> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.rafflex.io/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.rafflex.io/helpful-info/utm-tags.md).

# UTM Tags

UTM tags allow you to track exactly where customers are clicking from, so you can see what marketing is working and what’s not.

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### What Are UTM Tags?

A UTM link is just your normal link with extra tracking added. They allow you to track where clicks come from.

For example, you post your competition on Facebook, and someone clicks your link. With UTM tags, you can see that click inside your [Analytics](/helpful-info/analytics.md) section and know it came from Facebook.

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### How to Add UTM Tags to a Link?

1. Go to [utmtagbuilder.com](https://www.utmtagbuilder.com/).
2. Under **URL Address**, enter the link to your homepage or competition page (e.g., <https://yourrafflesite.co.uk/your-competition>).
3. Fill in the UTM details
   1. **Campaign Source** → Where the traffic comes from (e.g., facebook, email, instagram)
   2. **Campaign Medium** → Type of traffic (e.g., paid, social, referral)
   3. **Campaign Name** → Promo or campaign name (e.g., march\_flashsale)
4. **Copy** the Generated Link (e.g., <https://yourrafflesite.co.uk/your-competition?utm\\_source=facebook\\&utm\\_medium=paid\\&utm\\_campaign=march\\_flashsale>).

{% hint style="warning" %}
You don’t need to fill out all the UTM fields but **you should always use Source** so you know where your traffic is coming from.
{% endhint %}

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### Using Your UTM Tag

* **Social Media Posts** → Use the UTM link instead of a regular link when posting on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
* **Facebook Ads** → Paste the UTM link in the Website URL field when setting up your ad.
* **Emails** → Add UTM links to promotional emails so you can see how many sales come from each send.
* **Influencers & Affiliates** → Give each influencer a unique UTM link so you can track who is driving the most sales.

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### Why Facebook and Rafflex Show Different Numbers

{% hint style="info" %}
It is completely normal for Facebook Ads Manager to report more sales than your Rafflex UTM exports, because the two count sales in different ways. Rafflex gives the credit for a sale to the **first** tracked link a customer clicks (a UTM link or a Facebook link), and that credit lasts for **3 hours** from the click, in the same browser. If the customer clicks a second tracked link within those 3 hours, the first one keeps the credit. If they come back after 3 hours, or buy on a different phone, computer or browser, the sale shows as "Direct" unless they click a tracked link again. Facebook, by default, counts a sale if the customer clicked your ad in the last **7 days** or simply saw it in the last **day**. It can also follow people across devices because they are logged in to Facebook, and it has no idea whether an email, SMS or influencer link played a part. So a customer who sees your ad on Monday and buys through your email on Wednesday may be claimed by Facebook but credited to email (or "Direct") in Rafflex. Neither number is wrong. They simply answer slightly different questions, so use them side by side rather than expecting them to match.
{% endhint %}

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### Adding a UTM Link to an SMS

1. [Create your UTM link](#how-to-add-utm-tags-to-a-link).
2. Shorten it using [TinyURL](https://tinyurl.com/).
3. **Use the short link** in your SMS instead of the full UTM URL.

Now, your SMS stays clean, but you still track where clicks come from!