Overview
Channels are the individual marketing tactics that make up a campaign — an email sequence, a Google Ads campaign, a LinkedIn post series, or a webinar. Each channel is assigned to a buyer journey stage (Awareness through Retention) and can be linked to a connected integration for live metric sync.
Channels are managed from the Campaign Detail page under each AIDA funnel stage.
Adding a Channel
- Open a campaign from Brand Marketing → Campaigns
- Find the funnel stage where this channel belongs
- Click Add Channel on that stage card
- Select a channel type
- Optionally link to a connected integration
- Save
The channel appears on the stage card immediately and begins tracking once active.
Channel Types
Channels are grouped by the buyer journey stage they typically serve, though you can assign any type to any stage:
| Channel Type | Common Stage |
|---|
| Email | Desire, Action, Retention |
| SMS | Desire, Retention |
| Ad Platform | Awareness, Action |
| Social Media | Awareness, Interest |
| Webinar | Interest, Desire |
| Web Page | Interest, Action |
| Podcast | Awareness |
| Direct Mail | Desire |
| Referral | Awareness, Retention |
| Organic | Interest |
| Offline | Awareness |
| Other | Any |
Linking to an Integration
Channels can be connected to a third-party platform to pull live performance metrics directly into GTM Suite.
- When adding or editing a channel, select a connected integration from the dropdown (e.g., Mailchimp, Google Ads, LinkedIn)
- Map the channel to a specific campaign or list in that platform using the External Campaign selector
- Save — GTM Suite will begin syncing metrics on the next sync cycle
Sync status is shown on each channel row:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|
| Synced | Metrics are current |
| Pending | Sync in progress |
| Error | Sync failed — check the integration connection in Integrations |
Only integrations already connected in Settings → Integrations appear as options. Add integrations there first before linking channels.
Channel Status
Each channel has an operational status independent of its sync status:
| Status | Meaning |
|---|
| Active | Channel is live and contributing to campaign metrics |
| Paused | Temporarily stopped — metrics stop updating until reactivated |
Editing a Channel
- Click any funnel stage to expand the stage detail panel
- Find the channel row and click Edit
- Update the channel type, linked integration, external campaign mapping, or status
- Save
Removing a Channel
- Open the stage detail panel
- Click Edit on the channel
- Select Delete — this removes the channel and its associated metric history from the campaign
Deleting a channel removes its metric history from the campaign view. If you want to stop tracking temporarily without losing data, set the channel status to Paused instead.
Channel Metrics
Once linked to an integration, each channel tracks:
- Impressions — How many times the content was shown
- Clicks — Engagement interactions
- Conversions — Actions taken (purchases, signups, form fills)
- CTR — Click-through rate
Metrics are visible in the stage detail panel and roll up into the campaign-level KPI cards at the top of the Campaign Detail page.
Both Actual (measured) and Target (planned) values can be set per channel, enabling you to compare performance against your original goals.
