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Five Common Mistakes Marketers Make With Attribution

· Marketing

Attribution is the process of figuring out which channels or tactics contributed to a business outcome like a sale or lead. While measurement tools have improved, many marketers still fall into familiar traps.

1. Relying only on last-click attribution:This model gives all the credit to the final touchpoint before conversion. It ignores the full customer journey and misses the value of earlier steps.

2. Confusing correlation with causation: Just because someone saw an ad and later converted does not mean the ad caused it. Measuring lift through testing provides better answers.

3. Collecting data without a clear model: Having more data does not guarantee better insight. Marketers need to apply the right models to extract useful information.

4. Ignoring behavior across devices: Many customers switch between mobile, desktop, and other devices. Attribution must account for these transitions to reflect actual user paths.

5. Treating attribution as the goal: Attribution should support business decisions, not act as the strategy itself. The focus should remain on outcomes that align with broader goals.

Modern attribution is not perfect, but it is improving. Brands that use tools like experimentation, media mix modeling, and clean room analysis are moving closer to understanding what works and why.

Sam Khoury

Founder, Cedar Consultants

Creative consulting solutions for Adtech

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