Attribution and the Big Picture for Clients

How many times have your clients discussed attribution issues with you? My guess is that it is a regular part of your weekly calls and reports. Attribution is extremely important, but there is a lot more that you need to discuss when a client asks about attribution. How do we know that? 

An extensive 18-page research report, The State of MarTech, by the research firm Ascend2, takes a deep dive into the challenges marketers encounter and how they can take back control of their tools and data to pave the way to revenue growth. One of the questions asked was: What are the GREATEST CHALLENGES of your overall digital marketing strategy? The #2 reported challenge that marketers have is the ability to attribute campaign results to marketing efforts.

Source: The State of Martech. Conducted by Ascend2.
Published August 2021. N = 187 U.S. marketing professionals

Yes, attribution is important, but when you look more closely, you discover that attribution is just a tool to more critical issues for your client. The critical issues (and the fun part for marketers) are developing programs that drive revenue, acquire more customers, and exceed your goals. These are the areas that your agency can make your client the hero. 

The Ascend2 research study found that the top two priorities for marketing campaigns are acquiring more customers and growing revenue (the fun stuff). Attribution was dead last on the list of top priorities. Yes, attribution is important, but not above other priorities that marketers must account for to the CFO and other C-level executives. 

Source: The State of Martech. Conducted by Ascend2.
Published August 2021. N = 187 U.S. marketing professionals

Attribution is a necessary tool to demonstrate the value of marketing spend, and it starts with understanding the end-to-end conversion cost and revenue. Attribution can transform a good marketing strategy into a meaningful change for your business by letting you know which campaigns drive conversions, so you can invest in the efforts that work best.

The Bottom Line

It is important that agencies help marketers get attribution right so they can spend their time focusing on how to optimize their campaigns and tactics.

Here are two tips to improve marketing attribution:

1. Data is everything. Eliminate siloed data so you can obtain a clear and accurate view of the customer. Start with your client’s CRM. 
2. Processes to automate. Marketing software can help with contact duplication, lead-to-account matching, contact-to-opportunity matching, and more. The more that marketing and sales can automate and standardize, the better.

Download the report and learn more.

More Information About the Research

For this report, Ascend2 surveyed 187 marketing professionals in the U.S., using multiple third-party survey panels, and the survey was fielded in July 2021. The research was commissioned by SharpSpring to provide marketing professionals with data-driven guidance on how to take back control of their marketing tools and data to pave the way to better results. Download the report, clip the charts for client presentations, and adapt it to support your marketing efforts.

Learn more, download the 18-page research report, The State of MarTech. Coverage and analysis of this research are also available by MarketingProfs, MediaPost, and Convince & Convert.