Here’s a weird paradox: Marketing has never been so measurable. The rise of digital and analytics means we can see the effect of everything we do, almost instantly.
Yet marketing has never been so hard to measure. With so many channels, no purchase journey is a straight line. So, while we can see what works in any one channel, we can’t connect the channels so we can see what works across the whole mix. But that paradox hurts, because with so many places to invest your marketing budget, it’s never been more important to figure out how an action in any one channel – or any combination – leads to a sale.
Addressing Attribution Challenges
Bridging the attribution gap is the central challenge for every marketing department in every company. We all need to figure out what really works. That’s why so many smart marketing teams are investing time, money and effort into building attribution models: representations of their multi-channel world that try to connect each purchase back to the interactions that drove it.
But here’s the problem: these attribution models can’t create a whole picture because they can’t connect activities across channels – especially (but not exclusively) across the offline/online divide.
So what’s the answer?
Create A Clearer Picture With Data Onboarding
This ‘half-blind’ attribution modelling is not much better than no model at all, because it can lead to badly misguided conclusions about where you should be spending your money.
However with data onboarding, it’s possible to connect your offline/CRM data with your marketing activity so you can see what really works. It’s about the only way to bridge one of the biggest gaps in attribution modelling. It’s all about connecting your channel and data silos – and many of the world’s best marketing teams are doing it to improve their attribution models and create a clear picture of what’s working.