Attribution 101: Understanding the who, what and why behind attribution

We won’t try to deny it: We talk about attribution a lot. But in our defense, it’s a really big deal in our world. Attribution is an all-star in the realms of KPI measurement and reporting – so it’s no wonder why we’re such big fans. Let’s talk about the essentials – the what, who, where and why – of attribution… and when we’re done, you may find yourself just as excited about it as we are.

What is attribution?

Big picture: Attribution is a reporting strategy that gives digital marketers invaluable insights into the specific digital strategies that are converting for your organization by linking media efforts to digital or in-market conversions. It allows you to measure** the performance of your digital marketing channels and even see which of your different digital channels are performing best.

Who should do it?

You! But more specifically: Attribution is for any DMO that wants to show the impact of their work by being able to measure and report on the visitation to their destination that has occurred as a result of their digital advertising efforts.

Where can it be utilized?

Datafy can run attribution in conjunction with our own advertising program – but we know that you may have a diversified digital campaign across multiple vendors / channels. Are you working with media channels like Connected TV, digital streaming audio, sponsored content, or native ads? No problem – we can place a Datafy pixel on your digital media. We’re talking everything from your own website, to external digital media placements. 

Why is it important?

Remember when we said that attribution allows you to analyze the performance of your digital marketing? Think about what this means for a DMO: We can measure and report on visitation to your destination from those that have been exposed to your advertising. This gives DMOs the opportunity to present a verifiable ROI for their marketing efforts. Insights from attribution can also be used to help inform strategy, build trust with stakeholders, secure long-term funding, and gain advantage over competitors.

Now that you know the ins and outs of attribution, let’s not forget about the all-important how. Luckily, this is an easy one. Just connect with your Datafy CX representative. Together, you can discuss your goals and current strategies and come up with a plan for target impressions, length of campaigns, top vendors/tactics, and anything else you need to get started. 

 **What kind of measurements are we talking about? When attribution is part of your digital strategy with Datafy, you can also expect visitor insights from ad-aware, in-destination visitors, an impact calculator to show return on ad spend, incremental lift analysis on paid media, and visitor attribution metrics broken down by vendor, campaign and tactic.