The Last-Click Attribution Problem
Most marketing teams rely on last-click attribution, which gives all credit to the final touchpoint before conversion. This approach severely undervalues the awareness and consideration-stage marketing efforts that actually drive customers into the funnel.
Why Multi-Touch Attribution Matters
Multi-touch attribution (MTA) provides a more nuanced view of the customer journey by assigning value to each touchpoint along the conversion path. This enables marketers to:
Common Attribution Models
Linear Attribution
Gives equal credit to all touchpoints in the customer journey. Simple but may not reflect reality where some touchpoints are more influential than others.
Time-Decay Attribution
Assigns more credit to touchpoints closer to conversion. Useful for businesses with shorter sales cycles.
Position-Based Attribution
Credits first and last touchpoints more heavily, with remaining credit distributed among middle touchpoints. Good for understanding both awareness and conversion drivers.
Custom Attribution
Uses machine learning to determine optimal credit distribution based on historical data and business-specific factors.
Implementation Best Practices
1. **Start with clean data**: Ensure proper tracking across all channels
2. **Consider your business model**: B2B and B2C companies need different approaches
3. **Test and iterate**: Attribution models should evolve with your business
4. **Combine with other measurements**: Use alongside incrementality testing and MMM
The PCG Approach
At PCG, we implement custom Bayesian attribution models that account for your specific business dynamics. Our approach combines platform-native attribution with advanced statistical modeling to provide the most accurate view of marketing performance.
Ready to move beyond last-click attribution? Let's discuss how advanced attribution modeling can transform your marketing measurement.