTM settings, you will find three proprietary TalkBox tracking parameters:

• Contact ID (tb_contact_id)
• Recipient ID (tb_recipient_id)
• Promotion ID (tb_promotion_id)

These parameters pass secure, encrypted identifier tokens to your website’s database upon a click. If your website or other data providers (E.G. online booking or ordering platform) is integrated with TalkBox, enabling these options allows your system to identify exactly which contact clicked the link and connect their web activity back to their TalkBox profile. Contact your providers to confirm if they support this.

Note: Unless you have a custom development integration utilising these IDs, you can leave these toggles turned off.