Cognito Forms allows for Instagram lead collection, though each lead can’t be assigned to an individual ad. Similarly, if a lead becomes a customer, there’s no method to associate them with a specific Instagram ad.
This lack of tracking prevents you from analyzing the performance of your Instagram ads, so you’re unsure which ads attract leads and customers. This results in expenditures on ads without insight into which are converting.
Fortunately, there’s an effective way to match each lead with the exact Instagram campaign, ad set, and ad that created it.
Let’s analyze it step by step!
How to track Instagram ads in Cognito Forms
Step 1: Add Leadsources in the head tag of your website
Leadsources is an efficient tool for identifying lead sources. On your website, it tracks up to 7 relevant data points for each lead acquired.
➡️ Sign up to Leadsources.io for free
➡️ Add the Leadsources tracking code to your site
Step 2: Add the UTM parameters to your Instagram ads
In your ad URL, integrate UTM parameters to track Instagram campaign, ad set, and ad data. Here’s an example to illustrate:
UTM_medium=paidsocialUTM_source=instagramUTM_campaign=campaign-nameUTM_term=ad-set-nameUTM_content=ad-name
The end result for the URL should look like this:
https://www.yourdomain.com?UTM_medium=paidsocial&UTM_source=instagram&UTM_campaign=campaign-name&UTM_term=ad-set-name&UTM_content=ad-nameRemember: Leadsources provides comprehensive tracking by collecting all lead sources, even if UTM parameters aren’t applied.
Step 3: Add the hidden fields in Cognito Forms
Hidden fields are form elements hidden from view but used to store data that accompanies the form submission.
When someone completes your Cognito Forms, Leadsources populates the hidden fields with data from Instagram ads automatically. It then saves this information directly in your Cognito Forms.
Step 4: Capture the Instagram ads data in Cognito Forms
When users click your ads and end up on your site, Leadsources fetches the Instagram campaign, ad set, and ad-related data.
Leadsources automatically populates this Instagram ads information in Cognito Forms hidden fields.
As a result, when the form is submitted, you can view the Instagram ad information and lead details in Cognito Forms.
How does Leadsources work?
When users land on your site, Leadsources fetches Instagram ad data and populates the hidden fields in your form. Once the form is submitted, this information, along with lead details such as name and email, is sent to Cognito Forms.
Leadsources records all of this source data tied to every lead:
| Lead source data | Fetched automatically |
| Channel | ✅ |
| Source | ✅ |
| Campaign | ✅ OR use UTM_campaign |
| Content | UTM_content parameter is required |
| Term | UTM_term parameter is required |
| Landing page | ✅ |
| Landing page subfolder | ✅ |
As shown in the table above, when UTM parameters are not feasible—such as with organic sources like Google search or referrals—Leadsources captures certain lead source data:
- Channel
- Source
- Campaign
- Landing page
- Landing page subfolder
Unlike many alternatives, Leadsources tracks lead sources from every marketing channel, regardless of whether they are organic or paid.
Select a channel to investigate the lead source data that Leadsources integrates into your form.
Performance reports: Lead, sales, and revenue by source
By fetching Instagram ad data in Cognito Forms, you can prepare performance reports that detail:
- Leads, sales, and revenue by channel
- Leads, sales, and revenue by source
- Leads, sales, and revenue by campaign (aka. Instagram campaign)
- Leads, sales, and revenue by term (aka. Instagram ad set)
- Leads, sales, and revenue by content (aka. Instagram ad)
This allows you to readjust your Instagram budget according to the campaigns, ad sets, and ads that result in the highest leads, sales, and revenue.
Let’s check out a range of reports that you can create:
1. Lead source reports
Create performance reports that detail the number of leads sourced via:
- Channel
- Source
- Campaign (aka. Instagram campaign)
- Term (aka. Instagram ad set)
- Content (aka. Instagram ad)
- Landing page
- Landing page subfolder
Example #1: Leads by channel
This report offers clarity on which channel creates the highest lead count.
Example #2: Leads by Instagram campaign
You can now direct your focus to a particular lead source (e.g., Instagram) and evaluate the leads generated by every Instagram campaign.
Example #3: Leads by Instagram ad
Once you recognize the Instagram campaign that drives the greatest number of leads, you can analyze which specific ad set or ad is behind that performance.
2. Sales and revenue source reports
Given that we know which Instagram campaign, ad set, and ad are generating leads, it’s time to assess whether these leads translate into sales and revenue.
To achieve this goal, link your leads to a CRM like GoHighLevel. This allows you to monitor sales and revenue generated by different channels, sources, Instagram campaigns, ad sets, ads, landing pages, and landing page subfolders.
This information allows you to revise your Instagram ad strategy to focus on the channels, sources, campaigns, ad sets, and ads that generate superior sales and revenue.
It’s possible to create a selection of sales and revenue reports, including:
- Sales and revenue by channel
- Sales and revenue by source
- Sales and revenue by campaign
- Sales and revenue by term (e.g., Instagram ad set)
- Sales and revenue by content (e.g., Instagram ad)
- Sales and revenue by landing page
- Sales and revenue by landing page subfolder
Example Scenario:
| Channel | Search Paid | Social Paid |
|---|---|---|
| Leads | 50 | 75 |
| Sales | 5 | 6 |
| Average Order Value | $150 | $100 |
| Revenue | $750 | $600 |
Following the launch of advertising on Google and Instagram, the first "Leads by Channel" report showed that Social Paid ads (Instagram) yielded more leads compared to Search Paid ads.
Nonetheless, after conducting an analysis of the sales and revenue data in your CRM, you identified that the Search Paid channel had a higher revenue outcome with fewer leads than the Social Paid channel. As a result, you decided to reallocate your budget to focus more on the Search Paid channel.
