Facebook Basics
Facebook Ads Attribution
Written by Lisandro Franky
Let’s get down to the Facebook basics. This week we go over a quick explanation of attribution, why it matters, and a set of actionable next steps.
What is attribution?
Attribution is the process of assigning credit to touchpoints along a consumer’s conversion path. A touchpoint is any interaction someone has with an ad, whether it’s an impression on mobile or a click on desktop.
A typical conversion path spans multiple devices from online to offline channels, making it challenging to credit touchpoints effectively.
Why care about attribution?
By better understanding which of your ads should get credit for leading someone to take an action you wanted, such as making a purchase, you can better measure the effectiveness of your ads and make decisions for future planning and optimization. In the most technical sense, get to know your customer!
For example, let’s say someone saw your ads while browsing the Facebook app on their mobile phone, on a website they visited while on their work computer, and on a search engine while on their home computer. If the last ad clicked on before making their purchase was from the home computer, it can be tempting to think that this search engine ad should get all the credit for making the sale happen. The reality is all the other ads contributed to building awareness and consideration.
Market research and competitor analysis are crucial to identify where to meet your customer and what space your competition takes up. Attribution asks that research to put its money where its mouth is. Your customer is unique and assuming their behavior limits your ability to connect to them with your product, service, or message.
How does attribution work?
Attribution combines the data from the touchpoints in a consumer’s conversion path with the model you choose to apply to the information.
Attribution models can follow a rule, a set of rules, or a statistical model. Rule-based models let you select the ruling that will determine how conversions should attribute to different touchpoints. Single-touch models allow you to give credit to only one touchpoint, while multi-touch models give credit to many touchpoints in the consumer’s conversion path. Statistical models, like Facebook’s data-driven attribution model, look at historical data to determine credit and vary depending on your business.
Available solutions
| Solution | Details | Benefits |
| Facebook Attribution | Measurement solution that offers multi-touch attribution across devices, platforms and browsers | Choose which attribution model to select. Gain insights on your conversion path, online across devices, platforms, and browsers |
| MTA Partners | Cross-channel attribution through partners that help integrate Facebook impression-level data |
Next steps
- Measure the impact of your ads online and offline by collecting the right information. Implement the Facebook Pixel for websites, SDK for mobile app events and Offline Conversions to tie back to in-store sales
- Measure conversions in Ads Manager and understand cross-device conversions attributed to Facebook that your current measurement tools may be missing.
- Get started by exploring the Facebook Attribution tool.
