How to Set Up Multi-Touch Attribution in HubSpot

Key Takeaways

• Multi-touch attribution shows which marketing activities drive deals

• Instead of crediting one channel, it credits all touchpoints in the customer journey

• HubSpot offers 4 attribution models; first-touch and last-touch are most common for beginners

• Proper attribution reveals which channels truly drive revenue

• Attribution data helps you allocate your marketing budget effectively

Attribution Explained Simply

Attribution is answering the question: "Which marketing activities caused this customer to buy?"

Here's the confusion: A customer might interact with you multiple times before buying:

1. See your ad on LinkedIn

2. Click and land on website

3. Read a blog post

4. Download a resource

5. Click a follow-up email

6. Click a demo link

7. Watch a demo video

8. Fill out a form

9. Talk to sales

10. Buy

Which touchpoint deserves credit for this sale?

Last-touch attribution says: "Email #5 caused the sale. That's the last thing before they bought." But that's not fair - they wouldn't have gotten to email #5 without the LinkedIn ad.

Multi-touch attribution says: "Every touchpoint played a role. Let's credit them all fairly."

Types of Attribution Models

HubSpot offers several models:

1. First-touch: 100% credit to the first interaction (how they first learned about you)

2. Last-touch: 100% credit to the last interaction (what made them finally decide)

3. Linear: Equal credit to all touchpoints (each step is equally important)

4. Time-decay: More credit to recent touchpoints (later touches are more influential)

For beginners, start with Last-touch or Linear attribution.

Last-touch is simple: "What was the final action before they bought?" This is easiest to understand.

Linear spreads credit equally: "All touchpoints matter equally." This is most fair.

Step-by-Step: Set Up Multi-Touch Attribution

Step 1: Access Attribution Settings

1. Log into HubSpot

2. Click "Reports" in the top menu

3. Select "Attribution"

4. Click "Settings"

Step 2: Choose Your Attribution Model

1. Look at the available models

2. For most businesses, choose "Last-touch" first:

   - The touchpoint immediately before a conversion gets 100% credit.

3. Or choose "Linear" for more fairness:

   - Each touchpoint in the journey gets equal credit.

4. Click "Save"

Step 3: Define What "Conversion" Means

What counts as a conversion to attribute to?

1. In Attribution settings, look for "Conversion definition"

2. Choose your conversion event. Options:

   - "Contact creation" (when someone first becomes a lead)

   - "Deal creation" (when a deal is entered in pipeline)

   - "Deal closing" (when a deal is won)

   - "Custom event" (something specific to your business)

3. We recommend "Deal closing" for sales attribution

4. Click "Save"

Step 4: Set Up Touchpoint Tracking

Touchpoints are every interaction a customer has with you. Make sure you're tracking:

1. Website visits (tracked by HubSpot tracking code)

2. Email opens and clicks

3. Form submissions

4. Content downloads

5. Ad clicks

6. Sales conversations

7. Chat interactions

Check that your HubSpot tracking is installed on your website. If you see traffic in "Website activity" in your contacts, tracking is working.

Step 5: View Your First Attribution Report

1. Go to "Reports" → "Attribution"

2. You'll see the "Customer journey" report

3. This shows real customer journeys:

   - Step 1: How they discovered you

   - Step 2: What they engaged with

   - Step 3: How they became a customer

4. Scroll through to see examples of customer journeys

Step 6: Create an Attribution Report

To analyze which channels drive revenue:

1. Click "Create report"

2. Choose "Report type": "Touch attribution"

3. Choose "Group by": "Touchpoint source"

   - This groups by: Website, Email, Ads, Chat, etc.

4. Choose your metric: "Revenue attributed" or "Deals attributed"

5. This shows: Which source gets credit for how much revenue?

6. Click "Create"

Step 7: Analyze Your Attribution Report

Once your attribution report is running:

1. Look at which channels drive the most revenue

2. Example results might show:

   - Website visits: $500K attributed

   - Email: $400K attributed

   - Ads: $300K attributed

   - Chat: $100K attributed

3. This tells you: Website is your strongest channel

Step 8: Drill Deeper - Analyze by Campaign

1. Create a new report

2. Group by: "Campaign"

3. Metric: "Revenue attributed"

4. This shows: Which specific campaigns drive deals?

5. Example: Your "Black Friday" email campaign gets credited for $50K revenue

Step 9: Analyze Conversion Paths

1. In Attribution, click "Conversion paths"

2. You'll see the most common paths customers take before buying

3. Example path: "Email click → Website visit → Form submission → Demo → Deal"

4. This reveals: What's the typical journey?

Step 10: Review Monthly

Set a monthly calendar reminder to:

1. Review your attribution reports

2. See which channels are credited with revenue

3. Ask: "Are we investing enough in our top channels?"

4. Adjust your strategy based on findings

Attribution Insights You Might Discover

Insight 1: "Our website is actually a huge revenue driver"

Action: Invest more in website content and SEO.

Insight 2: "Email is the final touchpoint for most deals"

Action: Improve your email sequences and timing.

Insight 3: "Ads have low attribution"

Action: Either improve ads, or accept that ads work for awareness not direct sales.

Insight 4: "Cold outreach email sequences drive deals"

Action: Create more sequences and automate more of your sales process.

Insight 5: "Most customers need 5+ touchpoints before buying"

Action: Build longer nurture sequences and be patient with prospects.

Attribution Best Practices

Choose One Model to Start: Don't switch between models. Pick Last-touch or Linear and stick with it for 3 months. Then try another model.

Review Monthly: Attribution data reveals opportunities. Review monthly to stay current.

Don't Over-Optimize: Attribution isn't perfect. Use it as guidance, not gospel.

Combine with Qualitative Feedback: Ask your customers: "How did you find us?" Don't rely 100% on attribution data.

Credit Multiple Channels: Even if last-touch says "Email," email worked because they saw an ad first.

Use for Budget Allocation: Attribution data helps you decide how much to spend on each channel.

Conclusion

Multi-touch attribution helps you see how different marketing touchpoints contribute to a sale instead of crediting just one interaction. With the right attribution model in HubSpot, businesses can better understand their customer journey, invest in the right channels, and make smarter marketing decisions.

At Markivis, we help businesses implement HubSpot attribution to turn marketing data into actionable insights.