Marketing attribution is all the rage these days. Is it really important, or is attribution just a bunch of BS? There is so much talk in the market about attribution that it’s a magic bullet, but is it really that special? This presentation will help you understand attribution modeling is right for your organization and the best place to get started.

1. Are you ready
for Marketing
Attribution?

2. @jeffalytics
Hi, I’m Jeff and I live out of a suitcase

3. I just got back from
Estonia

4. @jeffalytics
It’s a very small country in Europe

5. @jeffalytics
The Alleged birthplace of Encino Man

6. @jeffalytics
Just how small is it?
How small is
Estonia?

7. @jeffalytics
This small!
Actually
Estonia

8. I saw this sign
in Estonia…

9. Who gets
credit for my
patronage?

10. Who gets
credit?
Free Beer?

11. Who gets
credit?
Topless
Servers?

12. Who gets
credit?
False
Advertising?

13. So I went in
and bought
this beer… it
wasn’t free

14. @jeffalytics
Wedding in Oregon

15. @jeffalytics
That’s me

16. @jeffalytics
Beautiful venue
for a wedding

17. @jeffalytics
Attribution question:
Who gets credit for the
conversion (sale)?

18. @jeffalytics
I asked that question to my friend

19. @jeffalytics
From the owner

20. Is the Product all
that matters?

21. @jeffalytics
Their wine sells
out every year

22. @jeffalytics
5 weddings
booked for 4th of
July weekend
(‘Merica)

23. @jeffalytics
Growing like
crazy. Don’t care
about attribution.

24. @jeffalytics
This is how small
businesses treat
their marketing

25. @jeffalytics
To him, assigning
attribution is bullshit

26. @jeffalytics
Attribution
is
Bullshit

27. @jeffalytics
Or is it?

28. @jeffalytics
Let’s
investigate

29. Four Phases of Attribution

30. 1) No Conversion Tracking

31. @jeffalytics
Having no goals at all

32. @jeffalytics
No goals means no conversion reports!

33. @jeffalytics
Let’s not even go there

34. 2) Analog Attribution

35. @jeffalytics
Last Click Attribution for Conversion
Web Analytics uses a ‘last click’ model

36. @jeffalytics
AKA The Glengarry Model

37. @jeffalytics
Many companies follow this blindly

38. @jeffalytics
The problem? Device Fragmentation

39. @jeffalytics
Direct gets too much credit!

40. @jeffalytics
Especially when compared to other models

41. @jeffalytics
And yet this is the default in every single tool!

42. @jeffalytics
Even Google wants to kill this model
https://support.google.com/adwords/answer/7002713

43. @jeffalytics
Don’t put too many eggs in one basket!

44. 3) Digital Attribution

45. @jeffalytics
51%
51%ofcompaniesover100employeesare
usingdigitalattributionmodelsin2016.
Source:eMarketerOct,2015

46. @jeffalytics
First Click Attribution for Conversion
If last click is so bad, what about ‘first click’?

47. @jeffalytics
The First Internet commenter of models

48. @jeffalytics
Not necessarily an achievement

49. @jeffalytics
Linear Attribution for Conversion
Ok, make everything equal!

50. @jeffalytics
This is like the millennials of attribution

51. @jeffalytics
Position Based Attribution for Conversion
Ok, then let’s compromise

52. @jeffalytics
The non-offensive approach

53. @jeffalytics
Time Decay Attribution for Conversion
The time-based approach

54. @jeffalytics
This is boring, but makes logical sense

55. @jeffalytics
Custom Attribution Model
You can even create a custom model

56. @jeffalytics
Test these models
in Google
Analytics

57. @jeffalytics
Start by understanding common visitor paths

58. @jeffalytics
Then compare multiple attribution models

59. @jeffalytics
Does the model make a difference?

60. @jeffalytics
Do you have a major tracking problem?

61. @jeffalytics
Is paid search accurately credited?

62. @jeffalytics
Campaign Tagging is Vital!
GACampaignURLBuilder:https://ga-dev-
tools.appspot.com/campaign-url-builder/

63. @jeffalytics
Have fun with it!

64. @jeffalytics
Customize your channel definitions

65. @jeffalytics
Create new groupings in real time

66. @jeffalytics
Now we’re talking

67. @jeffalytics
Remember: there
is no one perfect
model

68. @jeffalytics
Coming Soon: Google Attribution (Data Driven)
Google Attribution Announcement: http://bit.ly/GoogleAttribution2017

69. @jeffalytics
Warning: This
represents a Google-
heavy world

70. @jeffalytics
But it is free!

71. @jeffalytics
In addition to
Google…

72. @jeffalytics
Tune for Mobile Attribution
https://www.tune.com/

73. @jeffalytics
Bizible for B2B Attribution
https://www.bizible.com/

74. @jeffalytics
Bright Funnel for Sales Organizations
http://www.brightfunnel.com/

75. @jeffalytics
Convertro for Online and Offline Attribution
https://www.convertro.com/

76. 4) Multi Channel Attribution

77. @jeffalytics
84%
84%ofmarketerslistassociatingconversions
withmarketingasatopdigitalpriority
Source:Econsultancy,September14,2016

78. @jeffalytics
10%
10%ofcompanieshavethiscapability
Source:Econsultancy,September14,2016

79. @jeffalytics
In other words,
attribution is
hard!

80. @jeffalytics
Complexity of
attribution strategy
= complexity of
marketing strategy

81. @jeffalytics
What do you
have to gain
from attribution?

82. @jeffalytics
“Half the money I spend
on advertising is wasted;
the trouble is I don't
know which half.”
-John Wanamaker (1838-1922)

83. @jeffalytics
10-50% more
media
efficiency

84. @jeffalytics
Custom attribution = Mining for answers

85. @jeffalytics
Should you
develop a custom
attribution
program? Maybe.

86. @jeffalytics
How custom
attribution works
(Case Study)

87. Objective
Optimize Marketing
Spend to Grow Profit
Marketing Strategy
Strategic multi-channel
media buys
Industry
Retail
Company size
~$80MM in Revenue

88. @jeffalytics
2014 Sales 2015 Sales Sales Change
Total Revenue $73,000,000 $86,600,000 $13,600,000
Marketing Driven Sales $21,973,000 $32,388,400 $10,415,400
Sales Increased by $13MM, with $10MM
coming from marketing attribution

89. Goal 3
Increase ROI on all
marketing programs
Model Used
Custom attribution
model
Goal 2
Only spend in the most
efficient mediums
Goal 1
Increase sales through
targeted media

90. @jeffalytics
All Marketing Television Promotions Online Print Radio
2014 Sales Contribution 30.1% 15.0% 7.0% 4.2% 0.9% 3.0%
2015 Sales Contribution 37.4% 17.9% 9.0% 6.8% 2.7% 1.0%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
Acting on Attribution data to grow sales %

91. @jeffalytics
2014 Marketing 2015 Marketing
Marketing Budget $11,500,000 $12,500,000
Marketing Revenue $21,973,000 $32,388,400
ROI 191% 259%
Slight budget increase, ROI soared!

92. @jeffalytics
Attribution lift can
be your single
biggest ROI

93. @jeffalytics
My favorite attribution resource
Kevin Hillstrom’s MineThatData - http://blog.minethatdata.com/

94. Back to the Wedding

95. @jeffalytics
Caleb Winery Tour Jeff's Reco Salesperson
The salesperson gets last
interaction credit
Who gets credit for the sale?
Caleb Winery Tour Jeff Salesperson
Jeff gets credit in a last non-
direct world
Caleb Winery Tour Jeff Salesperson
Caleb gets credit in a first
click world
Caleb Winery Tour Jeff Salesperson
Everyone gets some credit
with a Linear model

96. @jeffalytics
If I built a custom model, it would be…
Caleb Winery Tour Jeff Salesperson
Custom model to assign credit

97. @jeffalytics
But really - it’s the bride, of course!

98. @jeffalytics
See… Attribution is
bullshit.
But is it worth your
time anyway?

99. @jeffalytics#adwexp
NO
Less than $100k in
revenue / year
Is attribution worth your time?

100. @jeffalytics#adwexp
MAYBE
More than $100k in
revenue & online focus
NO
Less than $100k in
revenue / year
Is attribution worth your time?

101. @jeffalytics#adwexp
YES
More than $10 million in revenue
each year & online / offline
channels
MAYBE
More than $100k in
revenue & online focus
NO
Less than $100k in
revenue / year
Is attribution worth your time?

102. @jeffalytics
Do you need attribution?
Take the quiz:
jeffalytics.com/attribution

103. Thank You!
Jeff Sauer
Analytics Teacher and
Consultant
Email: jeff@jeffalytics.com
Links to resources & quiz:
bit.ly/jeffmn17