Marketing Attribution & Consent Tracking in Shape CRM

Knowing that a lead entered your CRM is useful. Knowing where they came from, which campaign generated them, what they consented to, and how that information was captured gives you a much more complete picture.

Shape includes extensive marketing attribution and consent tracking fields that can travel with the record throughout its lifecycle.

Depending on how leads enter Shape, you can capture information such as:

Lead source and sub-source
Campaign and channel
UTM parameters
Advertising click IDs
Landing page and referring website
First-touch attribution
Lead provider information
Entry date and source URL
Opt-in method and time
Opt-in language
Consent certificates
TCPA consent
Communication opt-outs
Consent and opt-out dates
Marketing analytics and lead scoring information

These fields are available across Shape’s industry templates and can be used to give marketing, sales, operations, and compliance teams better visibility into how a record entered the system and what happened afterward.

Why Marketing Attribution Matters

A basic Lead Source might tell you that a lead came from “Google” or a particular lead provider.

That can be useful, but modern marketing often involves many more layers.

A lead might have:

Source: Google
Medium: Paid Search
Campaign: Summer Purchase Campaign
Keyword: mortgage rates
Landing Page: Purchase Calculator
GCLID: Advertising click identifier

Capturing those details in Shape allows you to retain more of the context behind the opportunity.

Instead of asking only “How many leads did Google generate?” your team can begin asking:

Which campaigns generated the leads?
Which channels produced the strongest opportunities?
Which landing pages are generating conversions?
Which lead providers are producing usable data?
Which campaigns are generating records that progress through our pipeline?
What was the first known source for this customer?
Are we receiving the tracking information we expect from our marketing partners?

The quality of your reporting depends heavily on the quality of the data being passed into the CRM.

Consent information answers a different set of questions.

Depending on your business and workflow, you may need to understand:

When did this person opt in?
Where did they opt in?
What language was presented?
How was consent collected?
Was an IP address captured?
Is there a consent certificate?
Has the person subsequently opted out?
Which communication channels have they opted out of?
When did that opt-out occur?

Shape provides fields for storing this information alongside the customer record.

This creates a more useful history for teams reviewing a record later.

Consent requirements vary based on the type of communication, technology being used, applicable law, and your organization’s specific circumstances. Tracking information in Shape can support your organization’s consent and compliance processes, but storing information in a CRM does not by itself establish legal compliance.

Shape can only track information that is available to it.

How the information is populated depends on where the record originated.

Shape Lead Engine

When a customer submits a supported Shape landing page or form through Lead Engine, Shape can automatically capture applicable information from the submission and website session.

Depending on the page and configuration, this can include attribution and consent-related information.

Lead Providers

If you purchase leads from a third-party lead provider, the provider may have attribution, consent, or certification information associated with the lead.

That information needs to be included in the data sent to Shape and mapped to the applicable fields.

For example, if your lead provider supplies a consent certificate URL, that value can be passed into the corresponding Shape field.

Shape does not create a third-party consent certificate on behalf of the lead provider.

API and Integration Data

Integrations can pass supported attribution and consent fields into Shape when records are created or updated.

If there is information you want to retain, work with your integration provider and Shape to make sure the applicable values are being sent and mapped correctly.

Click-Through URLs

Some workflows pass tracking or attribution information through URL parameters.

If Shape needs to capture a particular value from a click-through URL, contact our team so we can review the workflow and determine how that information should be captured.

Customer Opt-In Data

Shape includes a group of fields designed to provide additional context about how a customer entered your database.

Available fields include:

Entry ID
Entry Date
User IP
Source URL
Form Title
Referring Website
Prospect Type
Channel
Lead Sub-Source
Reference Code
Opt-In Method
Opt-In Time
Opt-In Language
Consent Certificate
No Drip Campaigns

These fields can be particularly valuable when records are entering Shape from multiple lead providers, forms, landing pages, integrations, or marketing campaigns.

Understanding Entry ID

Entry ID can be used as an identifier for the specific submission or entry associated with the record.

Because the field supports alphanumeric values, organizations can use an identifier that fits their existing marketing or lead-provider workflow.

For example: FORM-2026-18452, LP-8473921, or an identifier generated by your lead provider or marketing platform.

When possible, use a consistent and unique value that makes it easier to trace the record back to its original submission or source system.

Entry Date vs. Created Date

These fields serve different purposes.

Created Date is generated by Shape and indicates when the record itself was created in Shape.

Entry Date can be passed into Shape and may represent when the original submission, opt-in, or lead entry occurred.

These dates may be identical, but they don’t have to be.

For example, a lead provider could collect a lead at 10:15 AM and send it to Shape at 10:17 AM.

The Entry Date can retain the original event time while Created Date reflects when Shape actually created the CRM record.

That distinction can be useful when evaluating lead delivery, consent history, or other time-sensitive workflows.

Source URL and Referring Website

Source URL can store the page or URL associated with the customer’s entry or opt-in.

Referring Website can provide additional context about the site that directed the visitor to the applicable page.

Together with UTM parameters and other attribution fields, these values can help reconstruct how someone reached your organization.

Prospect Type

Prospect Type is an alphanumeric field that can be used to categorize the type of prospect entering the system.

The values you use depend on your organization.

For example, a mortgage organization might use categories such as:

Retail
Consumer Direct
Servicing
Recruiting

Other industries can create values that make sense for their business model.

Consistency is more important than using a particular naming convention.

Channel

Channel can provide another layer of classification for where or how an opportunity originated.

Your organization or lead provider can populate this based on the categories that are meaningful to your marketing strategy.

Lead Sub-Source

Lead Source provides the broader source classification, while Lead Sub-Source can provide more granular attribution.

For example:

Source: Google
Sub-Source: Purchase PPC

or:

Source: Lead Provider
Sub-Source: Exclusive Refinance

A consistent Source and Sub-Source structure can make reporting significantly easier as your number of campaigns and vendors grows.

Reference Code

Reference Code is an alphanumeric field that can be used to retain another identifier associated with the lead, campaign, vendor, submission, or marketing workflow.

There isn’t one required format.

Examples could include:

SUMMER26-A
VENDOR-44821
CAMPAIGN-PURCHASE-01

If you use Reference Code for reporting or reconciliation, establish a consistent naming structure so the values remain useful over time.

Tracking Opt-In Information

Shape provides several fields for documenting the circumstances around an opt-in.

Opt-In Method

Use Opt-In Method to identify how consent or the applicable opt-in was collected.

The value should reflect the method used by your organization or the source providing the lead.

Opt-In Time

Opt-In Time can record when the opt-in occurred.

When a third party collected the opt-in, this information needs to be passed to Shape if you want it retained on the record.

Opt-In Language

Opt-In Language can store the language associated with the customer’s consent.

This can be particularly useful when your organization uses multiple consent disclosures or receives leads from outside providers.

Rather than only knowing that an opt-in occurred, your organization can retain additional context about the disclosure associated with it.

User IP

When available, User IP can store the IP address associated with the applicable submission or opt-in.

If the record comes from an external provider or integration, the value needs to be passed into Shape.

Supported Shape Lead Engine workflows may populate applicable information automatically.

Consent Certificate

Some lead providers or consent platforms generate a certificate or hosted record documenting the consent event.

The Consent Certificate field allows the applicable certificate information or link to be retained with the Shape record.

Shape does not generate a third-party lead provider’s consent certificate.

If your provider supplies one, make sure it is included in the data being sent to Shape.

Shape provides separate consent and communication-preference tracking for primary and, where applicable, secondary contacts.

Available tracking can include:

TCPA Consent
Do Not Contact
Do Not Call
Text Opt Out
Email Opt Out
Affiliate Marketing Opt-Out
Mail Opt Out

Associated date fields are also available, including:

TCPA Consent Date
Do Not Contact Date
Do Not Call Date
Text Opt Out Date
Email Opt Out Date
Affiliate Marketing Opt-Out Date
Mail Opt Out Date

This allows the CRM record to retain more than a single yes-or-no marketing flag.

For example, a customer could have a different communication preference for email than they do for phone calls or text messages.

Original Consent and Later Opt-Outs

An important distinction in Shape is that original consent information and subsequent opt-out information can be tracked separately.

If a customer originally provided consent and later opts out of a communication channel, retaining the original consent information can preserve historical context while the applicable opt-out field and date reflect the customer’s newer preference.

Shape also automatically handles applicable consent and opt-out updates within supported communication workflows.

This provides a clearer record than simply replacing all previous consent information whenever a preference changes.

Primary and Secondary Contact Consent

For workflows that contain a primary and secondary contact, Shape supports separate consent information for each person.

This is important because consent and communication preferences belong to the individual.

One person’s preference should not automatically be treated as another person’s preference simply because both people are associated with the same opportunity.

Use the applicable primary and secondary contact fields when that distinction is relevant to your workflow.

Marketing Analytics Fields

In addition to source and consent information, Shape can store additional marketing analytics associated with a record.

Fields include:

Lead Price
Lead Score
Mail Shop Drop Code
Closing Likelihood Score

These fields allow marketing or lead providers to pass additional information into Shape that can later be used in your CRM workflow.

For example, a lead provider that generates its own lead score can send that value with the record rather than requiring your team to look it up in another system.

Google Analytics Tracking Fields

Shape supports fields for retaining Google Analytics and campaign-related information such as:

Client ID
Medium
Source
Campaign
Keyword
Device
Browser
Country
Region
City

These fields provide additional context about the visitor and marketing session when that information is available and passed into Shape.

Website and UTM Tracking

UTM parameters are one of the most common ways marketers identify the campaigns and channels sending visitors to a website.

Shape supports website tracking fields including:

UTM Source
UTM Medium
UTM Term
UTM Content
UTM Campaign
First UTM Source
First UTM Medium
First UTM Term
First UTM Content
First UTM Campaign
FBCLID
MSCLKID
GCLID
Original Referring Domain
Landing Page URL
Landing Page Base URL
IP
Referrer
URL
Referring Domain
Base URL
Google Analytics Client ID
Organic Source URL
Organic Source
User Agent
Traffic Source
First Traffic Source
Tracking ID

Understanding UTM Parameters

The primary UTM fields have different purposes.

UTM Source — Identifies where the traffic came from. Examples: google, facebook, newsletter.

UTM Medium — Identifies the marketing channel or medium. Examples: cpc, email, paid_social, referral.

UTM Campaign — Identifies the specific marketing campaign. Examples: summer_purchase_2026, past_customer_refi, open_house_august.

UTM Term — Often used for keyword or targeting information.

UTM Content — Can be used to distinguish different advertisements, creatives, buttons, or links within the same campaign.

UTM Naming Best Practices

The most important rule for UTM tracking is consistency.

Don’t use facebook for one campaign, then Facebook, then FB, then meta, unless those differences are intentional.

Inconsistent naming can fragment what should be one source into several reporting values.

Establish a naming convention for your organization and use it consistently across campaigns.

The same applies to mediums and campaign names. For example, decide whether your organization uses paid_social or paidsocial and stick with that convention.

First-Touch vs. Current Attribution

Shape supports both current UTM information and First UTM fields.

This can help preserve the original marketing source associated with a customer while still allowing newer attribution information to be tracked.

For example, someone may originally find your company through Google Organic and return several weeks later through Facebook Paid Social.

The first-touch fields can retain the original acquisition information while additional tracking fields provide context about later activity.

This gives marketers a more complete picture than relying on only the most recent interaction.

Advertising Click IDs

Shape also supports advertising identifiers such as:

GCLID: Google Click Identifier.
FBCLID: Facebook Click Identifier.
MSCLKID: Microsoft Click Identifier.

When available, these identifiers can help connect CRM records with activity originating from advertising platforms.

They need to be captured through the applicable website, integration, or lead-entry workflow.

Facebook Tracking

Shape also supports additional fields that can be used for Facebook or Meta-related marketing data, including:

Campaign Name
Ad Set Campaign Term
Ad Name
Destination URL
Content Category
Ad Creative Content
Predicted LTV
Search String
Status
Number of Items
Currency
Value

The exact fields your organization uses will depend on the information available from your marketing implementation.

You do not need to populate every available marketing field for every lead.

Capture the information that is useful to your reporting and workflow.

A/B Testing

Shape includes fields for tracking experiment assignments:

Experiment Slot 1
Experiment Slot 2
Experiment Slot 3
Experiment Slot 4
Experiment Slot 5
Experiment Slot 6
Experiment Slot 7
Experiment Slot 8

These can be used by marketing implementations that need to associate a CRM record with a particular test, variation, or experiment.

Additional ID Tracking

Shape also provides:

Alternate ID – 1
Alternate ID – 2
Alternate ID – 3
Alternate ID – 4

These fields can be useful when records need to retain identifiers from external platforms, marketing systems, lead providers, or other data sources.

Best Practices for Marketing Attribution in Shape

Decide What You Want to Measure Before Sending Data

Having hundreds of fields available doesn’t mean you need to populate all of them.

Start with the questions your organization wants to answer.

For example:

Which vendor generated this lead? You probably need Source and Sub-Source.

Which paid campaign generated this lead? You may also need UTM Source, Medium, Campaign, Content, and applicable click IDs.

Where did this customer originally find us? First-touch attribution becomes important.

Capture enough information to answer your actual business questions.

Standardize Your Attribution Values

Create consistent naming rules for Source, Sub-Source, UTM values, campaign names, channels, and other marketing fields.

Standardization makes reporting significantly easier.

Preserve First-Touch Data

When possible, retain original attribution instead of overwriting it every time a customer interacts with another campaign.

Shape’s first-touch tracking fields are designed to help retain that context.

Map Third-Party Data Before Launching a Lead Source

Before turning on a new lead provider, determine what information they can send.

Ask whether they provide:

Lead Source
Sub-Source
Entry Date
Entry ID
Source URL
IP
Opt-In Method
Opt-In Time
Opt-In Language
Consent Certificate
Campaign information
UTM parameters
Additional vendor identifiers

Then work with Shape to make sure the fields you care about are mapped correctly.

Test Your Tracking

Before launching a large campaign, submit test leads.

Open the resulting records in Shape and confirm that the attribution and consent information you expect is actually being populated.

A campaign shouldn’t be the first time you find out that an important tracking parameter isn’t being passed.

Preserve the Original Information

When consent information is provided, retain the details associated with the original event rather than relying only on a current yes-or-no value.

When available, information such as the date, method, language, source URL, IP, and certificate can provide useful context later.

Capture Opt-Outs Separately

A later opt-out does not erase the fact that an earlier event occurred.

Use the applicable opt-out fields and dates to maintain the customer’s current communication preferences while retaining appropriate historical information.

Make Sure Your Providers Send the Data

If a lead provider tells you it captures consent, determine what evidence or supporting information is actually available and make sure the values you need are being sent to Shape.

Don’t assume the CRM receives information that wasn’t included in the lead delivery.

Review Your Own Requirements

Consent requirements can vary significantly based on your industry, communication methods, lead sources, and applicable laws.

Shape provides tools for storing and managing consent-related information, but your organization is responsible for determining the requirements that apply to its communications and workflows.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Shape Automatically Capture Marketing Attribution?+

It depends on how the lead enters Shape.

Supported Lead Engine workflows can automatically capture applicable tracking information. For third-party lead providers, APIs, and other integrations, the information generally needs to be passed into Shape.

Does Shape Track UTM Parameters?+

Yes. Shape supports UTM Source, Medium, Term, Content, and Campaign as well as first-touch versions of those fields.

What Are First UTM Fields?+

First UTM fields are designed to retain the original UTM attribution associated with the customer.

This can help preserve first-touch attribution even when the customer interacts with later campaigns.

Does Shape Track GCLID, FBCLID, and MSCLKID?+

Shape includes fields for these advertising click identifiers when they are available and captured through the applicable workflow.

Does Shape Generate Consent Certificates?+

Shape does not generate a third-party lead provider’s consent certificate.

If your provider supplies a certificate or certificate URL, that information can be passed into Shape and stored with the record.

Can Shape Track When Someone Opted In?+

Yes. Fields such as Entry Date, Opt-In Time, TCPA Consent Date, and other consent information can be used to retain applicable timing information.

The exact data available depends on what is captured and passed into Shape.

Does Shape Track Opt-Outs?+

Yes. Shape includes separate fields for preferences such as Do Not Contact, Do Not Call, Text Opt Out, Email Opt Out, Affiliate Marketing Opt-Out, and Mail Opt Out, along with associated date fields.

Does an Opt-Out Delete the Original Consent Information?+

No. Original consent information and subsequent opt-out information can be maintained separately, providing historical context while reflecting the customer’s newer communication preference.

Can Primary and Secondary Contacts Have Different Consent Preferences?+

Yes. Shape supports separate consent and opt-out information for primary and applicable secondary contacts.

What’s the Difference Between Entry Date and Created Date?+

Created Date represents when the CRM record was created in Shape.

Entry Date can represent an earlier submission, opt-in, or lead-entry event when that information is passed into Shape.

What Should I Use for Entry ID?+

Use a consistent identifier that allows the entry to be traced back to its original submission or source system.

This may be generated by your form, marketing platform, lead provider, or another source.

What Should I Use for Reference Code?+

Reference Code is flexible and alphanumeric.

Organizations can use it for vendor codes, campaign identifiers, submission references, or another internal tracking convention.

Can We Add Tracking From a Click-Through URL?+

Potentially. If there is specific information you need Shape to capture from a click-through URL, contact the Shape team so we can review the workflow and determine how it should be captured.

Are These Fields Only Available in Mortgage?+

No. Marketing attribution and consent-tracking fields are available across Shape’s industry templates, although how they’re used may vary by industry and configuration.

Build Better Data From the First Interaction

Marketing reporting is only as useful as the information captured when a customer enters your database.

By passing attribution, campaign, website, lead-provider, and consent information into Shape, you create a record that tells a much more complete story.

Marketing teams can better understand where opportunities originate. Sales teams have more context about the people they’re contacting. Operations teams can troubleshoot lead delivery and attribution. Compliance teams have additional information available when reviewing consent and communication preferences.

The best time to think about this data is before a new campaign or lead source launches.

Decide what you want to measure, determine what information your marketing platforms and lead providers can supply, establish consistent naming conventions, and make sure the important values are being passed into Shape.

That creates cleaner reporting and gives your team better information throughout the entire customer lifecycle.

Marketing Attribution & Consent Tracking in Shape