What is Attribution? (And Why It Matters)

Marketing attribution is the process of identifying which marketing touchpoints led to a sale. In other words: which ad, email, or social post actually convinced someone to buy?

The Problem Without Attribution

Imagine you're running ads on Facebook, Google, Instagram, and sending email campaigns. A customer sees your Facebook ad, clicks it, browses your site, leaves. Two days later, they get your email, click through, and buy.

You might think:

• •"Most sales come from Google" (because that's where you spend the most)
• •"Email doesn't work" (because you don't see the connection)
• •"Facebook ads are wasting money" (because you can't track the journey)

And you'd be wrong on all three counts.

The Real Cost of Not Knowing

Without proper attribution, most ecommerce stores:

• •Waste 30-40% of their ad budget on channels that don't convert
• •Under-invest in channels that actually work because they can't see the results
• •Make decisions based on gut feeling instead of data
• •Can't scale because they don't know what's working

What Good Attribution Tells You

With proper attribution tracking, you can answer:

• •Which Facebook ad drove the most sales (not just clicks)?
• •Do Instagram ads actually convert or just get engagement?
• •Should I spend more on Google or Facebook?
• •Which email campaigns drive revenue vs just opens?
• •Are influencer partnerships worth the cost?
• •What's my true return on ad spend (ROAS)?

How Attribution Works

Attribution tracking requires three pieces:

1. Tracking pixels - Small code snippets that track visitors

2. UTM parameters - Tags you add to your marketing links

3. Attribution software - Tools like BlackBox that connect the dots

Here's a simple example:

• •Customer clicks Facebook ad → Lands on yourstore.com
• •BlackBox sees: "Someone visited from... somewhere?"
• •Customer buys
• •BlackBox sees: "Someone bought but we don't know how they found us"
• •Result: Sale marked as "Direct" ❌

• •Customer clicks Facebook ad → Lands on yourstore.com?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=spring_sale
• •BlackBox sees: "Someone came from Facebook's Spring Sale campaign"
• •Customer buys
• •BlackBox sees: "This sale came from Facebook Spring Sale campaign"
• •Result: Accurate attribution ✅

Why This Matters for Your Business

Let's say you spend $10,000/month on ads:

• •$4,000 on Facebook
• •$3,000 on Google
• •$2,000 on Instagram
• •$1,000 on email tools

The right move? Keep both, understand their roles.

Common Attribution Myths

Your Next Steps

1. Install a pixel (BlackBox, if you haven't already)

2. Add UTM parameters to ALL marketing links (use our UTM Builder)

3. Give it 7 days to collect data

4. Check your dashboard and prepare to be surprised

Most store owners discover their assumptions about "what works" were completely wrong.

Key Takeaways

• •Attribution = knowing which marketing efforts drive sales
• •Without it, you're wasting money on channels that don't work
• •UTM parameters are the foundation of accurate attribution
• •Platform-reported numbers (Facebook, Google) don't tell the full story
• •Proper attribution pays for itself in week one by cutting wasted spend

Try BlackBox Free →