Multitouch attribution is table stakes
Seeing the full picture: Why attribution is multifamily’s power move
Renters don’t just click once on an ad or your website and sign a lease. It’s common knowledge in the multifamily industry that the renter journey can be meandering and take several months. It’s not as simple as ordering household items from Amazon with a click, or doordashing your favorite lunchtime order.
Renters are making an emotionally and financially weighty decision. They search, scroll, compare, visit, bounce, return, and repeat—often across multiple channels, devices, and days.
But many property management companies still credit the entire leasing decision to just one source using single-touch attribution.
That’s like giving all the credit for a winning relay race to a single runner. Helpful? Sure. Accurate? Not even close.
Every step in the renter journey is important, and it’s key to have a good understanding of your customer journey to identify if there are certain touchpoints that accelerate, or delay conversion. That’s where multitouch marketing attribution comes in.
What is multitouch attribution?
Multitouch attribution (MTA) is a method of measuring the impact of each marketing touchpoint a prospect interacts with along their journey to conversion. Instead of assigning all credit to one channel or touchpoint—like Google Ads or an ILS—MTA assigns value across multiple interactions, offering a clearer picture of what’s actually driving demand.
For example, a renter might:
- Click a Google search ad
- Visit your website
- Receive a remarketing email
- Tour the property after clicking a Facebook ad
- Sign a lease after responding to a text follow-up
With single-touch attribution, you might only credit the final touch—the text. But with multitouch attribution, you can see and value every moment that moves them toward a “yes.”
Why multifamily leaders are demanding more from their data…
Smarter budget decisions
Every channel wants the credit—but not every channel earns it. Multitouch attribution shows what’s actually moving the needle and what’s just draining your budget. Maybe your Google ads drive tons of clicks but never lead to tours. Meanwhile, your AI assistant answers questions at midnight and gets prospects to book tours on the spot. Or maybe your remarketing emails are quietly sealing the deal. Without MTA, you’re guessing. With it, you’re making sharp, data-backed decisions that put your dollars where they actually drive results.
Clarity across long renter journeys
Leasing isn’t an impulse buy. Renters take their time—browsing websites, clicking ads, chatting with AI, touring (and ghosting), then coming back weeks later. Maybe they asked about the pet policy in April and booked a tour in June. Multitouch attribution helps you track the entire path to lease, not just the final click. It connects the dots across a long, winding decision cycle so you can see which touchpoints actually influence outcomes—and which ones are just along for the ride.
Channel optimization
Every channel plays a different role—some spark interest, others close the deal. Multitouch attribution shows how those channels work together, not in silos. Maybe TikTok creates the scroll-stopping moment, your website does the heavy lifting, and your AI assistant seals the tour. With MTA, you’re not just cutting what gets fewer last-click wins—you’re optimizing the whole funnel based on how real renters actually move through it.
Accountability and alignment
When everyone’s working from the same data, the finger-pointing stops. Multitouch attribution creates a shared source of truth for marketing, operations, and leasing teams. Instead of arguing over who or what “deserves credit,” teams can finally align around what’s actually driving leases—and double down on it together.
Improved renter experience
By knowing which touchpoints resonate, marketers can double down on what renters value—creating more relevant campaigns and smoother digital experiences. That’s good for brand equity and your bottom line.
The unsung hero behind effective multitouch attribution: Your CRM
All that insight doesn’t live in a vacuum. To make multitouch attribution actionable, you need a CRM that connects the dots across every step of the renter journey, regardless of which properties in your portfolio they inquire at.
If your data lives in disconnected systems, is siloed at the property level, or rots in spreadsheets, it’s nearly impossible to spot what’s working (and what’s going haywire). A renter-centric® CRM ensures:
- Every interaction is logged—from the first ad click to the last lease signature
- AI-driven and human touchpoints are tracked together, so you don’t miss what happens between emails, chats, and tours
- Attribution data is accessible and actionable, not buried in backend reporting or locked behind one department
Multitouch attribution only works when your systems talk to each other—and that starts with a CRM that’s built for the way renters actually shop today. In an era where marketing budgets are scrutinized and every channel claims to be the hero, multitouch attribution brings truth to the table. It’s especially critical for multifamily marketers who:
- Use multiple ad platforms (Google, Facebook, TikTok, ILSs, etc.)
- Rely on both digital and human interactions (AI assistants, leasing agents, email, SMS, phone)
- Need to prove ROI and make the case for budget increases or redistributions
Put simply, if you’re not measuring the full journey, you’re not managing your marketing strategy—you’re gambling with it.
CRM best practices to unlock accurate multitouch attribution
Multitouch attribution only works if your CRM is doing its job, which means capturing every interaction, across every touchpoint, with clean, connected data. The reality is, even the most sophisticated marketing teams make mistakes with all of the things they’re juggling.
We’ve seen where breakdowns can happen—and how small tweaks can make a big impact. These best practices are designed to help you get the most out of your multitouch attribution, whether you’re just getting started or already deep into optimization.
Here’s what we recommend:
Syndication alignment: Make sure your ILS feeds are pushing unit-level data from your CRM—photos, pricing, promos, and availability. Community level information is also critical if office hours or contact information changes, make it a best practice to update that information in your CRM in addition to the website, Google Business Profile, and other locations. This ensures consistent experiences and attribution downstream.
Clean source tracking: To get accurate attribution, you need to know exactly where each lead came from. Funnel makes this easier with tools like built-in UTM generators and dynamic number insertion (DNI). These tools automatically tag and track your marketing sources—so when a renter fills out a form, chats with your bot, or calls your property, Funnel knows which ad or campaign brought them in.
No more guessing. No more leads dumped into generic buckets like “website” or “manual entry.” Clean source tracking means your data reflects the actual journey—and gives your marketing team the insight they need to optimize spend.
Website and ad integration: Double-check that all your ad links, contact forms, and lead sources route through Funnel—not legacy PMS tools—so attribution stays intact. This is particularly important if you’re new to Funnel, or adding new properties.
Audit frequently: Use your CRM’s marketing attribution to spot gaps, unmapped sources, or inflated “website” traffic. The lead acquisition cost report will allow you and your team to understand if some of your most expensive sources including ILS are “worth it.” The best teams treat attribution like a diagnostic tool—not just a report.
Centralize insights: A connected CRM gives every team—marketing, leasing, ops—a shared understanding of what’s working. That alignment helps drive smarter decisions across the board.
The bottom line: Attribution without a connected CRM is just guesswork
Multitouch attribution is only as good as the systems behind it. When your CRM captures every renter interaction—across every channel, property, and team—you get more than just data. You get answers.
If you’re ready to stop guessing and start proving what drives performance, Funnel’s renter-centric® CRM gives you the foundation you need. Accurate attribution, shared insights, and a smarter strategy—all in one place.