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    use casesadvanced40 minutesDec 13, 2024

    Multi-Touch Attribution Setup Guide

    Track every customer touchpoint and assign credit based on actual influence. Discover which channels deserve budget increases and which are getting false credit.

    Multi-Touch Attribution Setup Guide

    TL;DR

    Track every customer touchpoint and use AI to assign credit based on actual influence—discovering that 30-50% of budget typically goes to channels getting false credit from last-click attribution.

    What you'll accomplish:

    • Connect all marketing platforms for complete journey tracking across channels
    • Implement AI-powered attribution model using machine learning vs arbitrary rules
    • Map customer journeys from first impression through conversion with all touchpoints
    • Identify channels getting false credit and those being systematically undervalued
    • Get budget reallocation recommendations based on true contribution analysis

    Time required: 40 minutes | Difficulty: Advanced | Prerequisites: Multiple marketing channels active, conversion tracking across platforms, 90+ days data

    Quick Start: Connect all ad platforms and GA4 to Cogny → Navigate to Attribution → Compare last-click vs AI attribution model to see which channels are undervalued.

    Related Resources

    Essential guides for understanding true channel performance:

    Question

    How do I set up multi-touch attribution to understand which marketing touchpoints actually drive conversions?

    Answer

    Connect all your marketing platforms and analytics to Cogny.

    The AI tracks every customer touchpoint—from first ad impression to final purchase.

    It uses machine learning to assign credit based on actual influence, not arbitrary rules.

    You'll finally know which channels deserve budget increases and which are getting false credit.

    Quick Tip: Start by comparing last-click attribution (what platforms show you) against AI-driven multi-touch attribution. The difference is often shocking—channels you thought were underperforming (like display ads or social awareness campaigns) may be driving 30-40% of your conversions when properly credited for their assist role. This single comparison usually reveals $10K-50K/month in misallocated budget.

    Why Multi-Touch Attribution Matters

    Last-click attribution is a lie.

    Typical customer journey:

    Monday: Sees Instagram ad (doesn't click) Tuesday: Searches your brand on Google, clicks ad, browses Wednesday: Receives email, clicks, reads blog post Thursday: Sees Facebook retargeting ad, clicks, leaves Friday: Types URL directly, buys

    Last-click attribution gives 100% credit to: Direct traffic.

    But 4 other touchpoints influenced the decision.

    Instagram created awareness. Google search demonstrated intent. Email nurtured consideration. Facebook reminded them.

    The problem:

    You're optimizing for the wrong thing.

    "Direct traffic drives 40% of conversions, increase brand spend!"

    But direct traffic is the RESULT of your other marketing, not the cause.

    Multi-touch attribution fixes this.

    It assigns proportional credit to each touchpoint based on actual influence.

    What You'll Get

    After this setup:

    • Complete customer journey mapping across all channels
    • Intelligent credit assignment to each touchpoint
    • Channel performance based on true influence, not last click
    • Budget allocation recommendations based on actual contribution
    • ROI calculations that account for assisted conversions

    Typical insight: 30-50% of your budget is going to channels getting false credit from last-click attribution.

    Note: Multi-touch attribution is most valuable when you run 3+ marketing channels simultaneously. If you only use one channel (e.g., just Google Ads), attribution matters less. But if you run Google + Meta + Email + Display + Organic, customers touch multiple channels before converting, and last-click attribution systematically overvalues bottom-funnel channels while undervaluing awareness and consideration touchpoints. The longer your sales cycle, the more critical proper attribution becomes.

    Step 1: Connect All Marketing Touchpoints

    Multi-touch attribution needs complete data.

    Missing one channel = incomplete picture.

    Required connections:

    Paid channels:

    • Google Ads (search, display, shopping, YouTube)
    • Meta Ads (Facebook, Instagram)
    • LinkedIn Ads (if B2B)
    • TikTok, Twitter, Pinterest (if applicable)

    Organic channels:

    • GA4 (website traffic, organic search)
    • Email platform (Mailchimp, Klaviyo, etc.)
    • Content management (blog, resources)

    Other touchpoints:

    • CRM (sales calls, demos)
    • Events/webinars
    • Referral traffic
    • Direct mail (if tracked)

    In Cogny: Dashboard → Integrations → Connect Platform Authorize each platform (OAuth flow)

    Why all channels?

    If email isn't connected, email's contribution gets attributed to whatever touchpoint comes AFTER the email.

    Your data becomes wrong.

    Time: 15-20 minutes to connect all platforms

    Step 2: Choose Attribution Model

    Not all attribution models are equal.

    Common models:

    Last-click (default for most platforms): 100% credit to final touchpoint before conversion

    Problem: Ignores everything that built awareness and consideration

    First-click: 100% credit to initial touchpoint

    Problem: Ignores everything that drove the final decision

    Linear: Equal credit to all touchpoints

    Problem: Treats banner ad impression same as clicking "Buy Now"

    Time-decay: More credit to touchpoints closer to conversion

    Problem: Still arbitrary. Why should timing matter more than influence?

    Position-based (U-shaped): 40% credit to first touch, 40% to last touch, 20% split among middle

    Problem: Why 40/40/20? No data justification.

    Data-driven (Cogny's default): AI analyzes thousands of conversion paths Learns which touchpoints actually influence decisions Assigns credit based on real contribution

    How it works:

    Cogny compares:

    • Customer journeys that converted
    • Customer journeys that didn't convert

    Discovers:

    Customers who saw Instagram ad + Google search + email = 68% conversion rate Customers who saw Google search + email (no Instagram) = 52% conversion rate

    Instagram's incremental contribution: 16 percentage points

    Credit is assigned proportionally based on incremental lift.

    In Cogny: Settings → Attribution Model → Select "Data-Driven"

    AI trains model on your data (24-48 hours)

    Time: 2 minutes to select model

    Step 3: Set Attribution Window

    How long does consideration take?

    Attribution window = how far back to look for touchpoints.

    E-commerce:

    • 7-day click window (standard)
    • 1-day view window
    • Most purchases happen quickly

    Considered purchases (furniture, electronics):

    • 30-day click window
    • 7-day view window
    • Longer research phase

    B2B SaaS:

    • 90-day click window
    • 30-day view window
    • Sales cycles are months

    High-ticket B2B:

    • 180-day click window
    • 60-day view window
    • 6-12 month sales cycles

    What happens outside the window?

    Customer clicks ad on Jan 1. Converts on Feb 15.

    If your window is 30 days: Ad gets credit. If your window is 7 days: Ad gets NO credit.

    Be realistic.

    Too short = undervalue awareness channels Too long = over-credit old touchpoints

    In Cogny: Settings → Attribution Window Set click and view windows

    Cogny recommends window based on your actual data:

    • Median time-to-conversion
    • 75th percentile time-to-conversion
    • Industry benchmarks

    Time: 3 minutes

    Step 4: Handle Cross-Device Journeys

    Modern customers use multiple devices.

    Real journey:

    Monday morning: Sees Instagram ad on phone (no click) Monday evening: Searches Google on laptop, clicks ad, browses Tuesday: Gets email on phone, clicks, reads article Wednesday: Sees Facebook ad on tablet, clicks, adds to cart Thursday: Returns on laptop, completes purchase

    How many devices? Three (phone, laptop, tablet)

    Problem with most attribution:

    Each device looks like a separate customer.

    Attribution breaks.

    Cogny's solution:

    User ID matching: If customer logs in or provides email, all devices linked

    Probabilistic matching: AI uses signals to identify same user across devices:

    • Timestamps and patterns
    • IP addresses
    • Browser fingerprints
    • Behavioral patterns

    Example:

    Device A: Visited site at 9:15am from IP 123.45.67.89 Device B: Visited site at 9:17am from IP 123.45.67.89 Similar browsing patterns (same products viewed)

    95% probability = same user

    Result:

    Complete journey mapped across all devices.

    Accurate attribution.

    In Cogny:

    This happens automatically once platforms connected.

    No configuration needed.

    Step 5: Analyze Channel Contribution

    Once attribution is set up, Cogny shows true channel contribution.

    Example report:

    Google Ads:

    • Last-click conversions: 450
    • Multi-touch attributed conversions: 380
    • Over-credited by: 18%

    Meta Ads:

    • Last-click conversions: 220
    • Multi-touch attributed conversions: 340
    • Under-credited by: 54%

    Email marketing:

    • Last-click conversions: 85
    • Multi-touch attributed conversions: 290
    • Under-credited by: 241%

    Direct traffic:

    • Last-click conversions: 380
    • Multi-touch attributed conversions: 95
    • Over-credited by: 300%

    The insight:

    Email is your secret weapon.

    Driving 3.4x more conversions than last-click shows.

    But you've been under-investing because it "only" drove 85 last-click conversions.

    Direct traffic is mostly people who saw your ads and typed your URL. Not a channel—a result of your channels.

    The fix:

    Budget reallocation based on true contribution (use budget allocation optimization for AI-powered recommendations):

    • Reduce Google Ads budget 15%
    • Increase Meta Ads budget 35%
    • Triple email marketing investment
    • Stop counting "direct" as a channel

    In Cogny: View "Channel Attribution Report" Compare last-click vs. multi-touch See over/under-credited channels

    Step 6: Understand Touchpoint Sequences

    Some sequences convert better than others.

    Cogny shows top converting paths:

    Path 1: Email → Google Search → Direct (18% of conversions) Conversion rate: 8.5%

    Path 2: Facebook Ad → Email → Direct (14% of conversions) Conversion rate: 7.2%

    Path 3: Instagram Ad → Google Search → Facebook Retargeting → Direct (11% of conversions) Conversion rate: 6.8%

    Path 4: Google Search → Direct (9% of conversions) Conversion rate: 12.1%

    The insights:

    High-intent path (Path 4): People searching for you convert at 12%. These are hot leads. Probably already aware (saw ad elsewhere).

    Awareness-driven path (Path 3): Instagram creates awareness → Google research → Facebook reminds → Convert Lower conversion but necessary for new customer acquisition.

    Email is a powerful middle step: Paths with email convert 2.3x better than paths without.

    The action:

    1. Protect high-intent paths: Ensure Google Search ads always visible for brand terms
    2. Invest in awareness: Instagram + Facebook combo drives new customer pipelines
    3. Strengthen email: Get more people into email list earlier in journey

    In Cogny: View "Conversion Paths Report" See most common sequences Identify patterns in high-converting paths

    Step 7: Allocate Budget Based on True Contribution

    This is where attribution pays off.

    Before multi-touch attribution:

    Allocated budget based on last-click conversions:

    • Google Ads: $50,000/month (45 last-click conversions per $100 spent)
    • Meta Ads: $25,000/month (22 last-click conversions per $100)
    • Email: $5,000/month (8.5 last-click conversions per $100)

    After multi-touch attribution:

    True contribution (multi-touch conversions):

    • Google Ads: 38 conversions per $100 (over-credited 18%)
    • Meta Ads: 34 conversions per $100 (under-credited 54%)
    • Email: 58 conversions per $100 (under-credited 241%)

    New optimal budget allocation:

    • Google Ads: $42,000/month (-16%)
    • Meta Ads: $38,000/month (+52%)
    • Email: $15,000/month (+200%)

    Projected impact:

    Same total spend: $80,000/month Expected conversions increase: 35-45%

    The math:

    Shifting budget from over-credited channels to under-credited channels means:

    • More investment in what actually works
    • Less waste on false attribution

    Cogny provides:

    • Current budget allocation
    • Recommended budget allocation
    • Expected conversion lift from reallocation

    Use these insights alongside ROAS reporting to validate that budget shifts actually improve returns.

    Real Example: Outdoor Apparel E-commerce

    Company: Nordic outdoor gear brand Challenge: Can't figure out which ads actually drive sales

    Before multi-touch attribution:

    Total ad spend: $120,000/month Monthly conversions: 2,400 Cost per conversion: $50

    Budget allocation (based on last-click):

    • Google Shopping: $55,000 (1,100 last-click conversions)
    • Facebook Ads: $35,000 (700 last-click conversions)
    • Instagram Ads: $15,000 (300 last-click conversions)
    • Email marketing: $10,000 (200 last-click conversions)
    • Display ads: $5,000 (100 last-click conversions)

    "Google Shopping works best. Facebook is okay. Email and display barely contribute."

    After implementing Cogny multi-touch attribution:

    AI analyzed 90 days of customer journeys.

    Discovered:

    Google Shopping:

    • Last-click: 1,100 conversions
    • Multi-touch: 820 conversions
    • Getting 34% false credit from customers who would've converted anyway

    Facebook Ads:

    • Last-click: 700 conversions
    • Multi-touch: 940 conversions
    • Under-credited by 34%

    Instagram Ads:

    • Last-click: 300 conversions
    • Multi-touch: 680 conversions
    • Under-credited by 127%

    Email marketing:

    • Last-click: 200 conversions
    • Multi-touch: 710 conversions
    • Under-credited by 255%

    Display ads:

    • Last-click: 100 conversions
    • Multi-touch: 450 conversions
    • Under-credited by 350%

    Key pattern:

    Typical high-value customer journey:

    1. Sees display ad (awareness)
    2. Sees Instagram ad (consideration)
    3. Receives email (nurture)
    4. Searches brand on Google (intent)
    5. Clicks Shopping ad (convenience)
    6. Purchases

    Last-click attribution gave 100% credit to Google Shopping.

    But 4 earlier touchpoints built the journey.

    The fix:

    New budget allocation:

    • Google Shopping: $38,000 (-31%)
    • Facebook Ads: $28,000 (-20%)
    • Instagram Ads: $22,000 (+47%)
    • Email marketing: $20,000 (+100%)
    • Display ads: $12,000 (+140%)

    Results after 3 months:

    • Total spend: Still $120,000/month
    • Monthly conversions: 3,350 (+40%)
    • Cost per conversion: $36 (-28%)
    • Revenue increased 38%

    Their quote:

    "We were starving our best channels and feeding our worst. Multi-touch attribution completely changed our strategy—and our growth trajectory."

    Common Mistakes to Avoid

    1. Using platform attribution

    Google Ads says: "I drove 500 conversions." Facebook says: "I drove 400 conversions."

    Add them up: 900 conversions. Actual conversions: 650.

    Each platform takes credit. Use independent attribution.

    2. Attribution window too short

    7-day window for a 45-day sales cycle = massive under-attribution of awareness channels.

    3. Ignoring view-through conversions

    Customer sees ad, doesn't click, converts later. View-through matters for brand awareness.

    4. Not accounting for offline touchpoints

    Trade shows, sales calls, direct mail all influence. Track and include.

    5. Changing models too frequently

    Attribution models need time and data. Don't switch monthly.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    How much data do I need for multi-touch attribution?

    Minimum: 1,000 conversions over 90 days. Ideal: 5,000+ conversions for robust model.

    Can I use multi-touch attribution with small budgets?

    Yes, but accuracy improves with more data. Under $5,000/month spend, last-click may be sufficient.

    How often does the attribution model update?

    Cogny retrains models bi-weekly with new conversion data.

    What about brand awareness campaigns that don't drive direct conversions?

    Multi-touch attribution captures assisted conversions. Brand awareness gets credit for its true contribution.

    Can I customize attribution rules?

    Yes. Cogny allows custom rules (e.g., "always give 10% credit to first touch") combined with data-driven allocation.

    How do I handle returns and refunds?

    Cogny deducts returned orders from attributed conversions. True ROI reflects actual revenue kept.

    Does multi-touch work for B2B with long sales cycles?

    Yes. Especially important for B2B. Set longer attribution windows (180+ days) and include CRM touchpoints.

    Can I export attribution data to other tools?

    Yes. Cogny integrates with ad platforms to send back attributed conversion values for optimization.

    About This Guide

    Written by the Cogny team—built by the founders who created AI optimization systems for Netflix, Zalando, and Momondo at Campanja, and scaled growth for Kry, Epidemic Sound, and Yubico through GrowthHackers.se over 11 years.

    Multi-touch attribution is complex but essential. Most marketing teams waste 30-40% of budget on misattributed channels. Don't be one of them.

    Next Steps

    After implementing multi-touch attribution, maximize your marketing intelligence:

    Immediate Actions:

    1. Compare last-click vs AI attribution models to identify the biggest discrepancies in channel credit
    2. Use attribution insights in automated ROAS reporting for accurate channel performance
    3. Implement budget allocation optimization based on true contribution data

    Strategic Application:

    • Apply attribution insights to CAC analysis to understand full-journey acquisition costs
    • Build ICP analysis to see which customer segments have most complex journeys
    • Track attribution changes in cohort analysis to understand journey evolution over time

    Channel Optimization:

    • Identify undervalued awareness channels (display, social, content) and increase investment
    • Reduce spend on overvalued bottom-funnel channels getting false last-click credit
    • Build channel-specific strategies based on their role in the journey (awareness vs conversion)

    Advanced Attribution:

    • Set up offline conversion tracking for phone calls and in-store purchases
    • Extend attribution windows for longer sales cycles (60-180 days for B2B)
    • Integrate CRM touchpoints (sales calls, demos) into the attribution model

    Need help? We're here to support your attribution setup:

    Ready to Set Up Multi-Touch Attribution?

    Book a demo to see how Cogny tracks complete customer journeys and assigns credit based on actual influence.

    Book Your Demo →

    We'll analyze your attribution data and show you which channels are getting false credit right now.

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