Track Ad Campaigns & Partner Referrals with UTM Parameters

Applies to: All Platforms (IFS, IFC, IFB) | Audience: Admins

UTM parameters are small pieces of tracking code you add to the links that point to your IdeaRoom configurator. When a buyer clicks one of those links, IdeaRoom reads the parameters and attaches them to every design that buyer saves — giving you a clear, direct line between your marketing campaigns and your actual leads.

This article explains what UTM parameters are, how IdeaRoom handles them end-to-end, and how to build and use tracking links correctly so attribution data flows all the way through to your CRM.

UTM stands for Urchin Tracking Module — the tracking format developed by Google and now used universally across marketing platforms, CRMs, and analytics tools.

A UTM parameter is a short label you append to a URL to tell your analytics tools where a visitor came from and what brought them there. When a buyer arrives at your configurator through a link containing UTM parameters, every major analytics platform — Google Analytics, HubSpot, Meta Ads, and others — can read those labels and attribute that visitor to the right campaign.

You can also register custom parameters with IdeaRoom — for example, a partner_id that identifies which dealer partner or referral source sent the buyer.

Everything before the # is the URL proper. The # and everything after it is the design hash that loads a specific saved configuration. UTM parameters always go in the URL proper — before the #.

IdeaRoom is built to pass your campaign parameters through the entire buyer journey. Here's what happens at each stage:

The buyer arrives at the configurator through a UTM-tagged URL. IdeaRoom reads the parameters from the URL at page load and holds them for the session.

When the buyer saves their design (via Save, Request a Quote, or Checkout), IdeaRoom attaches the captured UTM parameters to that saved design record.

From that point, the parameters travel to two places automatically:

💡 Tip: Once you have UTM data flowing into your CRM, you can close the loop by reporting on which campaigns generated leads that converted to closed sales — giving you a real dollar value for every marketing channel.

Prerequisites:

Your base URL is the address of your IdeaRoom configurator. It may look like:

If you use a Create Design link from your configurator — for example, a link that opens a specific pre-configured design — your base URL will include a design hash after the #:

Do not remove or move the # and the hash. The hash loads your pre-configured design. UTM parameters go before it.

⚠️ Important: The share button does not work when creating UTM tracking.

This free Campaign URL Builder is the easiest way to generate accurate, properly formatted UTM links.

The tool will produce a correctly formatted URL with all parameters placed as proper query parameters — before any #.

If you've registered custom parameters with IdeaRoom — such as a partner_id for dealer or referral tracking — append them to the generated URL using &:

⚠️ Important: Custom parameters like partner_id must be registered with IdeaRoom before they will be captured. Contact your CSM to add them.

Before adding your link to an ad, QR code, or email, do a quick structure check:

✅ Correct structure:

❌ Incorrect — parameters after the # are silently ignored by every tool:

❌ Incorrect — two ? characters breaks the URL:

⚠️ Why this matters: Everything after the # in a URL is called the fragment. Fragments are processed by the browser only — they are never sent to any server, and they are invisible to IdeaRoom, HubSpot, Google Analytics, Meta Ads, and every other tool in your marketing stack. Parameters placed after the # will be silently dropped everywhere, not just in IdeaRoom.

Always test a campaign link before sending it to buyers or publishing it in an ad.

If the parameters don't appear, review the URL structure checklist in Step 4. The most common cause is parameters placed after the #.

Use UTM parameters to measure which ads are driving configurator leads and which convert to sales. Apply consistent naming conventions across campaigns so your reporting stays clean:

QR codes are an effective way to drive in-person or print traffic to your configurator — at trade shows, on delivery trucks, in brochures, or at dealer lots. Each QR code can carry its own UTM parameters so you know exactly which physical placement generated leads.

Generate each QR code from a unique UTM-tagged URL so you can compare performance across placements.

If you work with dealer partners or referral partners who direct buyers to your configurator, use a custom partner_id parameter (registered with IdeaRoom) alongside standard UTMs to attribute leads to specific partners:

Use consistent naming conventions. Analytics tools are case-sensitive. Facebook and facebook will appear as separate sources in your reports. Choose a naming convention and stick to it — all lowercase is the easiest to maintain.

Name campaigns descriptively. A campaign name like spring-sale-2026 is more useful six months later than campaign1. Include the season, year, or product line.

Use the URL Builder every time. It eliminates formatting errors and ensures parameters are always placed correctly.

Create one unique link per campaign, medium, and placement. The more granular you are, the more useful your data. A QR code at a trade show booth and a QR code on a delivery truck should have different utm_content values.

Don't change active links. Once a campaign is live and generating leads, avoid editing the UTM parameters. Changing a value mid-campaign will split your data and make reporting harder to read.

Register parameters before going live. IdeaRoom must register your UTM and custom parameters in advance. If a parameter hasn't been registered, it won't be captured — even if the URL is correctly formatted.

After setting up campaign tracking, you may also want to:

UTM parameters give you a direct connection between your marketing spend and your IdeaRoom leads. When set up correctly, every design a buyer saves will carry the campaign, source, and medium that brought them in — and that data flows automatically into your CRM and buyer confirmation email. The most important rule: always place UTM parameters before the # in your configurator URL, and use the Google Campaign URL Builder to generate links you can trust.

If you need help registering parameters or verifying your integration is set up correctly, reach out to your Customer Success Manager or contact IdeaRoom support.

Contact the IdeaRoom support team through the Help Center at help.idearoom.com or reach out to your Customer Success Manager.