Marketing channels & UTM tracking links
A marketing channel in XBuddy is a shareable tracking link, not a connection to an ad account. You describe where traffic is coming from (website, a QR code on a flyer, a Google Ads campaign, a Facebook post, Zalo, email, a referral partner) and where it should land, and XBuddy gives you a short link that measures clicks and conversions for that source.
Creating a channel does not require signing in to Facebook, Google, or TikTok. You paste the tracking link wherever the traffic originates — an ad, an email, a Zalo message, a QR code, a website CTA — and XBuddy attributes everything that comes through it.
How it works: every channel has a UTM source/medium (from a preset like Google Ads or Facebook Organic, or a custom pair you define) and a required destination URL — the page a visitor should land on. Saving the channel generates a unique tracking token; the link you share is that token’s redirect address. When someone clicks it, XBuddy records the click against the channel (using a first-party identifier that persists across visits so a later conversion can still be attributed) and immediately forwards the visitor to your destination URL, with the UTM parameters appended so your landing page or analytics still sees them. Leads and deals captured through that flow carry the channel with them into Campaign ROI and Attribution.
When to use
Use a channel whenever you want to know where leads come from: an ad, an email, a Zalo message, a QR code on a flyer, a website button, or a referral partner.
Before you start
- Permissions:
channels:readto see channels and Channel Performance;channels:writeto create or edit a channel. - Toggles:
business.utm_required_on_channel(default Off). When On, a UTM source and medium become mandatory on every channel. - You need a destination URL (a valid
http(s)address or an in-app path) before you can save.
Step by step
Pick or create a channel
Go to Product & Marketing -> Marketing Channels -> New Channel (/prod-mkt/channels). Choose a preset (Website, SEO/Google, Google Ads, Facebook Ads, Facebook Organic, TikTok Ads, Zalo, Email, Referral) or Custom to set your own UTM source and medium.
Set the destination
Enter the destination URL the link should land on: your landing page, a product page, or an in-app path. A valid http(s) URL (or an in-app path) is required; the link can’t redirect without one.
Save and copy the tracking link
Save the channel to get its tracking link. Paste it into the ad, email, Zalo message, QR code, or website CTA where you want to measure clicks. That is the whole “connection” step.
Test the link
Open the link yourself once. You should land on the destination page with the UTM parameters appended, and the click should appear against the channel.
Read channel performance
Open Channel Performance (/prod-mkt/analytics/channels) to compare clicks, leads, and conversions per channel, then use the result in campaigns and Attribution.
Tips & common mistakes
- Use one channel per placement (for example one for the email footer and one for the Zalo message) so the report tells you which placement works.
- Never paste the plain landing page URL into an ad: only the tracking link is measured.
- A javascript or other non-http destination is rejected; use a normal
http(s)address or an in-app path. - Choosing a preset is faster and keeps UTM names consistent across the team; switch to Custom only when needed.
- If you turn on
business.utm_required_on_channel, fill source and medium on existing channels before editing them.