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Email & SMS Attribution

Source Medium’s MTA system handles Email and SMS channels differently from other marketing channels. This special treatment is designed to provide a more accurate picture of acquisition performance while still recognizing the conversion power of owned marketing channels.

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Special Attribution Rules for Email & SMS

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Why Email/SMS Attribution Works Differently

Email and SMS are unique marketing channels because:

  1. Existing Relationship Required: Unlike acquisition channels, Email and SMS require a prior relationship with the customer.
  2. Skewed Attribution: Without special rules, Email/SMS often receives disproportionate credit in first-touch and linear models.
  3. Over-attribution Risk: Including Email/SMS in all attribution models can lead to under-valuing true acquisition channels.

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Email/SMS Attribution Rules

To address these unique characteristics, Source Medium MTA applies the following rules:

  1. First-Touch Attribution:

    • Email/SMS channels do not receive first-touch attribution credit
    • Credit goes to the earliest non-Email/SMS touch point instead
    • For journeys with only Email/SMS touches, no first-touch attribution is assigned

  2. Linear Attribution:

    • Email/SMS touches are excluded from linear attribution
    • Credit is distributed only among non-Email/SMS touches
    • For journeys with only Email/SMS touches, no linear attribution is assigned

  3. Last-Touch Attribution:

    • Special customer-specific rules apply
    • By default, Email/SMS is excluded from last-touch attribution
    • For specific customers (currently only Elix Healing), Email/SMS can receive last-touch attribution
    • This configuration is managed via the is_email_sms_last_touch_enabled setting

  4. Email/SMS-Only Journeys:

    • Journeys where all touches are Email/SMS are generally not attributable
    • These journeys show as “unattributed” in attribution reports
    • Exception: Last-touch attribution for specific customers

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Dedicated Email/SMS Dimension

To provide visibility into Email and SMS performance while maintaining these special rules, Source Medium MTA includes a dedicated “email_sms” dimension.

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Email/SMS Dimension Features

  • Message ID Extraction: Identifies specific email or SMS messages using:

    1. utm_id (primary - used by Klaviyo and other ESPs)
    2. utm_content (fallback option)
    3. utm_term (secondary fallback)

  • Display Format: [channel]message_id

    • Example: “[email]123456” or “[sms]789012”

  • Connection to Message Performance: Links to engagement metrics from rpt_outbound_message_performance_daily

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Benefits of the Dedicated Dimension

This approach provides the best of both worlds:

  • Acquisition Accuracy: By excluding Email/SMS from first touch and linear models, you get a clearer picture of which channels truly acquire customers
  • Email/SMS Visibility: Through the dedicated dimension, you still see the impact of Email/SMS on conversions
  • Flexible Customer Configuration: Customer-specific settings allow for business model adaptations

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Analyzing Email/SMS Performance

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Attribution Reports

While Email/SMS channels generally do not receive attribution in first-touch and linear models, you can still analyze their performance:

  1. Last-Touch Analysis (for enabled customers):

    • See which Email/SMS messages are most effective at closing sales
    • Compare last-touch attribution to Email/SMS performance metrics

  2. Email/SMS Dimension Analysis:

    • Track which messages appear in customer journeys
    • Identify the Email/SMS messages most frequently associated with purchases

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Example Analysis Queries

-- Email messages that appear most frequently in purchase journeys
SELECT
  SUBSTR(sm_event_ad_id, 8) as message_id,
  COUNT(DISTINCT purchase_order_id) as journey_count
FROM `sm-{{account_id}}.sm_transformed_v2_purchase_journeys_with_mta_models`
WHERE 
  sm_store_id = 'your-sm_store_id'
  AND sm_event_marketing_channel IN ('email', 'sms')
  AND sm_event_ad_id IS NOT NULL
GROUP BY 1
ORDER BY 2 DESC
LIMIT 20

-- Email performance metrics with last-touch attribution
-- (only for customers with Email/SMS last-touch enabled)
SELECT
  r.campaign_name,
  COUNT(DISTINCT r.message_id) as message_count,
  SUM(r.message_unique_sends) as sends,
  SUM(r.message_unique_opens) as opens,
  SUM(r.message_unique_clicks) as clicks,
  SUM(a.last_touch_revenue) as last_touch_revenue,
  SUM(a.last_touch_revenue) / SUM(r.message_unique_sends) as revenue_per_send
FROM `sm-{{account_id}}.sm_transformed_v2_outbound_message_performance_daily` r
LEFT JOIN (
  SELECT
    SUBSTR(sm_event_ad_id, 8) as message_id,
    SUM(last_touch_revenue_impact.email_sms) as last_touch_revenue
  FROM `sm-{{account_id}}.sm_transformed_v2_purchase_journeys_with_mta_models`
  WHERE 
    sm_store_id = 'your-sm_store_id'
    AND sm_event_name = 'purchase'
    AND last_touch_revenue_impact.email_sms > 0
  GROUP BY 1
) a ON r.message_id = a.message_id
WHERE 
  r.sm_store_id = 'your-sm_store_id'
  AND r.sm_message_channel IN ('email', 'sms')
  AND r.date BETWEEN DATE_SUB(CURRENT_DATE(), INTERVAL 30 DAY) AND CURRENT_DATE()
GROUP BY 1
ORDER BY 7 DESC

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Business Impact

These Email/SMS attribution rules provide several business benefits:

  1. More Accurate Channel Valuation: Acquisition channels get proper credit for bringing in new customers
  2. Better Budget Allocation: Prevents overinvestment in email at the expense of true acquisition channels
  3. Clearer Marketing Funnel: Distinguishes between acquisition and retention/conversion channels
  4. Adaptable to Business Models: Customer-specific settings accommodate different business needs

For businesses where Email/SMS plays a significant role in acquisition (e.g., referral programs delivered via email), custom attribution rules can be implemented. Contact your SourceMedium account manager to discuss your specific needs.