What is Marketing Attribution? (And Why It Matters)

Marketing attribution is the process of identifying which channels and tactics are driving conversions. It allows businesses to evaluate each channel's return on investment (ROI) within a marketing strategy, whether it’s paid ads, organic search, email, or social media. Understanding how each channel contributes allows you to make data-driven decisions to optimise your budget and refine your digital strategy.

Without proper attribution, it’s easy to either over-invest in underperforming tactics or ignore channels that may be critical to conversions, especially those that work in combination with others. Attribution is a guiding tool that helps your business determine what’s working and what’s not.

The Ingredients of Your Marketing Strategy: Channels and Tactics

Think of your marketing strategy as a recipe in which every channel and tactic is an ingredient. Your website is like the flour that forms the base; SEO is the leavening that makes it rise on search engines, and email marketing might be the flavour, adding depth and engagement. Each of these elements has a unique purpose. Some, like SEO, build long-term visibility; others, like paid ads, offer quick wins and drive immediate traffic.

Much like in baking, where certain ingredients are non-negotiable, your marketing strategy likely has essential channels. Attribution helps you identify these essential “ingredients,” helping you understand what’s indispensable to your campaign and what might only add a little extra flair.

Which Ingredients Are Essential?

Not every channel carries equal weight. In some cases, email marketing might be the cornerstone of your strategy, driving loyal engagement and repeat purchases. For others, paid advertising might drive the majority of new customers. Attribution helps determine which ingredients are fundamental to success.

Attribution models such as “First Touch,” “Last Touch,” and “Multi-Touch” let you evaluate channels by where and how they impact the customer journey. For example:

• First Touch attributes the conversion to the initial channel that attracted the customer, such as an ad click.
• Last Touch credits the final interaction, like an email reminder.
• Multi-Touch models distribute credit across multiple channels, recognising that each step may have played a role in conversion.

Each model can reveal insights about which channels provide foundational support and which ones might be supplemental.

How to Know if a Channel or Tactic (Ingredient) is Working

Once you've identified all the ingredients in your marketing mix, how do you know if each one is really pulling its weight? This is where experimentation comes into play. Removing an ingredient—such as a channel or tactic—can reveal whether it’s foundational or just “icing on the cake.” Here’s how:

1. Run Controlled Tests: Temporarily pause a channel, like paid ads or email, and observe the impact on overall conversions. If you see a significant drop, that channel likely plays a critical role. If there’s little to no change, it might be a sign that the channel is not essential.
2. Check for Drop-Offs in Customer Actions: If removing a tactic leads to fewer site visits, lower engagement, or fewer conversions, that’s a clear indicator of its importance.
3. Evaluate Over Time: Testing a channel’s impact should ideally take place over a set period to factor out short-term fluctuations and get a clear sense of long-term effects.

Through testing, you can identify which channels serve as “cake batter” (essential) and which ones are “icing on the top” (nice to have but not essential).

Applying Attribution Models: Finding the Right Recipe for Success

Once you’ve identified your core ingredients, it’s time to put them together in a way that maximises the value of each one. Attribution models help you decide where to focus your budget, energy, and creativity for the best results. Here are some popular models and how they can work for your strategy:

1. Single-Touch Models (First or Last): Ideal for simpler strategies, single-touch models attribute all credit to one interaction. Use these if you have a streamlined customer journey where one interaction is responsible for most conversions.
2. Multi-Touch Models (Linear or Time Decay): These are great for businesses with longer customer journeys that span multiple touchpoints. Linear models give equal credit to all channels, while Time Decay gives more weight to recent interactions, like an email that closes the sale.
3. Position-Based (U-Shaped): This hybrid model is useful for strategies with specific first and last interactions that drive conversion, such as an ad that brings users in and an email that converts them. Position-based models attribute more weight to these crucial interactions.

By testing different models, you can refine your strategy and adjust budgets to reflect the channels that have the greatest impact on conversions.

FAQs

1. What’s the best attribution model for small businesses?The best model depends on your business type and sales cycle. Single-touch models work well for shorter sales cycles, while multi-touch models capture insights for businesses with longer, multi-step journeys.

2. How often should I evaluate my attribution strategy?It’s best to review your attribution setup quarterly. This allows you to adapt to changes in your customer journey or shifts in channel performance over time.

3. Should I use the same attribution model across all campaigns?Not necessarily. You might use different models based on campaign objectives. For example, lead generation campaigns may benefit from a first-touch model, while conversion-focused campaigns might use a last-touch or time-decay model.

4. Can offline channels be included in attribution?Yes! While digital is easier to track, offline channels can contribute to your digital attribution. For example, you can track customers who came in through offline ads by offering unique promo codes or tracking branded search terms.

Conclusion: Building a Strategy That’s More Than Just Icing on the Cake

Marketing attribution is like following a recipe—each ingredient plays a role, and skipping even one can change the entire outcome. By identifying the channels and tactics that form the “cake batter” of your strategy, you can focus on what matters most while cutting back on channels that don’t add much value.

With the right attribution model, you’ll gain a clearer picture of how each channel contributes, helping you create a more effective, cost-efficient marketing strategy. And just like a perfect cake, your strategy will be strong, balanced, and built for success.

This guide is written by Hedgehog, a Done With You digital marketing consultancy specialising in small and medium businesses in Australia. We offer digital marketing consulting, coaching, and training.‍