Descriptive Campaign Naming: The `{{channel}}`-`{{objective}}`-`{{timeframe}}` Method

You're scrolling through your GA4 campaign report, trying to figure out which campaigns to scale and which to pause. But every campaign name is a puzzle:

• Campaign_012025 - What is this?
• LinkedIn Jan - LinkedIn what? Ad? Organic post?
• Product Launch - Which product? When did it launch?
• Video Campaign - What video? What goal?

You can't make decisions without context, and these names provide none.

The solution: A systematic naming method that encodes all critical information directly into the campaign name.

This guide introduces the {"{"}{"{"}channel{"}"}{"}"}}-{"{"}{"{"}objective{"}"}{"}"}}-{"{"}{"{"}timeframe{"}"}{"}"}} method—a professional naming structure that makes every campaign self-documenting.

The Method: {"{"}{"{"}channel{"}"}{"}"}}-{"{"}{"{"}objective{"}"}{"}"}}-{"{"}{"{"}timeframe{"}"}{"}"}}

Core Structure

`{"{"}{"{"}channel{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}objective{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}timeframe{"}"}{"}"}}`

Component 1: Channel

• Where is the traffic coming from?
• Examples: linkedin, email, facebook, tiktok, webinar

Component 2: Objective

• What is the campaign trying to achieve?
• Examples: lead-gen, brand-awareness, product-launch, retargeting

Component 3: Timeframe

• When is it running?
• Examples: jan-2025, q1-2025, 2025-01-15

Full examples:

linkedin-lead-gen-jan-2025
email-product-launch-q1-2025
facebook-retargeting-feb-2025
webinar-thought-leadership-2025-01-15

Why This Structure Works

Benefit #1: Self-documenting

Anyone reading the campaign name immediately knows:

• What channel it's on
• What it's trying to accomplish
• When it ran

No guessing. No context needed.

Benefit #2: Easy sorting

GA4 reports sort alphabetically. This structure groups related campaigns:

facebook-brand-awareness-jan-2025
facebook-brand-awareness-feb-2025
facebook-lead-gen-jan-2025
facebook-lead-gen-feb-2025
linkedin-lead-gen-jan-2025
linkedin-lead-gen-feb-2025

All Facebook campaigns together. All lead-gen campaigns together. Perfect for analysis.

Benefit #3: Scalable

Works for 5 campaigns or 500 campaigns. Structure stays consistent.

Component 1: Channel Naming

Standard Channel Names

Multi-Channel Campaigns

If same campaign runs on multiple channels, use channel-specific names:

linkedin-product-launch-jan-2025
facebook-product-launch-jan-2025
email-product-launch-jan-2025

Benefit: You can compare performance across channels for the same campaign.

GA4 report:

Campaign                              Sessions    Conversions
linkedin-product-launch-jan-2025     3,500       105
facebook-product-launch-jan-2025     8,000       160
email-product-launch-jan-2025        5,000       200

Insight: Email had best conversion rate despite fewer sessions. Scale email.

Organic vs Paid Differentiation

If you run both organic and paid on same platform:

Paid LinkedIn:
utm_campaign=linkedin-lead-gen-jan-2025

Organic LinkedIn:
utm_campaign=organic-linkedin-thought-leadership-jan-2025

Or use utm_medium to differentiate:

utm_campaign=linkedin-lead-gen-jan-2025&utm_medium=cpc (paid)
utm_campaign=linkedin-thought-leadership-jan-2025&utm_medium=social (organic)

Component 2: Objective Naming

Common Marketing Objectives

Objective + Specifics

Be more specific when helpful:

Generic:
linkedin-lead-gen-jan-2025

Specific:
linkedin-lead-gen-ebook-download-jan-2025
linkedin-lead-gen-demo-request-jan-2025

When to be specific:

• Multiple campaigns with same objective
• Different offers within same objective
• Need to compare performance of specific tactics

Multi-Objective Campaigns

If campaign has multiple objectives, use primary objective:

Primary: Lead generation
Secondary: Brand awareness

Name: linkedin-lead-gen-jan-2025

Or combine if equally important:

linkedin-lead-gen-brand-awareness-jan-2025

Keep it under 60 characters to avoid truncation.

Component 3: Timeframe Naming

Date Format Options

Option 1: Month-Year (Most Common)

-jan-2025
-feb-2025
-mar-2025

Pros:

• Easy to read
• Good for monthly campaigns

Cons:

• Campaigns spanning multiple months need creative naming

Option 2: Quarter-Year

-q1-2025
-q2-2025
-q3-2025
-q4-2025

Pros:

• Good for quarterly planning
• Groups related campaigns

Cons:

• Less granular (can't see monthly breakdown)

Option 3: Full Date (ISO Format)

-2025-01-15
-2025-02-22
-2025-03-10

Pros:

• Exact date clarity
• Easy to sort chronologically
• Good for one-day events, flash sales

Cons:

• Longer format (more characters)

Option 4: Week Number

-w01-2025 (week 1 of 2025)
-w15-2025 (week 15 of 2025)

Pros:

• Good for weekly campaigns
• Precise without full date

Cons:

• Less human-readable (which week is w15?)

Option 5: Season-Year

-spring-2025
-summer-2025
-fall-2025
-winter-2025

Pros:

• Good for seasonal campaigns
• Easy to remember

Cons:

• Vague timing (spring = Mar-May?)

Recommendation: Pick ONE format and use consistently.

For most teams: -jan-2025 format (month-year) works best.

Campaigns Spanning Multiple Months

Option 1: Use start month

linkedin-product-launch-jan-2025
(even if it runs Jan-Mar)

Option 2: Use date range

linkedin-product-launch-jan-to-mar-2025

Option 3: Use quarter

linkedin-product-launch-q1-2025

Real Example: Before vs After

Before (Generic Names)

Company: B2B SaaS, 12 campaigns in Q1 2025

GA4 campaign report:

Campaign                  Sessions
promo                     15,000
campaign                  12,000
test                      8,000
email                     10,000
jan                       6,000
linkedin                  5,000
webinar                   3,000
ad                        7,000
2025                      4,000
launch                    9,000
sale                      11,000
new                       6,000

Problems:

• Can't identify what any campaign is
• Can't compare month-over-month
• Can't analyze by channel or objective
• Decision-making paralyzed

After ({"{"}{"{"}channel{"}"}{"}"}}-{"{"}{"{"}objective{"}"}{"}"}}-{"{"}{"{"}timeframe{"}"}{"}"}})

Same campaigns, renamed:

Campaign                                          Sessions  Conversions
email-product-launch-crm-jan-2025                5,000     150
email-nurture-trial-users-jan-2025               5,000     100
facebook-brand-awareness-jan-2025                7,000     35
linkedin-lead-gen-ebook-jan-2025                 5,000     200
linkedin-retargeting-demo-request-jan-2025       4,000     120
pinterest-product-launch-crm-jan-2025            3,000     45
tiktok-brand-awareness-jan-2025                  8,000     40
webinar-thought-leadership-jan-15-2025           3,000     90
partner-acme-lead-gen-jan-2025                   6,000     180
email-sale-30pct-off-jan-2025                    11,000    330
linkedin-product-launch-crm-jan-2025             9,000     270
email-webinar-invite-jan-2025                    6,000     150

Now you can instantly see:

By channel:

• Email: 4 campaigns (27,000 sessions)
• LinkedIn: 3 campaigns (18,000 sessions)
• Facebook: 1 campaign (7,000 sessions)
• TikTok: 1 campaign (8,000 sessions)

By objective:

• Product launch: 3 campaigns (17,000 sessions)
• Lead gen: 2 campaigns (11,000 sessions)
• Brand awareness: 2 campaigns (15,000 sessions)

By timeframe:

• All campaigns in Jan 2025
• One specific event: Jan 15 (webinar)

Insights now obvious:

1. Email performs best (highest sessions + conversions)
2. LinkedIn lead-gen drives most qualified leads (200 conversions)
3. Brand awareness campaigns (Facebook + TikTok) drive traffic but lower conversions (expected)
4. Sale campaign had best conversion count (330)

Actions enabled:

• Scale email campaigns
• Increase LinkedIn lead-gen budget
• Test product launch on TikTok (currently only brand awareness)

Extended Format (Optional Components)

Adding Product/Service

`{"{"}{"{"}channel{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}product{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}objective{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}timeframe{"}"}{"}"}}`

Example:

linkedin-crm-tool-product-launch-jan-2025
email-project-mgmt-lead-gen-jan-2025
facebook-mobile-app-brand-awareness-jan-2025

When to use: Multiple products/services with separate campaigns.

Adding Audience Segment

`{"{"}{"{"}channel{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}objective{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}audience{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}timeframe{"}"}{"}"}}`

Example:

linkedin-lead-gen-enterprise-jan-2025
linkedin-lead-gen-smb-jan-2025
email-nurture-trial-users-jan-2025
email-nurture-paying-customers-jan-2025

When to use: Different targeting/messaging for different audiences.

Adding Offer Details

`{"{"}{"{"}channel{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}objective{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}offer{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}timeframe{"}"}{"}"}}`

Example:

email-sale-30pct-off-jan-2025
facebook-lead-gen-free-trial-jan-2025
linkedin-demo-request-free-consulting-jan-2025

When to use: Multiple offers within same objective.

Full Format (All Components)

`{"{"}{"{"}channel{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}product{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}objective{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}audience{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}offer{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}timeframe{"}"}{"}"}}`

Example:

linkedin-crm-tool-lead-gen-enterprise-free-trial-jan-2025

Warning: This can get long (60+ characters). Use abbreviations:

linkedin-crm-leadgen-ent-freetrial-jan25

Balance: Descriptive vs. concise.

Character Limit Strategies

GA4 displays ~60 characters before truncating.

If hitting limit, use abbreviations:

Keep abbreviations readable. Don't go too cryptic:

❌ Too cryptic:
lnkdn-lg-ent-ft-j25

✅ Better:
linkedin-leadgen-ent-freetrial-jan25

Team Implementation

Step 1: Document Your Standard

Create a team wiki page:

# Campaign Naming Standard
 
## Format
 
`{"{"}{"{"}channel{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}objective{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}timeframe{"}"}{"}"}}`
 
## Examples
 
- linkedin-lead-gen-jan-2025
- email-product-launch-q1-2025
- facebook-retargeting-feb-2025
 
## Channel Names
 
- LinkedIn (paid): `linkedin`
- Facebook (paid): `facebook`
- Email: `email`
- Webinar: `webinar`
 
## Objective Names
 
- Lead generation: `lead-gen`
- Brand awareness: `brand-awareness`
- Product launch: `product-launch-{"{"}{"{"}product{"}"}{"}"}}`
 
## Date Format
 
Use: `{"{"}{"{"}month{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}year{"}"}{"}"}}`
Example: jan-2025, feb-2025
 
## Pre-Launch Checklist
 
- [ ] Name follows `{"{"}{"{"}channel{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}objective{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}timeframe{"}"}{"}"}}` format
- [ ] All lowercase
- [ ] Hyphens (not spaces or underscores)
- [ ] Under 60 characters
- [ ] Descriptive (not generic)

Step 2: Create URL Templates

Save in team folder:

LinkedIn Lead Gen:
utm_campaign=linkedin-lead-gen-[MONTH]-2025

Email Product Launch:
utm_campaign=email-product-launch-[PRODUCT]-[MONTH]-2025

Facebook Retargeting:
utm_campaign=facebook-retargeting-[MONTH]-2025

Step 3: Train Team

New hire onboarding:

• Read naming standard doc
• Create 3 practice campaign names
• Get approval before first real campaign

Existing team:

• Announce new standard
• Show before/after examples
• Require compliance starting [date]

Prevention Checklist

✅ Document {"{"}{"{"}channel{"}"}{"}"}}-{"{"}{"{"}objective{"}"}{"}"}}-{"{"}{"{"}timeframe{"}"}{"}"}} standard ✅ Create URL builder templates for common campaign types ✅ Train entire team on naming method ✅ Require approval before campaign launch ✅ Monthly audit for compliance ✅ Celebrate good examples in team meetings

FAQ

Should I include channel in campaign name if utm_source already captures it?

Yes, for clarity. While utm_source captures channel technically, having it in the campaign name makes reports instantly readable without needing to add utm_source as a secondary dimension.

Compare:

Without channel in name:

Campaign: lead-gen-jan-2025
Source: linkedin

(Need to add source column to know channel)

With channel in name:

Campaign: linkedin-lead-gen-jan-2025

(Immediately know channel from name alone)

What if my campaign has multiple objectives?

Use primary objective:

Primary: Lead generation
Secondary: Brand awareness

Name: linkedin-lead-gen-jan-2025

Or combine if equally important:

linkedin-lead-gen-brand-awareness-jan-2025

Can I customize the order of components?

Yes, but stay consistent. Some teams prefer:

`{"{"}{"{"}timeframe{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}channel{"}"}{"}"}}`-`{"{"}{"{"}objective{"}"}{"}"}}`

Example: jan-2025-linkedin-lead-gen

Pick an order and use it for ALL campaigns.

How do I handle A/B tests?

Option 1: Use utm_content

utm_campaign=linkedin-lead-gen-jan-2025&utm_content=variant-a
utm_campaign=linkedin-lead-gen-jan-2025&utm_content=variant-b

Option 2: Add to campaign name

utm_campaign=linkedin-lead-gen-jan-2025-variant-a
utm_campaign=linkedin-lead-gen-jan-2025-variant-b

We recommend Option 1 (keeps campaign name consistent, uses utm_content for variants).

What about always-on campaigns (no specific end date)?

Use year or "ongoing":

linkedin-lead-gen-2025 (runs all year)
linkedin-retargeting-ongoing (permanent campaign)

Or use quarter:

linkedin-lead-gen-q1-2025
linkedin-lead-gen-q2-2025
(Review/rename quarterly)

Should I include geo targeting in the name?

Only if running different campaigns per geo:

linkedin-lead-gen-us-jan-2025
linkedin-lead-gen-uk-jan-2025
linkedin-lead-gen-de-jan-2025

If same campaign, different geos: Use utm_content:

utm_campaign=linkedin-lead-gen-jan-2025&utm_content=us
utm_campaign=linkedin-lead-gen-jan-2025&utm_content=uk

Conclusion

The {"{"}{"{"}channel{"}"}{"}"}}-{"{"}{"{"}objective{"}"}{"}"}}-{"{"}{"{"}timeframe{"}"}{"}"}} method makes campaign names self-documenting:

1. Channel: Where traffic comes from (linkedin, email, facebook)
2. Objective: What campaign aims to achieve (lead-gen, brand-awareness, product-launch)
3. Timeframe: When it runs (jan-2025, q1-2025, 2025-01-15)

Examples:

✅ linkedin-lead-gen-jan-2025
✅ email-product-launch-q1-2025
✅ facebook-retargeting-feb-2025
✅ webinar-thought-leadership-2025-01-15

Result: GA4 reports instantly understandable, enabling fast, confident optimization decisions.

Related: UTM Campaign Best Practices 2025