> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://wiki.beabee.io/help-center-english/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://wiki.beabee.io/help-center-english/community-database/track-where-your-contacts-come-from.md).

# Track where your contacts come from

In a person’s contact profile, you can see how the contact entered the database — for example, through a newsletter sign-up, the Membership Builder, or a CrowdNewsroom. beabee automatically stores some of this information and displays it directly in the contact profile.

With Referral Tracking, you can go one step further and understand which channels are bringing people to you. Using UTM parameters, for example, you can identify whether someone found you through Instagram, a QR code, or your newsletter.

In this guide, you’ll learn what the different source information means and how to use Referral Tracking for your membership campaign.

{% hint style="info" %}
You can view source information not only in the contact profiles of individual people. You can also filter your contacts by the way they became part of your contact database. You can find out more about this [here](/help-center-english/community-database/filter-in-the-contact-database.md).
{% endhint %}

***

## **View a Contact’s Source**

Go to *Contacts* and click on a name to open the detailed view of that person. Here you’ll find the *Source* section. In this section, you can view various details:

<div align="left"><figure><img src="https://143769033-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fh4pciFR0eX2BaFmGVhJl%2Fuploads%2FHpMlq8JOgOiquCJywaG2%2Fgrafik.png?alt=media&amp;token=510a48d0-9b60-41c1-bb95-96b31da7bda0" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure></div>

**Added by**

This is the only field that is independent of UTM parameters and is always filled in automatically by beabee. It shows how the contact was created. There are several possible options:

* *Self signup* – the person signed up themselves, for example via the Membership Builder or the CrowdNewsroom.
* *External* – the contact was added to the contact database through an external integration connected to beabee, such as Mailchimp or Stripe.
* *Admin* – an admin created the contact manually.
* *System* – in rare cases, this value is displayed when a contact was added through an automated system action, for example through a data synchronisation between beabee and an external tool.
* *Blank* – the contact was created before this feature existed; no source information is available for this contact.

**All other fields are not filled in automatically by beabee.** To track additional information such as signup source, campaign, or referrer, UTM parameters need to be created.

***

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Exception: CrowdNewsroom**

If someone leaves their contact details through a CrowdNewsroom, some of the source fields are filled in automatically:

* **“Added by”** is automatically set to *Self signup.*
* **“Sign-up source”** is automatically set to *CrowdNewsroom*.
* **“Campaign”** is automatically filled in with the *CrowdNewsroom slug* — meaning the final part of the CrowdNewsroom URL.
  {% endhint %}

<figure><img src="https://143769033-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2Fh4pciFR0eX2BaFmGVhJl%2Fuploads%2FOgG3Ddd4oSP4JLo6ErJC%2Fgrafik.png?alt=media&amp;token=3be2e9c9-a918-4d90-a749-cddf66fb6d86" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

***

## Referral Tracking with UTM Parameters

UTM parameters are additions at the end of your web address that show where someone came from. They do not change the page itself; they are only used for tracking purposes.

For example, if you launch a membership campaign and promote your membership sign-up through different channels — such as your newsletter, social media, or flyers — it is worth creating a separate link with individual UTM parameters for each channel. This allows you to see later which channel generated the most sign-ups.

{% hint style="danger" %}
**Important:** UTM parameters can only be added to the url for the membership form. UTM parameters are currently unavailable for the CrowdNewsroom or other URLs in beabee.
{% endhint %}

The following parameters can be used with beabee and determine where the information appears in your contact view:

<table><thead><tr><th width="139">UTM Parameter</th><th width="159">Appears in this field</th><th>Description</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>utm_campaign</td><td>Campaign</td><td>This field identifies the overarching membership campaign.<br><em>For example: summer26</em></td></tr><tr><td>utm_medium</td><td>Referrer</td><td>This field shows what type of external source led a contact to you. It can be used, for example, to distinguish between email campaigns and social media at a basic level.<br><em>For example: social_media or email</em></td></tr><tr><td>utm_source</td><td>Signup source</td><td>The signup source tells you which specific source the contact came from, such as a particular newsletter or social media channel.<br><em>For example: linkedin, twitter, or jointhefun, last chance</em></td></tr></tbody></table>

***

## Creating a Link with UTM Parameters

{% stepper %}
{% step %}
Add your desired UTM parameters to the URL of your Membership Builder. The link could look like this, for example:

> <https://yourdomain/join?utm\\_source=linkedin\\&utm\\_medium=social\\_media\\&utm\\_campaign=sommer26>

{% hint style="info" icon="lightbulb" %}
You don't have to type this manually: With free tools such as the Google [Campaign URL Builder](https://support.google.com/analytics/answer/10917952), you can enter your values in a form and get the finished link automatically. This helps prevent typos.
{% endhint %}
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
Use a separate, customized link for each channel and campaign. For example, for a post on LinkedIn:

```
utm_campaign=summer26
utm_medium=social_media
utm_source=linkedin
```

This means: Each campaign or initiative the link belongs to gets its own `utm_campaign`. Each place where you publish the link gets its own `utm_medium`. And each email or post gets its own `utm_source`. This way, you can later see not only that someone came through email marketing, but also which specific email brought them to you.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}
That's it! You can now start using Referral Tracking.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="info" icon="lightbulb" %}
**Tip:** To measure how successful your campaigns are across different channels, you can use the filter options in beabee. You can also [save your filters as a segment](/help-center-english/community-database/segmentation/how-to-create-a-segment.md) to quickly find and compare contacts.
{% endhint %}

***

## Tips for Keeping Your Data Clean

* Always write values in lowercase and without spaces (`linkedin`, not `LinkedIn` or `Linked In`) — otherwise, the same source may end up being recorded as multiple separate sources.
* As a team, agree on consistent naming conventions, for example for channels (`newsletter`, `linkedin`, `google`) and campaign names (`fall-campaign-2026` instead of `test1`).

***