Today, the typical customer journey involves anywhere between 20 and 500+ touchpoints. Any singular ad you run or piece of content you publish is only responsible for a fraction of the final conversion, which makes it difficult to accurately attribute conversions and determine which of your many marketing touchpoints are truly driving success.
This is where attribution modeling comes in. By assigning a proportional value to each touchpoint, you can calculate its ROI based on the total value of the conversion. While there are multiple attribution models that businesses can use, one of the most popular and effective choices is the first-touch attribution model.
What is first-touch attribution?
First-touch attribution is a marketing analytics approach that assigns the entire value of a customer conversion to the first interaction the customer had with a brand. This method is particularly useful for understanding which marketing channels or efforts are most effective at generating initial awareness among potential customers.
In the context of a customer’s journey, which might involve multiple touchpoints — such as seeing an ad, reading a blog post, or receiving an email before making a purchase — first-touch attribution focuses solely on the very first interaction.
For instance, if a customer first discovered a brand through a Google Ad, then later visited the website via a social media link, and finally made a purchase after clicking on an email link, the first-touch attribution model would credit the entire conversion to the Google Ad.
When is using first-touch attribution a good idea?
First-touch attribution is ideal if your main marketing goal is to identify and optimize the channels/strategies that generate initial awareness and attract new leads. It’s also a solid option when your buyer’s journey isn’t very complicated, you only use one channel, or you want to isolate the impact of certain channels.
If any of the following sound like you, first-touch attribution is probably the way to go:
Focused on top-of-funnel activities
If you’re more concerned with which marketing efforts are best at getting potential customers in the door, rather than what convinces them to finally convert, first-touch attribution can be very insightful. Demand gen teams, for example, often use first-touch attribution to allocate their budget to the channels that generate the most leads.
Limited resources for marketing analytics
If you have limited resources or tools for detailed marketing analytics, first-touch attribution offers a straightforward and less resource-intensive way of measuring marketing effectiveness. That said, it’s worth noting that the simplicity of first-touch attribution can also limit its accuracy if you use multiple marketing channels.
New product launches and brand awareness campaigns
For businesses launching new products or focusing on brand awareness campaigns, understanding which channels are most effective at introducing your brand or product to new audiences can be crucial.
Simple buyer journeys
If your business has a relatively short or simple customer journey (e.g., low-cost, impulse-buy products), first-touch attribution might provide sufficient insight, as the path from discovery to purchase is less complex.
Businesses with long sales cycles (under certain conditions)
Conversely, if you have a long sales cycle, identifying the first touch can help you understand which channels are effective at starting the customer journey, even if the final conversion takes a long time.
Early-stage startups and small businesses
If you’re in the early stages of your business or operating with a limited budget, focusing on how to attract initial interest efficiently can be more relevant than understanding the full complexity of the conversion path.
Executing a first-touch attribution strategy
Successfully implementing first-touch attribution involves several key steps. Here’s a guide on how you can do so effectively:
1. Identify and track all your marketing channels.
The first step is to identify all the channels that potential customers might first interact with your brand. This includes digital channels like social media, PPC (pay-per-click) ads, email marketing, SEO (search engine optimization), as well as offline channels like events or print ads. Ensure each channel is properly set up for tracking.
2. Implement tracking tools.
Use web analytics tools like Google Analytics to track the source of your website visitors. Make sure that every marketing channel you use has a unique tracking parameter. For online advertisements, use UTM (Urchin Tracking Module) parameters to track the effectiveness of each campaign.
3. Capture the first point of contact.
Modify your analytics setup to capture and record the first point of contact for each visitor. This can be done by setting a cookie on the user’s browser during their first visit, which logs the initial source or campaign that brought them to your site.
4. Integrate CRM and analytics.
If you use a CRM (customer relationship management) system, integrate it with your analytics tools. This will allow you to track the customer journey from the first touchpoint to the point of conversion or sale.
5. Analyze and attribute success based on ROI.
Analyze the data to determine which channels are most frequently the first point of contact for customers who convert. Attribute the success of conversions to these channels.
This means you need to look at money in vs. money back. For example, if you spent $1,000 on Google Ads and generated $2,000 in revenue from first-touch conversion, then the ROI for that channel would be 200%. Use this information to make informed decisions about allocating your marketing budget and resources.
Final thoughts
Although first-touch attribution is great for getting a general understanding of your marketing channels’ effectiveness, it’s not without its limitations. It only focuses on the first interaction and ignores any subsequent touchpoints that may have influenced the conversion.
That said, it’s well-suited to certain scenarios, such as identifying top-of-funnel channels and understanding the impact of new product launches or brand awareness campaigns. With effective implementation and analysis, first-touch attribution can provide valuable insights to help optimize your marketing strategies and budget allocation.