Channel Influence
Channel Influence is a multi-touch attribution report that compares acquisition channel performance across pipeline, qualified opportunities and closed revenue, helping teams identify where marketing investment generates the greatest commercial return throughout the customer journey.
Typical Questions You Can Answer With the Channel Influence Report
1. Which Acquisition Channels Generate the Highest ROI?
Every acquisition channel consumes budget differently, making ROI difficult to compare across campaigns, agencies and internal marketing activities. By combining channel costs with influenced pipeline and closed revenue, this report gives every channel a consistent commercial benchmark under your chosen attribution model.
| Channel | Cost | All pipeline | Qualified | Closed rev. | Net return | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Organic Search | £2.5k | £160k | £140k | £137k | £134.5k | +5,380% |
| Paid Search | £4k | £35k | £25k | £27k | £23k | +575% |
| Direct | Add cost | £410k | £280k | £206k | — | — |
| Social | Add cost | £150k | £150k | £155k | — | — |
In this example, Organic Search presents the strongest commercial case for additional investment, while Direct and Social should have channel costs recorded before their efficiency can be compared against the rest of the acquisition mix.
2. Which Acquisition Channels Convert Buyers the Fastest?
Acquisition channels rarely produce revenue over the same timeframe. Measuring conversion velocity alongside influenced revenue makes it possible to compare channel performance within the context of its typical buying cycle rather than a fixed reporting period.
3. Which Channels Deserve Further Investment?
The contribution a channel makes depends on where credit is assigned. Comparing First Touch, Last Touch and Multi-Touch attribution reveals whether a channel consistently influences revenue throughout the buying journey or only appears important under a single attribution model.
In this example, Organic/Google receives relatively little First Touch credit but contributes to substantially more revenue under Multi-Touch attribution, indicating that it consistently influences buyers after the initial acquisition. Removing investment based solely on First Touch reporting would understate its commercial contribution.
Understand How Channel Performance Changes Across Your Sales Pipeline
Channel influence is not constant across the funnel. A channel that originates a high volume of pipeline may contribute disproportionately little to qualified opportunities or closed revenue, and the reverse is equally common. All Pipeline, Qualified Pipeline, and Closed Revenue isolate influence at each stage, revealing which channels retain commercial impact as opportunities progress through the pipeline.
Total pipeline influenced
£440,000
Avg pipeline value
£25,900
Most active channel
Direct
14 journeys
Fastest converting channel
Referral / urlopener.net
avg same day to convert
Pipeline View
Scope
Best Used For
All Pipeline
Every influenced opportunity, regardless of qualification status or revenue outcome.
Comparing pipeline generation, acquisition performance, and channel reach.
Qualified Pipeline
Only opportunities that meet your sales qualification criteria.
Comparing contribution to sales-qualified pipeline and identifying channels that consistently progress buyers.
Closed Revenue
Only closed-won opportunities with recognised revenue.
Validating channel ROI, prioritising investment, and comparing commercial contribution.
Validate Every Channel Attribution with Individual Customer Journeys
Commercial reporting is only useful if the underlying attribution can be validated. Expanding any acquisition channel exposes every influenced customer journey, making it possible to verify where the channel appeared, how often it contributed, and which conversions produced the reported totals.
JOURNEYS ATTRIBUTED TO DIRECT UNDER MULTI-TOUCH (14)
Direct appeared at steps 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 of 10 (incl. last touch)
Direct appeared at every step (2 of 2)
Direct appeared at steps 2, 3, 5, and 7 of 7 (incl. last touch)
Export Complete Channel Performance Reports to Excel for Further Analysis
Every Channel Influence report can be exported in its current state as an Excel (.xlsx) workbook. The export preserves the active attribution model, pipeline stage, filters, and channel metrics, allowing marketing teams to continue analysis, prepare executive reports, reconcile commercial performance, or share results across the business.
Key Takeaways: Getting the Most Out of Your Channel Influence Report
- Compare channels using multiple attribution models: Reviewing First-Touch, Last-Touch and Multi-Touch attribution together reveals whether a channel consistently influences revenue or only appears valuable under a single reporting model.
- Evaluate performance alongside buying speed: Revenue alone can hide important differences between channels. Comparing influenced revenue with conversion velocity provides a more realistic view of when pipeline is likely to materialise.
- Prioritise investment using commercial return: Combining channel costs with influenced pipeline and closed revenue makes it easier to identify where additional budget is likely to generate the greatest financial return.