A Performance and Growth Marketer Onuorah John Chidozie makes a strong argument on the Power of attribution tools for enhancing marketing efficiency and accuracy.
We all know that marketing is complex. It’s filled with countless moving parts, especially in the digital-heavy environment in Lagos, Nigeria, and knowing which campaign, platform, or strategy is driving results is sometimes a major challenge. That’s where attribution tools come in. These tools are designed to help marketers accurately determine what’s working and what isn’t. But more than that, they’re helping to fine-tune marketing efficiency.
For Nigerian tech entrepreneurs and developers looking to build successful products, understanding the role of attribution tools in their marketing strategy can mean the difference between hitting and missing business targets.
The challenge many marketers face, especially in a fragmented market like Nigeria, is not just about generating leads or traffic but figuring out what’s driving actual conversions. This is where things often go wrong. Businesses tend to throw multiple strategies at the wall to see what sticks—running Facebook ads, sending email newsletters, optimizing for search engines—but without a clear way to pinpoint the source of their best customers, they’re essentially flying blind. This lack of clarity doesn’t just waste money; it often results in poor decision-making that hinders long-term growth.
In countries like the United States during the years between 2018 and 2022, the attribution software market experienced year-on-year growth of 27%, according to studies conducted by Future Market Insights. This was possible because these businesses could track every touchpoint along the customer journey, allowing them to focus resources on the most effective platforms. In Nigeria, where mobile usage has become the dominant form of accessing the internet, attribution tools are just as essential. With people using multiple devices and apps to interact with brands, marketers face the same issues of tracking consumer behavior. It’s not just about counting clicks but understanding how customers engage with your brand across different channels.
Take a Nigerian fintech startup, for example, that was running campaigns across Facebook, Instagram, and Google Ads while also pushing out content on YouTube and podcasts. The initial assumption was that Instagram was driving the highest engagement because of the likes, comments, and shares. But after implementing an attribution tool, the data told a different story. Google Ads, which wasn’t getting nearly as much attention in terms of raw numbers, was actually the main source of conversions, contributing more to the final stages of the sales funnel. That’s because, while people were interacting with the brand on Instagram, they were converting via Google when they were ready to make a purchase decision. Without an attribution tool, that insight might have gone unnoticed, leading to budget misallocation.
Attribution tools have come a long way in terms of accuracy. For years, marketers relied heavily on last-click attribution, which credited the final point of interaction before a conversion. But the reality is far more complicated. A single user might interact with a brand through multiple touchpoints—a Facebook ad might spark their interest, but it’s the YouTube product review that convinces them to take action, and then Google search where they make the purchase. With multi-touch attribution models, marketers can assign value to each of these interactions, providing a fuller picture of the customer journey.
This brings us to marketing efficiency. Without knowing which touchpoints are most impactful, it’s easy to waste valuable resources on underperforming channels. Consider a laundry tech company in Lagos that was burning a large portion of its budget on radio ads. After incorporating an attribution model, they discovered that over 60% of their conversions came from users who first encountered their brand via social media and then completed purchases through their website after seeing a Google ad. The radio ads, while effective for brand awareness, were driving only a small fraction of their conversions. Armed with this knowledge, they shifted their budget to digital channels and saw their return on investment increase by 25% over the next six months.
In markets like Nigeria, where cost efficiency is important, understanding where to place your marketing bets is key. Some companies have gone a step further by implementing sophisticated attribution models that take into account offline conversions as well. This is particularly relevant in sectors like fashion and food tech, where online interactions often lead to in-store purchases. By tracking how online campaigns affect foot traffic and sales at physical locations, businesses can get a more accurate picture of the full impact of their marketing efforts.
Countries like South Korea have been leaders in this area, with some retail brands attributing up to 40% of in-store sales to online ads through advanced offline-to-online tracking methods. Nigerian businesses, especially those operating in hybrid models with both online and offline sales channels, can benefit immensely from this approach. By integrating attribution tools that track both environments, companies can finally close the loop on marketing performance.
But all of this data is only useful if it’s acted upon. The most effective marketers aren’t just those who have the data, but those who use it to make smarter decisions. A Web3 startup in Nigeria, for example, could use attribution data to fine-tune their marketing campaigns. If they know that most of their high-value users first encountered their product on Twitter, then searched for more information through Google, they can focus on amplifying their Twitter presence and invest in content that ranks highly on search engines. Over time, they can refine their strategies even further, making data-backed decisions that not only improve marketing outcomes but also contribute to long-term growth.
One other benefit of using attribution tools is their ability to uncover hidden opportunities. There’s often a tendency to overlook certain channels if they don’t deliver immediate, obvious results. But attribution tools can show that a certain channel, though not directly converting users, is critical in guiding them throughout the journey. For instance, podcasts might not lead to direct sales, but they could play a significant role in creating brand awareness or educating potential customers. By measuring the cumulative effect of each touchpoint, businesses can make more informed decisions about where to allocate resources.
In a market as competitive as Nigeria’s tech space, where consumer behavior is constantly shifting, marketing strategies must be adaptable. Attribution tools help businesses stay nimble. by showing what’s working and what’s not, with a level of accuracy that wasn’t available before. For entrepreneurs and developers looking to create successful products, understanding and applying attribution models can help them make smarter marketing choices that drive growth, reduce waste, and improve overall business performance. The data is there; it’s just about knowing how to use it.
….Onuorah John Chidozie is a Performance and Growth marketer
