Glossary
Marketing Attribution
Marketing attribution is working out which ads and channels led to each lead and sale, so you know what's actually working.
Example
Matching a new gym member's first visit back to the Facebook ad they clicked two weeks earlier.
How to read it
Attribution turns 'I think this ad works' into 'this ad produced these customers'.
Why it matters
Without attribution, budget decisions are guesses. With it, you can cut what doesn't sell and scale what does.
Common mistakes
- Trusting each platform's own reports, which overlap and over-claim.
- Only tracking online actions for a business that closes on the phone or in person.
- Not connecting leads to actual payments.
How to improve Marketing attribution
- Tag every ad link with UTMs.
- Connect your CRM and payments so leads match to sales.
- Use one source of truth instead of each platform's report.
- Review which campaigns produce customers every week.
Related: Ctrl Your Data
Related terms
Attribution Model (First Touch vs Last Touch)An attribution model is the rule for deciding which ad or channel gets credit for a sale when a customer interacted with several before buying.UTM ParametersUTM parameters are tags added to the end of a link that tell your analytics where a visitor came from, such as the platform, campaign and ad.ROAS (Return on Ad Spend)ROAS, or return on ad spend, is the revenue your ads bring in for every dollar you spend on them.