Attribution For Lead Gen & Edu With Franklin’s Nathan Gorenflo
As the digital marketing landscape continues to evolve, the importance of attribution in measuring the success of marketing efforts cannot be overstated. Attribution provides insights into which touchpoints in the customer journey are driving conversions, allowing marketers to optimize their strategies and allocate resources effectively. In a podcast interview, Nathan Gorenflo, the Executive Director of Marketing & Strategy and Marketing Operations at Franklin University, shared his experience in operationalizing attribution at the institution, providing valuable lessons for marketers looking to adopt this technology.
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Nathan’s journey in measurement and digital marketing started in the early days of the industry, when he was a programmer at an agency before the birth of digital marketing. Over the years, he has worked with various brands, including Wells Fargo and Cardinal Health, before joining Franklin University nine years ago. At that time, the university was just beginning to embrace digital marketing as a whole, and Nathan’s department was primarily focused on using Google Analytics, which he described as a fairly limited tool.
However, with the advent of attribution, Nathan’s approach to measurement at Franklin University underwent a significant transformation. He emphasized the importance of understanding the entire customer journey and filling the sales funnel with relevant touchpoints. This involved moving beyond last-click attribution and looking at the full spectrum of touchpoints that contribute to conversions. Nathan shared that his biggest attribution “Aha!” moment was realizing the need for multiple independent resources to gain confidence in the picture being presented by vendors’ reporting. This highlights the importance of validating attribution data from different sources to ensure accuracy and reliability.
Nathan also discussed the challenges of operationalizing new technology, such as attribution, within an organization. He highlighted the need for buy-in from stakeholders, proper training and education for team members, and continuous optimization of processes. Implementing attribution successfully requires a strategic approach, and Nathan emphasized the importance of patience and incremental progress rather than attempting to swallow the entire attribution camel all at once.
Looking ahead, Nathan expressed optimism about the future of attribution. He sees it evolving into a more sophisticated and comprehensive tool that goes beyond digital touchpoints and incorporates offline channels as well. He also shared his unique insight into the relationship between branding and direct response, emphasizing the need for marketers to understand how these two aspects fit together in driving conversions.
Gorenflo’s experience at Franklin University provides valuable lessons for marketers looking to operationalize attribution in their organizations. It underscores the importance of understanding the entire customer journey, validating attribution data from multiple sources, and taking a strategic and incremental approach to implementation. As the digital marketing landscape continues to evolve, attribution is poised to play an increasingly crucial role in measuring marketing success and optimizing strategies. Marketers can learn from Nathan’s insights and apply them to their own efforts to stay ahead in the ever-changing world of digital marketing.
