What’s the Best Attribution Model for B2B?
Use a layered model portfolio: W-shaped for pipeline planning, time-decay for in-quarter optimization, and account-based revenue influence for executive reporting—backed by clean UTMs, offline capture, and buying-committee stitching.
There’s no single “best” model—match the model to the decision. Use W-shaped multi-touch (first touch, lead creation, opportunity creation) to allocate budget; use time-decay for optimizing in-flight campaigns; and use account-based revenue influence to show how channels impact deals across the buying committee. Include offline & SDR touches, enforce UTM standards, and compare models on the same dashboard to avoid bias.
B2B Attribution Must-Haves
Design a Layered B2B Attribution Approach
Start with the question you’re answering. For demand creation, understand what first exposed target accounts—use first-touch. For pipeline planning, recognize the journey from awareness to opportunity—use W-shaped to weight first, lead/MQL, and opp create, with even or custom weights. For in-quarter optimization, credit recent nudges—use time-decay. For exec revenue reporting, show account-level influence across all contacts tied to opportunities.
Operationalize it in your MAP/CRM: standardize UTMs & campaign objects, map touchpoints to contacts, and roll up to accounts/deals. Pull in offline (events, SDR, direct mail) and partner touches. Add costs at the campaign or line-item level. Build dashboards that compare models by leads, MQAs, opportunities, revenue, CAC/ROMI, and let teams choose the view that matches their decision.
Graduate to data-driven (algorithmic) attribution when you have sufficient volume and clean data. Until then, W-shaped + time-decay + account influence provides a pragmatic, trusted answer set without black-box surprises.
30-Day B2B Attribution Sprint
- Days 1–5: Audit tracking: enforce UTM standards, campaign naming, and channel taxonomy; enable account & opportunity associations.
- Days 6–10: Define milestones (FT, MQL, Opp Create, Closed-Won); backfill historical touchpoints; tag SDR and event data.
- Days 11–15: Stand up W-shaped and time-decay reports; configure account-based influence for opportunities and revenue.
- Days 16–20: Load costs (media, events, content); QA bot/employee traffic; create side-by-side model comparison dashboards.
- Days 21–30: Publish decision rules (which model for which decision); reallocate 10–20% budget based on findings; set monthly audits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Pick the Right Model for Each Decision
We’ll implement your W-shaped, time-decay, and account-influence reporting, wire costs, ingest offline touches, and ship dashboards that leaders trust.
Contact Us