Piecing together the attribution puzzle: a conversation with Carlin Leung

Attribution is the mystery all content marketers strive to solve. How can we know for certain which touchpoints have driven customers towards conversion? How can we assess the precise role these materials played in this process? How can we accurately measure which campaigns are making the biggest difference?

For anyone who creates or invests in content, these are the questions that matter. They’re also the most difficult to answer. We know without a doubt that audiences are actively selecting the media they consume, rather than passively absorbing placed ads and commercials, and that the best organizations are making high-value marketing their priority. But creating and curating it is pricey, and its success is notoriously difficult to prove.

In this podcast, Carlin Leung, a data strategist and analyst here at Quietly, speaks to the nuances of attribution and helps us unravel the secrets of audience behavior. Listen as he explains the implications of attribution for brands, marketers, and all others who have a vested interest in telling more powerful, valuable stories.

Show notes

00:12 – Introduction to the topic and Carlin Leung

01:48 – Level setting on essential terminology

04:25 – Providing a working definition of attribution

07:15 – Carlin’s “MVP” analogy for attribution

09:30 – Why attribution is a challenge for content

12:25 – Basic attribution methods and models

14:53 – Adapting and customizing methodologies

19:07 – Tracking quality of touchpoints, not quantity

21:42 – Understanding behavior and engagement

23:21 – How to make sound marketing decisions

27:06 – Why brands turn back to paid ad spend

29:07 – A privacy-focused future for data collection

30:42 – An opportunity for machine learning models

32:50 – Making segmentation more nuanced

34:21 – Continued research and experimentation

35:18 – Recommended tools and methodologies

37:34 – Advice for marketers on choosing a model

39:38 – Carlin’s take on the meaning of content

Image: Pavlovska Yevheniia/Shutterstock