What data is required to measure marketing contribution to deposits?

You need campaign and channel data, CRM or customer identifiers, and access to core or deposit-system records for accounts and balances. With those elements, you can link marketing touches to account openings, funded balances, and net inflows, then compare performance to baselines or control groups.

Should marketing contribution focus on new accounts or deposit balances?

Effective measurement usually looks at both. New accounts show whether marketing is acquiring relationships, while balances and net inflows show the depth and value of those relationships. Many institutions focus on funded accounts and 60–90 day average balances when quantifying marketing contribution to deposits.

How long should the attribution window be for deposit products?

For simpler deposit products such as savings or checking, 30–60 day attribution windows from first marketing touch to account funding are common. For higher-consideration products such as large CDs or relationship packages, windows of 60–120 days may be more appropriate. The key is to align the window with observed behavior and apply it consistently across campaigns.

How do you calculate marketing contribution to deposits?

Calculate marketing’s contribution to deposits by linking marketing-influenced customers and accounts to new and retained balances, then comparing those outcomes to a baseline or control. In practice, you: (1) define the deposit growth you care about (e.g., new-to-bank, cross-sell, net inflows), (2) attribute a portion of that growth to marketing-touch cohorts, and (3) express contribution as marketing-driven deposit dollars, share of total growth, and unit economics (e.g., CAC per $1,000 of net deposits).

What Matters for Calculating Marketing Contribution to Deposits?

Clear deposit definition — Decide whether you’re measuring gross balances, net inflows, new-to-bank deposits, or product-specific growth (e.g., CDs, savings, checking).

Marketing-influenced cohorts — Identify households and accounts that saw campaigns, clicked, or engaged in your digital channels before opening or funding deposit accounts.

Baselines and control groups — Use pre-campaign trends or holdout groups to estimate how deposits would have grown without marketing, so you don’t over-credit campaigns.

Attribution window & lag — Align your lookback window to real buying behavior (e.g., 30–90 days from first touch to funding) for each deposit product type.

Net vs. gross perspective — Account for churn, balance runoff, and internal cannibalization (e.g., CDs moving from one term to another) when you quantify marketing’s net lift.

Finance-ready storytelling — Translate campaign KPIs into finance language: incremental funded accounts, net deposit dollars, CAC per $1,000 of deposits, and payback period.

The Marketing-to-Deposits Calculation Playbook

Use this sequence to move from “we drove a lot of clicks” to a finance-ready view of marketing’s contribution to deposit growth.

Define → Align → Link → Measure → Attribute → Translate → Improve

Define the deposit outcome: Decide which outcome you are attributing: new accounts opened, funded accounts, average balance growth, or net inflows over a period (e.g., 90 days).
Align on a formula with Finance: Agree on how you’ll calculate contribution. A common starting point: Marketing Deposit Contribution = Incremental net deposit dollars from marketing cohorts ÷ Total net deposit growth for the same period.
Link customers, accounts, and touches: Connect your CRM, MARTECH, and core or deposit system so each new or growing deposit account has a history of marketing exposures and interactions.
Measure deposit outcomes by cohort: For each campaign or audience, calculate number of accounts opened, funded balances, average balance over time, and net inflows per household or account.
Estimate incremental lift vs. baseline: Use control groups or pre-campaign trends to estimate how many accounts and how much balance would have shown up without marketing, then subtract to get incremental lift.
Translate into contribution and efficiency: Express results as marketing-driven deposit dollars, share of total deposit growth, CAC per funded account, and CAC per $1,000 of net deposits gained.
Improve and codify the process: Identify the audiences and messages with the best deposit economics, capture the calculation method in a repeatable template, and review the numbers with Finance regularly.

Marketing Contribution to Deposits Maturity Matrix

Capability	From (Ad Hoc)	To (Finance-Ready)	Owner	Primary KPI
Deposit Definition	Ambiguous “deposit growth” with mixed products	Clear segmentation by product, new-to-bank vs. existing, and net vs. gross flows	Finance / Product	% of deposit growth clearly defined
Data Linkage	Marketing and core data in separate silos	Unified view of contacts, campaigns, accounts, and balances by ID or household	Data / MarTech	% of new deposits with marketing history
Attribution Method	Last-touch or “credit everything”	Lift-based attribution using baselines, trends, or holdout groups	Analytics	Signal-to-noise in lift estimates
Economic Metrics	Impressions, clicks, and leads only	Incremental funded deposits, CAC per $1,000, and payback period	Marketing / Finance	CAC per $1,000 of net deposits
Reporting Cadence	Ad hoc campaign recaps	Quarterly marketing-to-deposits scorecard with trend lines	RevOps / FP&A	On-time scorecard delivery
Decision Use	Interesting, but not used for planning	Deposit contribution metrics drive budget, mix, and offer decisions	Executive Team	% of budget tied to proven deposit impact

Client Snapshot: From Campaign Metrics to Deposit Economics

A mid-sized bank moved from counting clicks to quantifying marketing-driven funded deposits. By linking marketing campaigns to new accounts and 90-day balance growth, then comparing to a control group, they isolated incremental net deposits attributable to marketing. Within two quarters, leadership could see which audiences and offers delivered the lowest CAC per $1,000 of deposits, and shifted budget toward those programs while trimming low-yield channels.

When Marketing and Finance share a clear, repeatable formula for marketing contribution to deposits, you move from defensive reporting to proactive investment decisions grounded in real deposit economics.

Frequently Asked Questions About Marketing Contribution to Deposits

What is “marketing contribution to deposits” in simple terms?

It’s the portion of your deposit growth that you can reasonably tie back to marketing activity. Instead of saying “marketing supported deposits,” you quantify how many funded accounts, how many net deposit dollars, and what share of total growth came from customers who were influenced by campaigns.

Is there a standard formula for marketing contribution to deposits?

A common high-level formula is: Marketing Contribution (%) = Incremental net deposit dollars from marketing-influenced cohorts ÷ Total net deposit growth for a given period. You can also express contribution in absolute dollars or as CAC per $1,000 of net deposits.

How do we separate marketing impact from rate changes or branch activity?

Use baselines and controls. Compare deposit results for exposed vs. holdout groups, or measure changes vs. pre-campaign trends while accounting for known rate changes and branch initiatives. The goal is to estimate incremental lift, not claim all growth as marketing-driven.

Should we focus on new accounts or balance growth?

Ideally, both. New accounts tell you whether marketing is acquiring relationships, while balance growth and net inflows show if those relationships are deepening. Many banks focus on funded accounts and 60–90 day average balances as their primary metrics.

How long should our attribution window be for deposits?

It depends on the product and buying cycle. For simple savings or checking campaigns, 30–60 days from first touch is common; for high-balance CDs or relationship packages, 60–120 days may be more realistic. The key is to choose a window with Finance and apply it consistently.

What data do we need in place before doing this?

You’ll need reliable campaign and channel data, CRM or customer IDs, and access to core or deposit-system data for accounts and balances. From there, you can stitch together who saw what, who opened or funded accounts, and how balances changed over time.

Turn Deposit Growth into a Marketing Metric

Work with a team that speaks both marketing and Finance so you can quantify, improve, and defend marketing’s contribution to deposits.

Talk with a Financial Services Expert Explore the FI AI Agent Builder

Explore More on Deposits and Growth

How Do Banks Increase Funded Accounts Through Marketing? Financial Services Marketing at The Pedowitz Group FI AI Agent for Data-Driven Marketing Contact The Pedowitz Group

How Do You Calculate Marketing Contribution to Deposits?

What Matters for Calculating Marketing Contribution to Deposits?

The Marketing-to-Deposits Calculation Playbook

Define → Align → Link → Measure → Attribute → Translate → Improve

Marketing Contribution to Deposits Maturity Matrix

Client Snapshot: From Campaign Metrics to Deposit Economics

Frequently Asked Questions About Marketing Contribution to Deposits

Turn Deposit Growth into a Marketing Metric

Get in touch with a revenue marketing expert.

Send Us an Email

Schedule a Call

Solutions

Resources

About TPG