Learn How to Choose the Best Offline Attribution Model

Offline attribution refers to connecting traditional and digital marketing efforts to “real-life” outcomes. It lets your marketing team quantify ROI with each marketing campaign you complete. While your attribution process follows your online interactions with your customers, offline attribution follows interactions that happen in person, over the phone, or in other offline scenarios.

Tracking real-life outcomes is possible with call tracking software and the use of a CRM, for example, but first, you have to start with an online attribution model to collect vital data.

Deciding On an Attribution Model

With the above attribution models, as well as others that may be used today, it can be tough to decide which one is right for your needs. This is especially true when connecting your digital efforts to offline conversions.

The attribution model you choose should be tailored to your brand and will need to reflect:

-The lifetime value of your customers
-What an average buying cycle looks like for your business
-The goals you have for your campaign

For conversions within Google Ads, it’s most common to use data-driven attribution. This model not only gives you the most data but is helpful because it gives you a more in-depth understanding of what’s helping convert your customers. You’ll see how customers engage with your ads and determine which keywords, ads, and marketing efforts have the greatest impact. 

Google suggests data-driven attribution because:

1. It’s easy to implement.
2. It works with automated bidding.
3. It gives value to every interaction along the conversion path.
4. It works on long or short conversion paths.                        

You may also want to consider other factors, including your primary objectives, touchpoints, target channel, and sales cycle length to decide on the right attribution model for your business. 

For example, if you just want to see if your ads are creating demand, having a first-touch attribution model may work well for you. You’ll see each time a user clicks on your ad and converts, giving you insight into which of your ads are driving demand. You might also opt for a time-decay attribution model because it could help you see how to become more effective and convert users sooner.

If you have multiple touchpoints and want to know which one is sealing the deal and helping you make sales, consider a last-touch attribution model. You’ll see which touchpoint is converting users most often this way.

For long sales cycles that require tracking, you might opt for a time-decay model, so you can track where conversions happen and see which parts of the funnel are working as intended. You may also select a liner or position-based model to be sure each step of the process gets its due credit.

Tracking Online Interactions Into Reality

Each attribution model has its benefits, so determining what data you want to collect is the place to start. After you see which ads are converting and what’s working to reach your target audience, you can tighten up your marketing efforts and campaigns to save money and boost growth. Using a CRM and other live-tracking tools, like call-tracking software, you can then further track data to see where online leads are turning into offline sales.  

When it comes to marketing attribution, there is a wide range of solutions for marketers to consider that can accurately measure campaign impact.

Adobe Marketo Measure solves the key struggles many B2B marketers encounter with attribution by providing a single, complete solution for everything from touchpoint tracking to attribution modeling to analytics and reporting. 

Appsflyer is user-friendly and easy to install. Settings can be adjusted on the spot, and it comes with a host of integrated partners like Facebook, Opera, Adroll, Matomy, Mobvista, GameAnalytics, Kiip, and more.

Hubspot allows marketers to connect CRM and marketing data and assign credit for each touchpoint a customer engages with along their buying journey. With the reporting feature, you can identify the channels that are missing, meeting, or exceeding their performance.

Ruler is a multichannel marketing attribution software that gives marketers access to all data in a single location. This platform provides granular insight into customer conversion by tracking campaigns, channels, and keywords — tying marketing efforts directly to revenue.

DreamData is a B2B attribution platform that integrates with your tech stacks and organizes all revenue-related data into a single source of truth. Customizable multitouch attribution models allow you to evaluate each touchpoint in your customer’s journey so you can predict revenue, plan scaling efforts, track ROI, and benchmark growth.

Google Attribution is a multitouch and cross-channel attribution software part of Google Analytics. Users can choose from the three most common multitouch attribution models — linear, position-based, and time decay — to serve their marketing goals. 

Neustar is a feature-rich software that helps marketers track online and offline campaigns. It lets your marketing team recognize the elements of your customers’ journeys that impact their conversion within omnichannel campaigns. 

Singular is an attribution software that consolidates data into a single dashboard so marketers can connect spending with an outcome. Utilizing multitouch and cross-channel attribution models, you can track and measure paths to conversion spanning multiple channels.

Nielsen Attribution allows you to measure the performance of your marketing campaigns at granular levels. The platform utilizes audience measurement, media planning, and marketing optimization.

Branch is a software focused on cross-channel attribution and mobile linking that gives you visibility into every marketing initiative your team is working on. It focuses on the intersection between touchpoints and conversion across your marketing channels. You can measure results on analytics dashboards that break down the data into whichever segments you prefer with no user limits.

Once you know what channels and models are a priority for your business, it’s time to narrow down the software options that can provide the most effective performance. By understanding the mechanics of your campaign and how different touchpoints intersect with each other, you can make an informed decision about which type of attribution software is most suitable for your needs. Any quality marketing attribution software will go beyond single-touch attribution, with multi-touch attribution giving you greater insight into the customer journey, allowing you to track interactions with your product or service across multiple channels. Using the right software helps you optimize efficiency and maximize the bottom line while staying ahead of the curve.   

Offline attribution is just as important as online attribution when measuring ROI and other key performance indicators. It allows you to get a deeper understanding of the buying habits of your target audience, how they interact with your brand offline, and what kind of impression they have after their offline interactions. By understanding how customers interact with marketing efforts, businesses can hone their strategies to make them more cost-efficient and successful. With the right marketing attribution solution in place, marketers can accurately track leads, channels, and conversions from a single source of truth.

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