Multi-touch attribution (MTA), a methodology that assigns value to different touch points within the funnel based on the revenue credit of those touch points, is becoming increasingly popular for its usefulness in gathering customer journey information and demonstrating marketing ROI. But as any new technology or methodology, it can be difficult to implement and get buy-in from everyone involved in a company’s sales funnel.
As change starts from the top, getting stakeholders’ approval and support is often crucial for a successful transition to MTA models. To help ease departments into accepting the new methodology, 12 experts from Forbes Agency Council share their best tips for including stakeholders in the MTA discussion and getting them on board with the idea of implementing this system within the business.
Members explain how to get buy-in across your organization for a multi-touch attribution system.
Photos courtesy of the individual members
1. Build A KPI-Focused Business Case
Marketers seeking buy-in for a multi-touch attribution model must make a compelling business case that appeals to organizational key performance indicators (KPIs). Quantify total cost of ownership, present a change management plan and define the success criteria you will use to evaluate impact. Solicit input from every department that will be involved and don’t forget to address common objections in your plan. – Justin Grossman, meltmedia
2. Show How MTA Can Grow Revenue
The key to getting stakeholders on board with multi-touch attribution reporting is knowing that analyzing the data at the level improves the bottom line. Most buyers go through various touch points before making a purchasing decision, so having that data available to marketers and business leaders empowers better decisions, improved campaigns, increased ROI and higher revenue. – Elyse Flynn Meyer, Prism Global Marketing Solutions
3. Think Of MTA As A CT Scan
Think of MTA as a CT scan and last-touch/first-touch or intuition-based attribution as an X-ray. For something like a trivial fracture, an X-ray should be just fine, but when you start getting to more serious stuff, you don’t want to take a chance. The scan will give your doctor the clarity that wouldn’t otherwise be possible and it will help diagnose the right issue. – Sastry Rachakonda, iQuanti
4. Don’t Get Lost In The Technology
Don’t overwhelm your stakeholders with technical information and industry jargon. Instead, weave together a simple story that demonstrates the power of multi-touch attribution. If they can easily relate to how the insights gained from MTA can lead to better marketing investments, stronger levels of customer engagement and increased revenue growth, it will be an easy sell. – Jenni Smith, EGR International
5. Use The Rule Of Seven Interactions
The rule of seven interactions with a potential customer before they will take action, as defined by Dr. Jeffrey Lant, is still very relevant in the digital marketing world. Failing to use multi-touch attribution will skew the performance numbers for the last click before action, which will lead to overspending on the last-click campaigns and underspending on all of the interactions that set the table for the conversion. – Toren Ajk, TAC Marketing Group
6. Show The Behavioral Journey
We show clients the behavioral journey of people who come inbound to them. Without fail, it is never one touch point (email, web, social, blog, etc.) that compels the prospect to engage in dialogue. Prospects consume, consider and then connect. It takes several touch points (usually several media types) to prepare prospects for dialogue. Marketing automation behavior scores clearly show this. – Randy Shattuck, The Shattuck Group
7. Focus On The Results Generated By MTA
Money talks and stakeholders will pay attention to the results generated by the MTA model. Marketers need to focus on those results to get the C-suite and others on board. And when it comes to MTA and determining the most cost-effective channel for lead generation and ROI, one tip to remember is that email still matters — marketers consistently rank it at the top. – Paula Chiocchi, Outward Media, Inc.
8. Point Out Inherent Weakness In LTA
Last-touch attribution is inherently flawed, as it gives all the credit to the final action someone takes. Explain that multi-touch better represents the customer’s true buying journey, and offers a more complete picture of all the small moments that lead to a purchase. True MTA will uncover more conversions than LTA ever could. – Dave Pavlu, Conversion Logix
9. Don’t Overthink Which Type Of MTA To Use
You’ll see the greatest change when moving from last-click attribution to multi-touch. The difference between time decay, U-shaped and position-based models is marginal compared to the initial leap. Additionally, because companies have been optimizing for last click for so long, you won’t notice a great difference at first. It’s only as your campaigns evolve that you’ll start investing more up the funnel. – Donna Robinson, Nina Hale – Digital Marketing Agency
10. Help Them Understand The Journey Of End Users
One thing that is really going to show the value to the C-suite on constant improvement is showing them how and where traffic is coming from. In addition to that, they need to understand the clicks. How fast are people able to get what they need? All of this is critical to the success or failure of any marketing operation. – Jon James, Ignited Results
11. Sell MTA With A Story
People are naturally disinterested in what they don’t understand. Help stakeholders see the value of multi-touch attribution with a story that frames the approach in terms they can connect with easily. Take them on a journey with their favorite brand. Show how multiple touch points influenced their connection then apply it to your marketing strategy to drive home the power and value of MTA. – Mary Ann O’Brien, OBI Creative
12. Share Google’s Zero Moment Of Truth
We make our clients aware of Google’s Zero Moment of Truth (ZMOT), even just as a single page summary — it is usually a “wow moment” for them. People are influenced by around 10-plus events before a purchase — and ZMOT was circa 2012. Then the only question is which MTA points they should invest in for highest ROI, not if they should invest. – Michael Simonetti, Andmine.com
