Okay, so you've got some traffic and are seeing conversions? Great! But do you know where the traffic is coming from and which channel brings the most qualified leads? Not really? Let's talk about sources and attribution.
As a small startup, you have a lot on your plate - from figuring out who your target audience is, to defining your value proposition, to taking the first steps in promoting your product. For example, at calljmp, we've done TAM and SAM assessment (see my previous post and figured out that our initial marketing steps will focus on using X as a promo channel for both ads and organic efforts, and YouTube as our main content generator. Btw, check out our video library.
By the way, with all the new tech available, you can recreate and repurpose this content in many different ways - from syndicating the video itself across platforms like X, LinkedIn, IG, and others, to cutting it into shorts and reels for video, or turning it into tweets, blog posts, and threads as written assets.
Getting back to traffic acquisition though — my general recommendation here would be to tag, record, and monitor every channel and asset you're using so you can evaluate performance.
What to do:
1. Connect GA4 and create GTM
Get it done as soon as your site is up and running. Create events in GTM and monitor them in GA4 (ChatGPT gives step-by-step instructions on how to create containers, install GTM on your site, and what kinds of events to create).
Create dashboards in GA4 or use the existing reports to evaluate traffic sources and conversions — that’s where your created events come into play.
Why you need Google Analytics and Google Tag Manager:
- See who’s visiting your site (location, devices, behavior)
- Identify your most engaged users
- Track signups, purchases, downloads, or any key actions
- Attribute results to specific channels (email, social, ads, etc.)
- Compare performance across traffic sources
- Identify high-ROI channels to double down on
Growth byte: if you have a lead generating form on site such as "Free Trial", "Request a Demo" or something like that - use form ID in creating events and "form_submit" as a type of event - this way you'll know how many of your site visitors are converting into pre-qualified leads.
2. Connect CRM
There are a few free or affordable options to use in the beginning (HubSpot, Zoho, Streak).
Why you need CRM:
- Data management
- Lead lifecycle management
- Source attribution
- ROI calculation
Growth byte: choose a CRM that comes with marketing automation functionality — this will give you the ability to build triggered nurture streams, scoring models (if available), send promo blasts, and deploy other types of marketing communication.
3. Use UTM parameters
Make it a habit to create and insert utm tags into all and every link you are using to promote your product.
Why you need UTM Tags:
- See exactly which post, email, or ad brought in traffic
- Use source or medium in your URL slug as a lead source in your CRM
- Some CRMs can collect info about browsing activity and then pull it into the CRM once the lead converts - hello sources!
- Segment traffic in GA4 or other tools: group users by acquisition channel
Growth byte: create a library of UTM tags you're using across various channels when promoting valuable assets such as blog posts, product tutorials, white papers, case studies, etc. This way, you'll have a clear reference of what was used and how it performed.
What do you think? Have questions? I've love to hear from you!
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