How to track YouTube Ads in Formstack

Struggling to determine if your YouTube Ads are truly delivering results?

You’re not alone. While tools like Google Analytics can show you the number of website visitors, they fall short in revealing how many leads and customers your ads have generated.

Tracking the leads and customers from your ads is essential for understanding their true ROI.

Fortunately, there’s a solution.

In this article, we’ll explain how to use a tool called Attributer to capture YouTube ad data in Formstack, enabling you to identify which campaigns and ads are generating your leads.

4 Simple Steps to Track YouTube Ads in Formstack

To effectively track your YouTube Ads using Formstack, follow these four straightforward steps:

1. Add UTM Parameters to Your Ads

Start by appending UTM parameters to your YouTube Ads. If you’re new to UTMs, they are small text snippets added to the end of URLs that indicate the source of your traffic.

For instance, suppose you have a YouTube Ad directing users to attributer.io/integrations/formstack. Once UTM parameters are added, the URL will appear as:

attributer.ai/integrations/formstack?utm_medium=paidsocial&utm_source=youtube&utm_campaign=brand-campaign

You can customize the UTM parameters to suit your needs. For YouTube Ads, we recommend the following format:

• UTMMedium: paidsocial
• UTMSource: youtube
• UTM Campaign: [your campaign name]
• UTM Term: [your ad name]

2. Add Hidden Fields to Your Forms

The next step is to incorporate hidden fields into your lead capture forms, which collect visitor information on your site.

The necessary hidden fields include:

Adding hidden fields in Formstack is straightforward. In your account, select the form you wish to modify. Drag and drop the ‘Short Answer’ field type from the menu into your form six times, and configure them as needed. For more details, consult the full walkthrough here.

3. Attributer Inputs YouTube Ads Data into Hidden Fields

Once set up, Attributer tracks the origin of your website visitors and records the attribution data in the hidden fields.

Each time a user submits a form, Attributer auto-fills their attribution information.

For example, if you’re a marketing manager at a travel agency running a YouTube Ad for a holiday package to Ireland, Attributer will populate the hidden fields like this:

• Channel: Paid Social
• Channel Drilldown 1: youtube
• Channel Drilldown 2: holiday package campaign
• Channel Drilldown 3: Ireland ad

Additionally, Attributer captures the user’s initial landing page (e.g., wandertravel.com.au/packages/ireland) and its group (e.g., packages).

4. Capture YouTube Ads Data in Formstack

Why Tracking Leads & Customers from YouTube Ads is Crucial

There are numerous reasons to evaluate your YouTube Ads. Here are our top three:

• Google Ads Data Isn’t Always Accurate: Privacy updates like iOS14 have reduced the accuracy of Google’s ad tracking. If someone clicks your ad and takes action on your site, Google may not log it as a conversion, leaving you with incomplete data for decision-making.
• Google Analytics Limitations: While great for online businesses like e-commerce, Google Analytics isn’t as comprehensive for brick-and-mortar shops or service providers, as it only tracks online visitors.
• Prove ROI: To assess the profitability of your YouTube Ads, you need to see their revenue impact. Google’s tools often fall short, making Attributer and Formstack valuable alternatives.

Why Attributer is Ideal for Tracking YouTube Ads in Formstack

Here’s why Attributer is an excellent choice for tracking leads and customers from YouTube Ads:

• Captures All Lead Sources: Attributer gathers data on all your leads, not just those from YouTube Ads, allowing you to track leads from Paid Search, SEO efforts, and more.
• Remembers Data: Attributer stores UTM parameters in visitors’ browsers, ensuring attribution data is passed through even if they navigate away and return later.
• Captures Landing Page Data: Attributer logs users’ starting points on your site, noting their first landing page and its group, helping you identify content that attracts leads and customers.

3 Example Reports You Can Run with YouTube Ads Data in Formstack

Before founding Attributer, I led marketing and analytics teams at various B2B SaaS companies for over 15 years.

During this time, I spent millions on YouTube Ads and ran numerous performance reports. Here are three of the most useful:

1. Leads by Channel

Attributer captures the source of all your leads, enabling you to generate reports showing monthly lead counts by channel.

Understanding where your leads originate helps you adjust marketing and advertising strategies based on effectiveness.

2. Customers by Campaign

This report shows how many customers each YouTube Ads campaign has generated.

Quickly identify successful and underperforming campaigns, allowing you to refine your strategy, adjust messaging, or reallocate budget.

3. Revenue by Ad

Ultimately, ads aim to generate revenue. This report reveals which ads are most profitable, providing insight into your YouTube Ads’ ROI.

With this information, you can confidently decide which ads deserve more budget and which may need to be discontinued.

Conclusion

Attributer and Formstack are a powerful combination for tracking leads and customers from your YouTube Ads.

Since Attributer tracks all lead sources, you can also see how many leads and customers come from other channels, such as Paid Search, Organic Search, and Organic Social.

The best part? Attributer is free to try and takes just 10 minutes to set up. Start a free 14-day trial of Attributer today to discover its benefits for your business!

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