Define Attribution for Better Marketing Analytics

Brands that track orders in SlickText through an ecommerce integration or the API can view revenue data generated from store purchases. Attribution helps you understand which message or messaging strategy was most successful so that you can adjust your approach. SlickText attributes revenue to campaigns or workflows when contacts make purchases on your website after engaging with your messages. SlickText will track purchases for contacts across multiple devices, so it does not matter if they make the purchase from a personal computer or mobile device.

With SlickText, you can define how attribution works for your brand. You can select first touch versus last touch attribution, which establishes which message receives the revenue credit; and you can determine the message attribution window, or the amount of time after a contact engages with your message in which it will still receive revenue credit.

There are two types of message events that are counted for revenue attribution: clicks and views.

• Click Attribution – when a contact completes a purchase within a specified period of time after they click a link in a message.  

• View Attribution – when a contact completes a purchase within a specified period of time after they receive a message.  

Revenue attribution data will show up in Campaign and Workflow Analytics, as well as the Home page, to help you better understand how your SMS marketing is performing. 

In this article:

Selecting a Message Attribution Model for Revenue

Determining the Messaging Attribution Window for Revenue

Non-revenue Attribution -- Clicks and Unsubscribes

Before We Begin

In order to see revenue attributed to SlickText campaigns or workflows, your brand must have an integration that supports attribution or tracks orders in SlickText via other means, such as the SlickText API.

Selecting a Message Attribution Model for Revenue

SlickText supports two different attribution models: either first touch attribution or last touch attribution. Last touch attribution is the default model, but you can change it.

• First Touch Attribution gives revenue credit to the first message that brought the contact to your site to make a purchase. Brands choose first touch attribution primarily when they are trying to understand how effective their messaging is at creating awareness traffic. The disadvantage is that it ignores other messages you sent that may have influenced the contact.

• Last Touch Attribution gives revenue credit to the last message that brought the contact to your site to make a purchase. Brands choose last touch attribution when they are trying to understand the most effective message to generate a purchase. The disadvantage is that it ignores the previous messaging that generated and nurtured awareness.

To select a message attribution model:

1. Click on your name or avatar at the bottom left-hand corner of the screen. 
2. Click Settings.
3. Click Ecommerce.
4. Under Attribution Model, select First Touch or Last Touch from the dropdown.
5. Click Save.

Here’s an example that illustrates how the first touch versus last touch attribution model works.

• Day 1 You send a text message to your contact containing a link they click.

• Day 3 You send another text message to your contact containing a link they click.

• Day 5 You send another text message to your contact containing a link that they click

• Day 10 The contact purchases a product.

In the above example, assuming the purchase was within the message attribution window of the first message, the Day 1 message would receive revenue attribution in a first touch attribution model. In a last touch attribution model, the Day 5 message would receive revenue attribution.

Determining Messaging Attribution Window for Revenue

The messaging attribution window is the amount of time in which a click or view is given credit for a purchase. 

• Message View Window is the amount of time after a contact is sent a message in which the message will still receive revenue credit. For example, if the window is set at 24 hours, a message will receive revenue credit if a purchase is made by the contact within 24 hours of receiving the message. The default is set to 24 hours.

• Message Click Window is the amount of time after a contact clicks on a trackable link in a message in which the message will still receive revenue credit. For example, if the window is set at 14 days, a message will receive revenue credit if a purchase is made by the contact within 14 days of clicking on a link in the message. The default is set to 14 days.

To determine the messaging attribution window:

1. Click on your name or avatar at the bottom left-hand corner of the screen. 
2. Click Settings.
3. Click Ecommerce.
4. Scroll down to Messaging Attribution.
5. Select time periods for both the Message View Window and Message Click Window.
6. Click Save.

Here’s an example that illustrates how the revenue attribution window works.

• Day 1 You send a text message to your contact containing a link they click.

• Day 3 You send another text message to your contact containing a link they click.

• Day 5 You send another text message to your contact containing a link they click

• Day 10 The contact purchases a product.

If the messaging attribution click window is set to 10 days or more, the Day 1 message receives first touch revenue attribution; Day 5 receives last touch revenue attribution. 

If the messaging attribution click window is set to 8 days, since the Day 1 message is now outside of the message attribution window, the Day 3 message receives first touch revenue attribution and Day 5 receives last touch attribution.

If the messaging attribution click window is set to 4 days or less, no revenue will be attributed to messaging in SlickText.

Non-revenue Attribution -- Clicks and Unsubscribes

Beyond revenue attribution, SlickText attributes clicks and unsubscribes for analytics. These are built into the platform and not configurable.

• Attribution for Clicks SlickText attributes a click to a message if the link was included in the message, the link qualified as attributable to that message source (campaigns, workflows, for example) and a contact clicks on the link. Links qualify as attributable to messages where they are initially used. For example, a link created as part of a campaign message or first used as part of a campaign message, will be attributable to the campaign.

• Attribution for Unsubscribes - When a contact unsubscribes within 8 hours of receiving a message, SlickText will attribute the unsubscribe event to the most recent message. If there is no message within 8 hours, the unsubscribe event will not be attributed to a message.