Attribution Habits are What Make Attribution Worthwhile

There's a reason we are dissatisfied with marketing attribution—We are too focused on the outcome and we've lost focus on the process. This 3-minute video explains how the actual act of attribution provides as much, if not more value, than the reports themselves.

I was inspired by listening to Atomic Habits author James Clear on the Brene Brown podcast. One of the biggest ideas is that we need to focus more on the process of our habits, not just the outcomes. When we do that, we are better able to stick with the habits which, ironically, is likely to lead to the outcome we want.

Attribution tucks in nicely to this mindset. So many companies are obsessed with finding the perfect marketing attribution report to help them make decisions. Along the way, the report becomes more important that the insights. They lose track of the basics of attribution—things like a shared definition of channels and consistent UTMs. As small as those things are, they form a critical foundation for all reporting.

Habits

Habit #1 - Nail get your channels

Habit #2 - Understand the key terminology

Habit #3.1 - Use UTMs well

Habit #3.2 - Review your data

Habit #4 - Track offline campaigns

Habit #5 - Ask the right questions

Habit #6 -  Use models to find answers

Habit #7 -  Pull it all together