Marketo UTM Tracking | Capture Campaign Data On Form Submissions

UTM tracking in Marketo captures the source, medium, and campaign information from URL parameters when leads submit forms. 

The data flows into custom fields, syncs to Salesforce, and powers attribution reporting that shows which campaigns actually generate pipeline.

Marketing teams using proper UTM tracking report 15-30% improvement in campaign optimization decisions (because they finally know what’s working). Without it, you’re guessing which channels drive revenue.

In this article, we’ll dive deep into Marketo UTM tracking and cover:

• Handling the cookie persistence problem
• Adding hidden fields to forms with autofill
• Creating custom fields for each parameter
• Syncing to Salesforce for pipeline reporting
• Building Smart Campaigns to process the data

What are UTM parameters and why track them in Marketo?

UTM parameters are tags appended to URLs that identify where traffic originates. When someone clicks a link with UTM parameters and later submits a Marketo form, those values get captured — connecting the lead to the marketing effort that brought them.

Each parameter answers a specific attribution question.

Parameter	Question answered	Example values
utm_source	Where did they come from?	Google, Facebook, newsletter
utm_medium	What channel type?	cpc, email, social, organic
utm_campaign	Which specific campaign?	spring_promo, webinar_q2
utm_content	Which ad or content version?	banner_red, cta_bottom
utm_term	What keyword (paid search)?	marketing_automation

A complete UTM URL looks like this:

https://yoursite.com?utm_source=linkedin&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ebook_launch&utm_content=carousel_ad

UTM data answers the questions executives actually ask: Which campaigns generate qualified leads? Where should we spend next quarter’s budget?

Without UTM tracking, Marketo knows that someone submitted a form — but not why they were on your site. Paid search, organic, social ads, and email drip campaigns — they all look identical without parameters to differentiate them.

The data also flows downstream to Salesforce, enabling closed-loop reporting that connects marketing spend to closed revenue (not just MQLs).

How do you set up UTM fields in Marketo?

Before capturing UTM data, you need fields to store it. Marketo requires custom string fields for each parameter — and a strategic naming convention that supports both first-touch and last-touch attribution.

Create fields

Navigate to Admin → Field Management and create string fields for each UTM parameter.

Field name	Field type	Sync to SFDC
UTM_Source_Temp	String	No
UTM_Medium_Temp	String	No
UTM_Campaign_Temp	String	No
UTM_Content_Temp	String	No
UTM_Term_Temp	String	No
UTM_Source_First	String	Yes
UTM_Source_Last	String	Yes

The temporary fields capture current values. 

The permanent fields (First/Last) store attribution data that syncs to your CRM. Create First and Last versions for each parameter you want to report on (most teams prioritize source, medium, and campaign).

Naming conventions

Consistency matters more than the specific names. Whatever convention you choose, document it and enforce it across your team.

Recommended patterns:

• Use underscores, not spaces (URL-safe)
• Match naming between Marketo and Google Analytics
• Lowercase everything (case sensitivity causes duplicate values)
• Be specific but concise (webinar_ai_marketing_june24, not just webinar)

How do you add UTM fields to Marketo forms?

The capture mechanism uses hidden fields with autofill configured to pull from URL parameters. Visitors never see these fields, but the data is automatically collected when the URL contains UTM parameters.

Hidden fields

Open your form in the editor and add each UTM temporary field. Set the field visibility to Hidden — this keeps the form clean while still capturing data. Steps include:

1. Drag the UTM_Source_Temp field onto your form
2. Click the field and select “Hidden” under visibility
3. Repeat for each UTM parameter you want to capture

Autofill configuration

Configure each hidden field to pull its value from the corresponding URL parameter.

Form field	Autofill source	Parameter name
UTM_Source_Temp	URL Parameter	utm_source
UTM_Medium_Temp	URL Parameter	utm_medium
UTM_Campaign_Temp	URL Parameter	utm_campaign
UTM_Content_Temp	URL Parameter	utm_content
UTM_Term_Temp	URL Parameter	utm_term

Set a default value like “none” or “direct” for cases where the parameter isn’t present. The default helps you identify organic traffic versus tracked campaigns in reporting.

Disable pre-fill

This step is critical and frequently missed. By default, Marketo pre-fills form fields with known values. For UTM tracking, pre-fill causes problems — it would show old UTM values instead of current ones.

Disable pre-fill on each UTM field:

1. Click the field in the form editor
2. Uncheck “Pre-fill” in field settings
3. Save and approve the form

With pre-fill disabled, each form submission captures fresh UTM data from the current URL (enabling accurate last-touch attribution).

How do you process UTM data with Smart Campaigns?

Raw UTM values in temporary fields need processing to become useful attribution data. Smart Campaigns copy values from temporary fields to permanent first-touch and last-touch fields based on your attribution logic.

Temporary vs permanent

The dual-field strategy separates capture from storage.

Field type	Purpose	Updates
Temporary	Captures current URL parameter	Every form submission
First-touch	Preserves the initial traffic source	Once (first submission only)
Last-touch	Records the most recent source	Every form submission

Temporary fields are overwritten constantly. Permanent fields follow rules that protect historical data while allowing new information to be captured.

First-touch logic

Create a Smart Campaign that copies temporary values to first-touch fields only if the first-touch field is empty.

Smart List:

• Trigger: Fills Out Form (any form with UTM fields)
• Filter: UTM_Source_First is empty

Flow:

• Change Data Value: UTM_Source_First = {{lead.UTM_Source_Temp}}
• Change Data Value: UTM_Medium_First = {{lead.UTM_Medium_Temp}}
• Change Data Value: UTM_Campaign_First = {{lead.UTM_Campaign_Temp}}

The “is empty” filter ensures the campaign only runs once per lead, preserving the original source that first brought them to you.

Last-touch logic

Create a separate Smart Campaign that updates last-touch fields on every qualifying form submission.

Smart List:

• Trigger: Fills Out Form (any form with UTM fields)
• Filter: UTM_Source_Temp is not empty

Flow:

• Change Data Value: UTM_Source_Last = {{lead.UTM_Source_Temp}}
• Change Data Value: UTM_Medium_Last = {{lead.UTM_Medium_Temp}}
• Change Data Value: UTM_Campaign_Last = {{lead.UTM_Campaign_Temp}}

The “is not empty” filter prevents overwriting good data with blank values when someone submits a form from a URL without UTM parameters.

How do you sync UTM data to Salesforce?

UTM data becomes powerful when it flows to your CRM, connecting marketing attribution to pipeline and revenue. Marketo syncs custom fields bidirectionally with Salesforce — but only if you configure the mapping correctly.

Field mapping

Create matching fields in Salesforce on both Lead and Contact objects. The field API names must match your Marketo field names (or you’ll need to manually map them in Admin → Salesforce).

Marketo field	Salesforce field	Object
UTM_Source_First	UTM_Source_First__c	Lead, Contact
UTM_Source_Last	UTM_Source_Last__c	Lead, Contact
UTM_Medium_First	UTM_Medium_First__c	Lead, Contact
UTM_Campaign_First	UTM_Campaign_First__c	Lead, Contact

Create fields in Salesforce first, then let them sync to Marketo (easier than creating in Marketo and mapping manually).

Campaign attribution

With UTM data on Lead and Contact records, you can build Salesforce reports showing:

• Which utm_source values generate the most pipeline
• Which utm_campaign names convert at the highest rate
• How utm_medium performance varies by product line

Add UTM fields to Opportunity reports through the Contact Role relationship for true closed-loop attribution. Compare Marketo vs Pardot or HubSpot vs Marketo attribution capabilities if you’re evaluating platforms.

What about UTM tracking when emails land in spam?

The uncomfortable truth about UTM tracking is that the data is useless if your emails never reach the inbox. You can’t attribute leads to email campaigns when those campaigns land in spam folders.

The visibility problem

Marketo users sending high volumes frequently encounter email reputation and domain reputation issues. 

New sending domains lack trust. Shared IPs carry risk from other senders’ behavior. Authentication problems trigger filtering. As a result, your carefully tagged UTM links never get clicked because emails never get seen.

Signs your email deliverability undermines UTM tracking:

1. utm_medium=email shows surprisingly low attribution
2. Open rates dropped without content changes
3. Clicks from email campaigns declining month-over-month
4. utm_source=newsletter barely registers in reports

Deliverability basics

Before troubleshooting UTM implementation, verify your emails actually reach recipients. 

Testing

Run a free email deliverability test across Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and 50+ other providers — see exactly where messages land before blaming attribution setup.

Warmup

If testing reveals inbox placement problems, email warmup rebuilds sender reputation gradually. EmailWarmup.com’s personalized approach mimics your actual Marketo campaign patterns (rather than generic warm-up emails that ESPs detect and flag), helping high-volume senders achieve inbox rates of up to 98%.

Advice

For Marketo users struggling with both attribution accuracy and deliverability, you can talk to an email deliverability consultant at EmailWarmup.com for free. They’ll audit your sending infrastructure alongside your tracking setup — because perfect UTM implementation means nothing if emails land in spam.

Frequently asked questions

Here are some commonly asked questions about Marketo UTM tracking: