Plan a Marketing Campaign
The problem
You need to launch a digital campaign but your tracking links aren't set up, your landing page word count is a guess, you don't know the best launch window for your audience's time zones, and your offline materials still need a QR code. This workflow handles all four in under 15 minutes — in the right order.
What you'll accomplish
Tools in this workflow
Follow this workflow in sequence to move from question to decision without losing context.
Step-by-step
Why this workflow works
Most campaigns fail not because of bad strategy but because of bad measurement setup. UTM parameters are the foundation — without them, you're optimising spend blind. This workflow is sequenced deliberately: finalise your UTM URLs first, then write copy to a target length, then schedule the launch, and only then generate the QR code. The QR code step is last because it encodes the final URL — if you generate it before locking down your UTM parameters, you'll need to recreate it. The time zone check happens before scheduling, not after, so you don't push a launch email at 2am in your primary market.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between utm_source and utm_medium?
utm_source identifies the specific platform sending traffic (google, facebook, newsletter, linkedin) while utm_medium identifies the channel type (cpc, email, social, organic). Think of source as 'who sent you' and medium as 'how they sent you'. A Google paid ad is utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc. A Google organic visit doesn't use UTM at all — GA4 infers it from the referrer. An email campaign is utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=email.
How many words should a campaign landing page have?
It depends on traffic source and goal. Paid traffic pages (Google Ads, Meta) should be 300–600 words — focused on one CTA, minimal navigation. SEO landing pages need 800–1,500+ words to rank and satisfy search intent. Hybrid pages (paid + SEO) work well at 700–1,000 words. For SaaS sign-up pages, brevity wins. For high-consideration purchases (courses, software, finance products), longer pages with social proof typically convert better.
What is the best day and time to send a campaign email?
Industry-wide benchmarks show Tuesday–Thursday between 9–11am (recipient local time) has the highest open and click rates. Monday mornings suffer from inbox overload. Friday afternoons drop off as people wind down. However, your list's behaviour matters most — check your ESP's engagement analytics for the times your subscribers historically open. If you have no historical data, start with 10am Tuesday and A/B test from there.
Should I use a URL shortener inside my QR code?
No. Never put a URL shortener between your UTM link and the QR code. Shorteners can expire, get blocked by corporate firewalls, and — critically — mask your domain in analytics. The extra characters in a UTM URL don't make QR codes harder to scan at a meaningful print size (2cm+). If you want a clean-looking URL printed below the code, add it as visible text while encoding the full UTM URL inside the QR code itself.
Can I use the same UTM parameters for email and social media posts?
No — this defeats the entire purpose of UTM tracking. Each channel must have a unique utm_source and utm_medium combination so you can compare performance independently. Reusing parameters merges all traffic into a single bucket, making it impossible to identify which channel drove conversions. Set up a UTM naming convention document and share it with everyone who creates campaign links — inconsistent naming (e.g., utm_source=FB vs utm_source=facebook) splits reports and undercounts each source.