Last week, our community dove into marketing attribution- what’s working, what’s broken, and how teams are adapting as buying journeys grow longer, messier, and more influenced by AI. Leaders across B2B SaaS, healthcare, fintech, and services shared real examples of where attribution delivers confidence, where it falls short, and how the conversation is shifting from “who gets credit” to “what’s actually moving the business forward.”
💡 5 Key Attribution Takeaways from the Community
1️⃣ Confidence in attribution is partial but directionally useful
Most teams reported 50–70% confidence in their attribution models. Digital channels (paid, organic, LinkedIn, newsletters) are easier to track, while direct traffic, events, referrals, and long-tail influence remain persistent blind spots. Despite imperfections, teams are still using attribution directionally to guide budget decisions.
2️⃣ Events and “direct” remain the hardest to measure but the most influential
In-person events, trade shows, booths, and community touch points repeatedly surfaced as high-impact but difficult to attribute. Deals often closed months- or years-later, making first- and last-touch models insufficient. When events were aggregated together, they often emerged as the top pipeline driver post-pandemic.
3️⃣ AI is creating a new attribution gap marketers are racing to close
AI-driven discovery (ChatGPT, Gemini, Perplexity, Copilot) is already influencing pipeline, yet most teams lack reliable attribution beyond self-reported form fields. While tools like HubSpot now surface “AI” as a source and platforms like Peek AI attempt to identify AI search queries, marketers expressed frustration at not being able to confidently say, “This deal came from AI.”
4️⃣ The conversation is shifting from credit to contribution
Several leaders emphasized the need to move attribution discussions away from defensiveness and toward business impact. Rather than debating first vs. last touch, the focus is increasingly on cascading activities- sales, marketing, product, content, events, and community- working together to move deals forward in long, multi-year buying journeys.
5️⃣ Better questions matter more than perfect models
Advanced teams are reframing attribution as a tool for insight, not validation. Instead of asking “Which channel gets credit?”, they’re asking:
What consistently fills pipeline?
What accelerates deals?
Where should we lean in- even if measurement is imperfect?
This mindset is helping marketing leaders communicate value to executives, guide investment decisions, and stay aligned with sales- even as attribution remains inherently incomplete.