Marketing attribution

Know where bookings come from

UTM parameters are the lightweight way to tag every link you put out + see in goldenhour’s analytics which channel actually drives revenue. Most artists guess. You’ll measure.

What a UTM is

UTM = Urchin Tracking Module (a Google Analytics legacy name). It’s a set of URL query parameters that don’t change page behavior : they just identify the link’s origin so analytics can group bookings by source.

Four parameters matter:

utm_source : the platform (instagram, google, tiktok, facebook, flyer)
utm_medium : the format (bio, story, cpc, qr, email)
utm_campaign : optional, for A/B testing (summer_promo, mothers_day)
utm_content : optional, for variant tracking (creative_a, creative_b)

Channel tagging cheat-sheet

Copy-paste tags for the 8 channels you’ll use

Instagram bio link

UTM parameters

?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=bio

Example

https://book.sobetan.com/?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=bio

Single highest-volume channel for most solo artists. Set this on your link-in-bio tool (Linktree, beacons, manual bio link).

Instagram story sticker

UTM parameters

?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=story&utm_campaign=summer_promo

Example

https://book.sobetan.com/?utm_source=instagram&utm_medium=story&utm_campaign=summer_promo

Use utm_campaign to differentiate by post / week. The link goes in your IG story 'Link' sticker.

Google Business Profile

UTM parameters

?utm_source=google&utm_medium=gbp

Example

https://book.sobetan.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=gbp

The link from your Google Business Profile 'Book' button. Bookings here are usually highest-intent (the customer searched for you).

Google Reserve (paid placement)

UTM parameters

?utm_source=google&utm_medium=reserve

Example

https://book.sobetan.com/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=reserve

If you're set up with Reserve with Google. Higher CPL but very high conversion. See /help/reserve-with-google.

Facebook ads

UTM parameters

?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=launch

Example

https://book.sobetan.com/?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=launch

Use Meta Ads Manager's UTM-builder tool to auto-append. utm_term + utm_content optional for A/B testing creative.

TikTok organic

UTM parameters

?utm_source=tiktok&utm_medium=bio

Example

https://book.sobetan.com/?utm_source=tiktok&utm_medium=bio

Set in your TikTok bio. TikTok-driven bookings skew Gen Z; pair with a vibey landing page.

Print flyer / QR

UTM parameters

?utm_source=flyer&utm_medium=qr&utm_campaign=salon_qr

Example

https://book.sobetan.com/?utm_source=flyer&utm_medium=qr&utm_campaign=salon_qr

Goldenhour's QR code generator (/api/qr/{tenant}?utm_source=flyer) auto-appends. Use distinct campaigns for distinct flyer batches to A/B test creative.

Direct (no UTM)

UTM parameters

(no parameters)

Example

https://book.sobetan.com/

Customers who typed your URL or got it word-of-mouth. Counts as 'direct' in attribution. Goal: this should be a large %, not 0%.

Where to see the data

Goldenhour’s booking analytics (Dashboard → Analytics → Attribution) groups bookings by source + medium. You see:

Total bookings by source (last 30 / 90 days)
Revenue by source (some channels skew toward cheaper services)
Conversion rate (page-view to booking) per source
Repeat-rate by acquisition source: IG clients tend to repeat at different rates than Google clients

What to do with the data

Attribution is only valuable if it changes behavior. Two common patterns:

Double down on the winner. If 60% of bookings come from IG, that’s where your next hour of content goes. The 20% from TikTok might be worth diverting attention to if conversion is high but volume low.
Kill the laggards. Paid ads with negative ROAS (cost > revenue at LTV-discounted attribution) should be paused. UTM data makes this decision objective rather than gut.

Related: Instagram bio link setup