A complete guide to tracking UTM parameters, capturing lead source data, and optimizing your marketing ROI
If you’re running Bing Ads but can’t clearly measure how many leads or customers they’re bringing in, you’re not alone—and it’s likely costing your business.
Without clear visibility into which ad campaigns are driving results, it becomes all too easy to waste money on underperforming ads. The ability to track the source of your customers and understand exactly where your leads are coming from is essential for optimizing your ad spend and scaling what’s working.
The good news? There’s a straightforward solution to this: using Attributer, a powerful attribution tool that helps you capture UTM parameters, track the origin of your leads, and sync that data seamlessly with your ActiveCampaign account.
In this post, we’ll walk you through a 4-step process for tracking your Bing Ads performance in ActiveCampaign, so you can build data-rich reports, optimize your campaigns, and grow more efficiently.
Table of Contents
4-Step
Step 1: Add UTM Parameters to Your Bing Ads
The first step is to capture UTM parameters from your Bing Ads. These small text snippets are added to the end of your destination URLs and help define where the traffic is coming from.
Let’s say your ad directs users to: attributer.io/integrations/activecampaign
To enable tracking, you’d append UTM tags like this: attributer.io/integrations/activecampaign?utm_medium=paidsearch&utm_source=bing&utm_campaign=brand-campaign
We recommend the following UTM structure for Bing Ads:
- UTM_Medium= paidsocial
- UTM_Source=facebook
- UTM_Campaign=[Name of your campaign]
- UTM_Term=[Name of your ad set]
- UTM_Content=[Name of ad]
You can use a UTM builder with a Bing Ads template to streamline this process.
Step 2: Install Attributer & Add Hidden Fields to Your Forms
Once your Bing Ads have the appropriate UTM parameters, the next step is to capture that data when a lead submits a form.
To do that, sign up for a free 14-day trial of Attributer, then install a small snippet of code on your website. This can be done directly or via a tag manager like Google Tag Manager.
Then, modify the lead capture forms on your site—whether it’s a contact form, a demo request form, or a newsletter sign-up—to include hidden fields such as:
- Channel
- Source
- Campaign
- Keyword
- Ad Content
Most modern form builders like Typeform, Gravity Forms, or Webflow Forms support hidden fields and make setup simple.
- Channel
- Channel Drilldown 1
- Channel Drilldown 2
- Channel Drilldown 3
- Landing Page
- Landing Page Group
Step 3: Attributer Captures & Writes Bing Ads Data Into Hidden Fields
Here’s where Attributer works its magic.
When a user clicks on one of your Bing Ads and lands on your website, Attributer detects the UTM parameters attached to the URL. It stores that tracking data in the visitor’s browser using cookies, which means it persists—even if the visitor navigates around your site or returns later.
When they eventually fill out a form, Attributer auto-populates the hidden fields with the UTM data you originally tagged in your ad. This includes crucial details about the campaign, ad group, keyword, and ad they interacted with.
Step 4: Send the Captured Data to ActiveCampaign
When the form is submitted, all that rich attribution data—alongside the lead’s name, email, phone number, and other info—is sent directly into ActiveCampaign.
Depending on your setup, this can be done through built-in integrations within your form builder or via automation tools like Zapier.
Now you’ll have complete visibility in ActiveCampaign about where each lead originated. From there, you can create powerful automations, segment leads by source, and build reports that clearly show which Bing Ads campaigns drive real revenue.
What Is Attributer & Why Should You Use It?
So, why use Attributer instead of manual tracking or relying on tools like Google Analytics?
attribute is more than just a UTM tracker. It’s a comprehensive marketing attribution platform that helps you:
- Track the source of leads and customers—not just from Bing Ads, but also from organic search, social media, direct traffic, referrals, and more.
- Capture data reliably—even if users return days later or visit multiple pages before converting.
- Send structured attribution data directly into your CRM or email marketing tool (like ActiveCampaign) without lifting a finger.
- Capture landing page data to see which specific pages, content pieces, or blogs drive the most conversions.
3 Marketing Reports You Can Create in ActiveCampaign Using Attributer
Once you start capturing UTM parameters and other attribution data in ActiveCampaign, the real value comes from the reports you can generate. Here are three powerful reports to consider:
1. Leads by Channel
This report breaks down how many leads came from each traffic channel—Paid Search, Organic Search, Direct, Referral, etc. It’s perfect for identifying which channels are worth scaling and which need reevaluation.
2. Customers by Bing Ads Campaign
Understand exactly which Bing Ads campaigns drive customers, not just clicks. This report can show you which efforts are resulting in real business impact.
3. Revenue by Keyword
Analyze revenue based on the keywords that triggered your Bing Ads. You can then reallocate budget to the highest-performing terms and pause those that aren’t converting.
Real-Life Impact: How Morris Watt Uses Attributer
A great example of this in action is Morris Watt, a law firm in Australia.
Before using Attributer, they could see basic metrics from Bing Ads and Google Analytics—things like impressions and clicks—but had no visibility into the source of customers or how much revenue each campaign was driving.
With Attributer installed, they could finally track UTM parameters and lead sources directly in ActiveCampaign, enabling them to answer key questions like:
- “Which campaign did this lead come from?”
- “Did they become a customer?”
- “What was their total spend?”
As a result, Morris Watt was able to cut underperforming campaigns, double down on high-return keywords, and ultimately grow their business more efficiently.
Final Thoughts
If you’re using Bing Ads but not capturing where your leads and customers are truly coming from, you’re flying blind. Tools like Attributer empower marketers to track every lead source, understand the true ROI of their ad spend, and make data-driven marketing decisions.
By following the steps outlined above, you’ll be able to:
- Track and capture UTM parameters from Bing Ads
- Auto-fill hidden fields in forms
- Send full-funnel attribution data to ActiveCampaign
- Build detailed reports that highlight what’s working—and what’s not
Ready to take control of your Bing Ads performance? Start your free trial of Attributer and start capturing actionable attribution data today.
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