Imagine trying to chart the exact path every student takes before enrolling at your institution — every click, every ad view, every interaction meticulously tracked and measured. It’s the dream of every marketer chasing perfect attribution, but in higher education, that dream often feels more like a frustrating game of connect-the-dots with missing pieces. With privacy changes, evolving attribution models, and the inherently complex journey of prospective students, it’s time to rethink what success looks like in higher education marketing.

The Attribution Obsession

Marketing attribution — the process of identifying which marketing efforts contribute to conversions — has become a near-obsession for many marketers. It’s easy to see why: the allure of knowing exactly which channels drive results is powerful. But in the world of higher education, where prospective students navigate a maze of touchpoints over extended periods, attribution often falls short.

Marketers often lose sight of the bigger picture by focusing too narrowly on specific attribution models. For example, we might be able to see one lead come in from LinkedIn from a social campaign, but that’s not necessarily capturing all of what the prospective student saw along their journey. A student might have seen an ad elsewhere, interacted with various touchpoints, and only later clicked on that LinkedIn ad before submitting a lead. This disconnect makes it challenging to accurately assess which touchpoints truly influenced their decision.

Moreover, the recent shifts in privacy policies and changes in attribution models — like Google Analytics 4 — have thrown additional wrenches into the system. You now mostly likely aren’t seeing one-to-one as far as an individual without an intense, often costly, attribution model. For many institutions, these models are simply not feasible, leaving marketers to make decisions based on incomplete data.

A Holistic View of Success

Instead of chasing perfect attribution, higher education marketers should focus on a more holistic view of success. Rather than focusing solely on the channels that get credit for a conversion, consider the overall impact of your efforts on broader outcomes like applications and enrollments. It’s about trusting a funnel-wide approach that emphasizes moving students in the right direction, even if the path isn’t perfectly clear.

It’s important to implement a broad strategy that covers both upper and lower-funnel tactics, building awareness, and guaranteeing your institution shows up at key decision points. In other words, the campaigns that build awareness might not get direct credit in an attribution model, but they play a crucial role in the overall success of your marketing efforts.

Optimizing Channels vs. Creating Impactful Content

Balancing the optimization of marketing channels with the creation of impactful content is essential. It’s tempting to constantly tweak your media mix in search of better attribution, but that approach can miss the mark. True success often lies in developing content that resonates deeply with your target audience, even if it’s harder to measure its direct impact.

Remember, the goal is to create content that not only grabs attention but also nudges students closer to enrollment.

Practical Strategies for Higher Ed Marketers

So, how can higher education institutions shift their focus from attribution to more meaningful metrics? Here are some practical strategies:

1. Define Your Goals and Audience: Start by having conversations about what really matters. Are your marketing goals aligned with recruiting strategies? Are you targeting the right audience segments? Establish KPIs that match the intent behind each campaign, whether it’s driving awareness or generating leads.
2. Set Realistic Expectations: Different campaigns have different purposes. Awareness campaigns should be evaluated based on traffic, engagement, and reach—not just leads. They should also make lead-driving tactics more cost-effective in the long run. Understanding the intent behind each effort helps set the right benchmarks for success.
3. Fill the Gaps with Broader Insights: Use platforms like Tableau and Salesforce to piece together the broader story of your customer journey. While you may not capture every detail, these tools can help you understand trends and identify areas for improvement.
4. Focus on Audience Relevance: Continuously evaluate the performance of your campaigns within specific audience segments. This helps determine what resonates and informs adjustments to your marketing strategy moving forward.

Start Shifting Your Focus Today

Don’t get bogged down with the intricacies of attribution. Instead, focus your efforts on broader institutional goals. Success should be measured by how well your marketing drives applications, enrollments, and brand recall and lift — not by which channel gets the most credit. Ready to shift your focus? Explore Oodle’s Grow™ solution to discover how a more holistic approach to marketing can help your institution achieve its enrollment goals. Let’s redefine success together.