Over the past decade, I’ve had the privilege of helping B2B businesses set and track effective marketing goals. Through this journey, I realized that these goals are more like destinations, guiding the team’s journey.
Your chosen KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are crucial for marking progress toward those desired destinations. Metrics, on the other hand, are the means by which you measure your journey’s progress, similar to tracking miles on a road trip.
Regardless of your industry or target audience, certain B2B marketing KPIs are essential for everyone. This blog post highlights 24+ KPIs every business should be tracking, detailing their importance and how to measure them effectively.
Understanding B2B Marketing KPIs
As HubSpot contributor Rebecca Riserbato puts it, a KPI “measures how your company is performing regarding certain long-term goals or objectives.” In B2B marketing, KPIs offer valuable data points to monitor the progress of your campaigns.
While they may sound similar to metrics, there’s a distinct difference between the two.
B2B Marketing KPIs vs. B2B Marketing Metrics
KPIs are overarching indicators tied to broader business goals, whereas metrics are more specific, focusing on individual tactics or efforts. For example, if a KPI is increasing new customers by 25% in a year, the related metrics might include the click-through rate of social media ads or the open rate of email campaigns.
Why It’s Essential to Track B2B Marketing KPIs and Metrics
Tracking B2B marketing KPIs provides direction, helping teams understand what they’re working toward. These KPIs guide your strategy and ensure that every action moves you closer to your goals.
On a more granular level, metrics offer insights to:
- Track goal progress
- Gather customer insights
- Evaluate creative effectiveness
- Improve conversion rates
- Plan future campaigns
- Prove ROI
- Incentivize teams
- Make better business decisions
24+ B2B Marketing KPIs Every Business Should Be Tracking
Here’s a comprehensive look at the critical marketing KPIs every business should track, categorized by different marketing initiatives.
Website Performance KPIs and Metrics
According to the 2024 State of Marketing report, company websites and SEO have delivered the highest ROI for marketers. Here are the key KPIs to track to ensure your website performs optimally:
1. Website Traffic
Why it’s important: Your website is usually the hub for content marketing and sales activities, making it crucial to understand how much traffic it gets. Track metrics like unique visits, page views, and traffic sources.
How to track: Use tools like HubSpot Analytics and Google Analytics.
2. Bounce Rate
Why it’s important: This KPI helps you identify whether your website content is engaging or if visitors leave immediately. A low bounce rate indicates user engagement.
How to track: Monitor through HubSpot or similar tools.
3. Conversions
Why it’s important: Conversions, like form submissions or purchases, indicate active interest from visitors and are vital for marketing and sales efforts.
How to track: Use HubSpot forms and landing pages or calculate conversion rates with: Conversion Rate = (Total number of conversions / Number of visitors) x 100.
Sales and Marketing Pipeline
Once visitors convert, they enter your sales pipeline. KPIs here are essential for understanding the journey from lead to customer.
63% of B2B marketers track their marketing/sales funnel, showing its importance.
4. Number of Leads
Why it’s important: Indicates how many new qualified prospects you have.
How to track: Utilize HubSpot Lead Scoring to segment leads.
5. Cost Per Lead (CPL)
Why it’s important: CPL helps measure the efficiency of your marketing spend.
How to track: Calculate manually or through access formulas: Cost of Lead Generation / Total Number of Leads.
Email Marketing KPIs and Metrics
14. Number of Email Contacts
Why it’s important: The size of your email list can directly influence the success of email marketing campaigns.
How to track: Use email marketing tools like HubSpot to monitor your total contacts and active list of subscribers.
Social Media KPIs and Metrics
Research indicates that social media is a top ROI channel. Here are key KPIs to monitor:
17. Social Media Reach
Why it’s important: A growing following indicates increasing interest in your brand.
How to track: Use tools like Buffer or HubSpot Social.
18. Social Media Engagement
Why it’s important: Engagement levels can indicate how well your content resonates with your audience.
How to track: Monitor likes, comments, shares, and other interactions using HubSpot or other social media tools.
How to Report Your B2B Marketing KPIs and Metrics
Merely collecting data isn’t enough. Your reports should analyze KPIs to drive meaningful insights and inform future strategies.
Allie Konchar of Omniscient Digital underscores the importance of actionable data in guiding organizational goals. For detailed instructions on building insightful marketing reports, check out her article on how to build and analyze marketing reports.
Our collection of monthly marketing report templates can help you track and present your data effectively. Get yours here for free.
Tracking Your Way to Success with KPIs
Tracking the right B2B marketing KPIs is essential for achieving your business goals. Use the tips and tools shared in this post to start monitoring your performance and making informed decisions.
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