This Metric is Costing You Money

Introduction

Blue Bowen, Research Principal at G2, cuts straight to the chase about one of marketing's most celebrated yet misleading metrics: attribution. With his expertise in sales tech and AI at the world's largest software marketplace, Bowen reveals why traditional attribution models fail in today's complex B2B buying journey and what forward-thinking marketers should focus on instead.

The Attribution Problem That's Draining Your Budget

When asked about the most misleading vanity metric marketing leaders celebrate, Bowen doesn't hesitate: "I would say attribution. There's too many touch points in the buying cycle today." This blunt assessment challenges the conventional wisdom that has marketers pouring resources into first-touch and last-touch attribution models. The reality is that modern B2B buyers interact with dozens of touchpoints across multiple cha els before making a purchase decision. Relying on oversimplified attribution models not only provides incomplete data but can lead to misallocated budgets and missed opportunities.

Moving Beyond Single-Point Attribution

The solution isn't abandoning attribution entirely but evolving your approach. Bowen advocates for gaining visibility into the entire buyer journey rather than fixating on individual touchpoints. He suggests looking at patterns across multiple interactions: when a blog post converts exceptionally well, examine the other touchpoints in that journey. Often, you'll discover that successful conversions share common patterns of three or more specific touchpoints working together. This holistic view reveals the true drivers of conversion that single-point attribution misses.

Leveraging AI-Powered Tools for Better Insights

To achieve this comprehensive view, Bowen points to emerging AEO (AI Engine Optimization) and GEO tools that help identify where your brand appears in AI-generated responses. With over 60 tools already in this rapidly growing category, marketers have numerous options for tracking their presence across AI platforms. Bowen specifically mentions Profound as a leading solution in this space, though he emphasizes the importance of evaluating multiple options based on your specific needs. These tools represent a fundamental shift in how marketers need to think about visibility and attribution in an AI-driven landscape.

The New Reality of B2B Buyer Behavior

The proliferation of attribution tools itself illustrates how buyer behavior has changed. As Bowen notes, with 60+ AEO tools available, buyers are increasingly turning to AI assistants like ChatGPT to navigate their options. This creates a recursive challenge: marketers need to optimize for AI visibility to help buyers find the right tools for AI visibility. Smart marketers are already adapting by ensuring their solutions appear prominently in AI-generated recommendations and maintaining strong presence on review platforms like G2.

Key Takeaways for Marketing Leaders

The message is clear: stop treating attribution as a single-metric game. Instead, invest in understanding the full buyer journey through multiple data points and pattern recognition. Embrace AI-powered tools that provide visibility into where and how your brand appears across all cha els, including emerging AI platforms. Most importantly, recognize that buyer behavior has fundamentally changed – your measurement and optimization strategies must evolve accordingly. The marketers who adapt this holistic approach will stop wasting budget on misleading metrics and start driving real, measurable growth.