A Complete Guide to Marketing Attribution

Learn which channels and touchpoints drive conversions and refine your strategy for better ROI with this must-read marketing attribution guide.
Takako Bednar · 4 days ago · 5 minutes read


Marketing Attribution

What is Marketing Attribution?

Marketing attribution is the strategy of analyzing customer insights to visualize every interaction a customer has with your brand, from initial awareness to the moment of purchase.

By understanding which channels, tactics, and touchpoints drive the most leads, you can double down on what's working and eliminate what isn't.

What Makes a Good Attribution Report?

A good attribution report is essential for optimizing your campaigns and maximizing return on investment (ROI). Reports should:

  • Define which channels introduce customers to your brand.
  • Identify the campaign that drives the most signups or requests.
  • Explain which content or ads customers engage with during the purchase journey.
  • Summarize the interactions and touchpoints stakeholders engage with throughout.
  • Analyze channels that generate, nurture, and convert the most leads.

Why Every Business Needs Marketing Attribution

Marketing attribution provides valuable marketing insights, allowing businesses to:

Personalize Marketing Efforts: 71% of consumers expect personalized interactions (McKinsey).
Increase Marketing ROI: Attribution uses tracking data and analytics to pinpoint channels with the highest ROI.
Improve Product Development: Analyze patterns, trends, and customer behavior to enhance products and services.
Validate Marketing Budget: Justify resource allocation to stakeholders with insights into each channel's contribution.

The Different Marketing Attribution Models

1. First-Touch Attribution:
Credits the first interaction a customer has with your brand. 2. Last-Touch Attribution:
Attributes a purchase to the customer's final interaction with your brand. 3. Multi-Touch Attribution:
Spreads credit across all customer interactions with your brand. 4. Lead-Conversion Touch Attribution:
Focuses on the specific moment a lead becomes a customer. Multi-touch models are highly accurate and have variations: U-Shaped:
Allocates 80% of the credit to the primary and final interactions, with the remaining distributed to touchpoints in between. W-Shaped:
Divides credit equally among lead creation (30%), first interaction (30%), and qualified lead (30%). Linear:
Gives equal credit to every touchpoint. Time Decay:
Assigns more weight to interactions closer to conversion. 5. Custom Attribution:
Most flexible model; assign weight based on business needs.

How to Choose the Right Attribution Model

Align with your business's needs and goals. * Sales Cycle Duration:
Ensure the model aligns with your sales cycle. * Customer Journey Mapping:
Analyze touchpoints and channels used. * Campaign Objectives:
Determine the best model based on campaign goals. * Data Availability:
Choose models you can accurately support with data.

A Guide to Using Marketing Attribution Reports

1. Choose the Right Time Frame:
Align with your sales cycle and business goals. 2. Understand Consumer Behavior:
Analyze touchpoints to see what's driving engagement. 3. Select Suitable Data Collection Tools:
Choose tools based on your business goals and questions you need to answer. 4. Pick the Best Attribution Model:
Test different models to determine which best supports your objectives. 5. Analyze the Data:
Use metrics like traffic sources, conversions, engagement, and ROI to assess impact. 6. Streamline Reporting:
Make reports easy to understand with visuals, clear takeaways, and custom tailoring. 7. Implement Changes Based on Insights:
Monitor performance continuously and adjust strategies as needed.

Marketing Attribution Best Practices

1. Use an Omnichannel Approach:
Track interactions on both online and offline channels. 2. Analyze Different Lead Types:
Include new and existing leads in your analysis. 3. Use Automation Tools:
Automate repetitive tasks to manage high-volume outreach. 4. Connect Marketing Efforts to Business Goals:
Link activities to revenue to enhance reporting significance. 5. Share Attribution Insights With Stakeholders:
Use reports to communicate the impact of marketing initiatives and justify strategies.

How to Determine Your Company's Attribution Reporting Maturity

Low Maturity:
Uses basic tools like Google Analytics and standard reports. Moderate Maturity:
Tracks online and offline interactions using tracking systems and CRM systems. High Maturity:
Comprehensive view of both online and offline interactions; teams are aligned. Overly Complicated:
Excessive tracking codes and disorganized data.

Marketing Attribution Software and Tools

1. HubSpot Attribution:
Links CRM and marketing data for granular reporting. Features: *
CRM Integration *
Granular Attribution Reports *
App Integration *
Custom Dashboards 2. Ruler Analytics:
Tracks the entire customer journey and uncovers revenue insights. Features: *
Marketing Attribution *
Predictive Analysis 3. Google Analytics:
Focuses on tracking channels at the top of the sales funnel. Models are available in Google Analytics 360 subscription. 4. Branch:
Cross-channel attribution and mobile linking platform. Features: *
Predictive Modeling *
Comprehensive Tracking *
Cross-Platform Analysis *
Detailed Dashboards 5. ActiveCampaign:
Attribution and customer experience automation platform. Features: *
Attribution Reporting *
Paid and Organic Touchpoint Tracking 6. SegmentStream:
Uses AI to assess the impact of marketing activities, even those that don't lead to conversion. Features: *
AI Visitor Scoring *
GeoLift Incrementality Tests *
Upper-Funnel Attribution

Marketing Attribution FAQs

How to Use Marketing Attribution?
Collect customer data, choose an attribution model, and analyze results using software. Questions That Attribution Can Answer?
*
Channels with the most conversions *
Touchpoints needed for conversion *
Effectiveness of specific campaigns *
Channels generating the most leads Attribution Model Used by Google Ads?
Last-click attribution by default, but you can choose others. Attribution Window?
Time frame during which a conversion is attributed to a touchpoint. How to Choose the Right Attribution Tools?
*
Consider your business goals. *
Determine the type of data you need.