Attribution
The process of determining which marketing touchpoints contributed to a conversion.
What is Attribution?
Attribution is the process of assigning credit to marketing touchpoints (ads, emails, social posts) that contributed to a conversion. It answers: "Which marketing efforts drove this sale?"
Common attribution models: Last-click (100% credit to final touchpoint), First-click (100% to first touchpoint), Linear (equal credit to all), Time-decay (more credit to recent), Position-based (40% first, 40% last, 20% middle).
Modern buyers interact with businesses 6-8 times before converting across multiple channels. Single-touchpoint attribution oversimplifies the journey and misallocates budget.
Choose attribution models based on business goals: last-click for simple funnels, multi-touch for complex B2B journeys. No model is perfect - use attribution as a guide, not absolute truth.
Attribution for NZ Businesses
NZ businesses with smaller budgets should start with last-click attribution (default in most platforms) and evolve to multi-touch as sophistication grows.
For service businesses with longer sales cycles (30-90 days), multi-touch attribution reveals which early touchpoints (blog, Facebook, webinar) assist later conversions.
Use platform-native attribution (Google Ads, Meta) initially. Advanced attribution tools (HubSpot, Salesforce) are valuable for businesses spending $10k+/month.
NZ Business Examples
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A Wellington B2B company discovers: 60% of SQLs first engaged via blog content, then clicked Facebook retargeting ad, then submitted demo request - adjusts budget accordingly -
An Auckland e-commerce store learns: customers who see both Facebook and Google ads convert 3x higher than single-channel exposure - implements multi-channel strategy -
A Christchurch service business finds: phone calls drive 70% of conversions but only 30% of budget goes to call-driving channels - reallocates budget
Real-World Industry Examples
SaaS
A software company analyzes attribution across email, content, ads, and webinars
Discovers webinars assist 45% of deals but were nearly cut due to poor last-click attribution - invests more in webinars
E-commerce
An online retailer implements position-based attribution
Realizes Facebook drives initial awareness (first-click) while Google captures final intent (last-click) - optimizes both channels strategically
Professional Services
A consulting firm maps full customer journey from content to close
Finds 80% of clients engaged with 4+ content pieces before contact - doubles content marketing budget
Related Terms
Frequently Asked Questions
Which attribution model should I use?
Start with last-click (simple, standard). Evolve to multi-touch models (linear, position-based, time-decay) as you need deeper insight. B2B and long sales cycles benefit most from multi-touch attribution.
Why does Google Ads show different numbers than Google Analytics?
Different attribution models and tracking methods. Google Ads uses last-click on ad, GA uses last non-direct click by default. Neither is "wrong" - they measure differently. Focus on trends, not exact numbers.
How do I track offline conversions for attribution?
Use call tracking (unique phone numbers per channel), ask "How did you hear about us?" in forms, track promo codes per channel, implement CRM integration, or use offline conversion import in ad platforms.
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