Definition of linear attribution
Linear attribution is a model used by marketers to understand the effectiveness of their marketing channels. It’s a way of assigning equal credit to each touchpoint in a customer’s journey towards a conversion. This means that every interaction a customer has with your brand, from the first ad they see to the final purchase, is considered equally important.
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An example of linear attribution
Here is an example of how it works:
Growth Method, a SaaS company, launches a marketing campaign to attract new customers. A potential customer, John, interacts with the campaign in the following way:
- John sees a sponsored post on Facebook about Growth Method and clicks on it to learn more.
- A few days later, John receives an email from Growth Method, which he opens and reads.
- John then sees a Google Ad from Growth Method while browsing the internet and clicks on it.
- Finally, John directly visits the Growth Method website and signs up for a free trial.
In a linear attribution model, each of these touchpoints would receive equal credit for John’s conversion. So, the Facebook post, the email, the Google Ad, and the direct website visit would each receive 25% of the credit for John’s sign-up.
How does linear attribution work?
Linear attribution works by evenly distributing the credit for a sale or conversion across all touchpoints in a customer’s journey. This means that each marketing channel, such as social media, email, or paid search, receives an equal portion of the credit, regardless of when they occurred in the conversion path. For marketers, this model provides a holistic view of all channels contributing to the final conversion, helping them understand the overall effectiveness of their marketing strategies. However, it does not consider the potential varying impacts of different touchpoints.
Expert opinions and perspectives
Here are how some of the world’s best marketing and growth professionals, and companies, think about linear attribution.
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Linear attribution is a multi-touch attribution model which splits conversion credit equally across each touchpoint or interaction along a customer’s journey. - https://www.indicative.com/resource/linear-attribution/
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“The true benefit of using a linear attribution model is that it takes all touchpoints into account. Adopting a linear attribution model is a great way to get started if you’re looking to gain a macro-level grasp of your overall marketing strategy.” - https://www.callrail.com/blog/linear-attribution-models
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“Linear distributes the credit for the conversion equally across all ad interactions on the path.” - https://support.google.com/google-ads/answer/6259715
Questions to ask yourself
As a modern growth marketing or agile marketing professional, ask yourself the following questions with regard to linear attribution:
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Am I giving equal credit to all touchpoints in the customer journey?
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Does the linear attribution model accurately reflect the impact of each marketing channel on the growth of my business?
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Am I able to identify which marketing channels are underperforming or overperforming with the linear attribution model?
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Is the linear attribution model helping me to optimize my marketing budget effectively?
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Does the linear attribution model provide me with actionable insights to improve my marketing strategy?
Other articles you might like
Here are some related articles and further reading you may find helpful.
Additional reading
Here are some related articles and further reading around linear attribution that you may find helpful.
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“Understanding the Linear Attribution Model” - Smart Insights
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“The Complete Guide to Understanding Consumer Psychology” - Neil Patel
About Growth Method
Growth Method is the growth platform designed for experiment-led and data-driven marketers.
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