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The 10 Essential B2B Marketing Metrics You Should Be Tracking

Written by Alexandra Flygare

In B2B marketing, there’s no room for guesswork. 

Whether you're trying to justify your marketing budget to the higher-ups or fine-tune your latest campaign, data should be your best friend for reporting and refining. But here’s the catch: not all numbers are created equal. 

So let's go over B2B marketing metrics, what they are, the most important ones, and how to measure them.

Contents:

  • What are B2B Marketing Metrics?

  • Why are B2B Marketing Metrics so important?

  • The 10 best B2B Marketing Metrics to track and why 

  • How to track B2B Marketing Metrics

What are B2B Marketing Metrics?

B2B marketing metrics are the data points that help you evaluate the performance of your marketing activities. 

These metrics tell you what's working, what's not, and where you should double down or pull back. They cover everything from website traffic and lead generation to customer acquisition costs and the lifetime value of a client. 

To be clear—these aren’t vanity metrics like the number of likes on a Facebook post. B2B marketing metrics go beyond surface-level impressions. They get into the impact of your marketing efforts on actual business outcomes, think of them as diagnostic tools that help you understand the health of your marketing efforts.

B2B Marketing Metrics vs. B2B Marketing KPIs: What’s the Difference?

Now, you might be wondering, “Aren’t metrics just another word for KPIs?” Well, not quite. 

While the two terms are often used interchangeably, they aren’t exactly the same.


B2B marketing metrics are the raw data points that measure specific aspects of your marketing efforts. They’re granular, tactical, and provide detailed insights into different parts of your marketing strategy.

On the other hand, B2B marketing KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) are aligned more closely with your strategic objectives. All KPIs are metrics, but not all metrics are KPIs.

So, while metrics tell you how you're doing in different areas, KPIs tell you if you're actually reaching your main goals.

The Importance of B2B Marketing Metrics

B2B marketing metrics are important for several reasons.

First, they provide the evidence you need to prove the value of your marketing efforts. In an environment where every dollar counts, metrics help you justify your budget and show that your campaigns are delivering results. They transform marketing from an art into a science—something that can be measured, analyzed, and improved.

Second, metrics help you make informed decisions. Instead of relying on gut feelings or past experiences, you can use data to guide your next move. If a particular campaign isn’t generating the expected leads, metrics can help you pinpoint where things are going wrong and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Finally, metrics allow for continuous improvement. The beauty of marketing is that it’s never a “set it and forget it” situation. By regularly reviewing your metrics, you can identify trends, uncover new opportunities, and optimize your efforts over time. In a world where customer preferences and market conditions are always shifting, this ability to adapt is crucial.

For more on the importance of B2B marketing metrics check out this conversation with Bill Macaitis. 


The Top 10 Best B2B Marketing Metrics

When it comes to B2B marketing, there’s no shortage of metrics you could track. But, not all of them deserve your attention. Here’s what we think are the most important metrics that should be on your radar:

1 . Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC):

CAC is the total cost of acquiring a new customer, encompassing all marketing and sales expenses. This includes costs related to advertising, content creation, salaries, software tools, and any other resources dedicated to attracting and converting leads into customers.

CAC provides a clear picture of how efficiently your business is using its budget to grow its customer base. By understanding CAC, you can determine if your customer acquisition strategies are cost-effective or if adjustments are needed to lower the expense of acquiring each new customer.

2. Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs):

MQLs are leads that have interacted with your marketing efforts (such as downloading a whitepaper or signing up for a webinar) and have shown a higher likelihood of becoming a customer. They meet specific criteria established by the marketing team, indicating that they’re ready for further engagement.

MQLs help you assess the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns in attracting high-quality leads. The volume and quality of MQLs can directly impact your sales pipeline, making this metric a crucial indicator of your marketing success.

3. Sales Qualified Leads (SQLs):

SQLs are MQLs that have been reviewed and vetted by the sales team, indicating that they’re ready for direct sales outreach. These leads meet more stringent criteria, often involving explicit intent to purchase, making them prime targets for sales efforts.

Tracking SQLs is vital for ensuring that the leads passed from marketing to sales are genuinely worth pursuing. It reflects the alignment between your marketing and sales teams and the effectiveness of your lead nurturing processes.

4. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV): 

CLV predicts the total revenue your company can expect from a single customer over the entire duration of their relationship with your business. It considers factors like purchase frequency, average order value, and customer retention rates.

Understanding CLV helps you make informed decisions about how much to spend on acquiring new customers. A high CLV justifies a higher CAC, while a low CLV suggests that you might need to focus on improving customer retention and upsell opportunities.

5. Cost Per Lead (CPL):

CPL measures the average cost of generating a new lead through your marketing efforts. It’s calculated by dividing the total marketing spend by the number of leads generated.

CPL is a key metric for evaluating the efficiency of your lead generation campaigns. It helps you understand how much you’re spending to attract potential customers and allows you to compare the cost-effectiveness of different marketing channels and strategies.


6. Cost Per Click (CPC):

CPC is the cost you pay for each click in your online advertising campaigns, particularly in pay-per-click (PPC) models like Google Ads.

CPC is critical for managing and optimizing your paid advertising budget. A lower CPC means you’re getting more traffic for less money, which can lead to more leads and, ultimately, more customers. Monitoring CPC helps you ensure that your ad spend is being used effectively.

7. Web Traffic: 

Web traffic refers to the number of visitors coming to your website from various sources, such as search engines, social media, email campaigns, and direct visits.

While it’s a basic metric, web traffic is essential for gauging the reach and visibility of your marketing efforts. A steady increase in web traffic often indicates that your content, SEO, and online presence are successfully driving interest and awareness among potential customers.

8. Closed Won Deals:

This metric tracks the number of deals that have been successfully closed and converted into paying customers.

Closed won deals are the ultimate measure of success in your sales funnel. They represent the end goal of all your marketing and sales activities—revenue. Tracking this metric helps you evaluate the overall effectiveness of your sales process and the quality of leads generated by marketing.


9. Return on Investment (ROI):

ROI measures the profitability of your marketing campaigns by comparing the revenue generated against the costs incurred.

ROI is the definitive metric for understanding the financial impact of your marketing efforts. It helps you determine which campaigns are delivering the best returns and where you should allocate your resources for maximum impact.

10. Sales Accepted Leads (SALs):

SALs are leads that have been passed from the marketing team to the sales team and have been accepted as worth pursuing. They typically meet the criteria that both teams agree upon, making them viable opportunities for conversion.

SALs serve as a bridge between marketing and sales, ensuring that only qualified leads move forward in the sales process. This metric helps prevent wasted effort on unqualified leads and improves the overall efficiency of the sales funnel.

How to Measure B2B Marketing Metrics

So, you’ve got your list of metrics—now what? Measuring them isn’t as daunting as it might seem, especially with the right tools.

To start, establish clear definitions and criteria for each metric within your organization. This means deciding upfront what constitutes a Marketing Qualified Lead (MQL), a Sales Qualified Lead (SQL), or how you define Customer Lifetime Value (CLV). With these definitions in place, you can ensure consistency in how metrics are tracked and interpreted across teams.

The next step involves selecting the appropriate tools to capture and analyze these metrics. Typically, a combination of CRM systems, marketing automation platforms, and analytics tools are used. These platforms not only help in collecting data but also offer features that enable you to monitor trends, compare performance over time, and generate reports that provide insights into your marketing effectiveness. B2B attribution tools like Dreamdata connect all the tools in your go-to-market ecosystem to collect, model, and activate all your B2B go-to-market data, empowering you to effectively report on marketing’s impact. 

And so much more, try it out for free here. 

Lastly, it’s essential to regularly review and analyze the data you collect. This isn't just about looking at numbers in isolation but about understanding the story they tell. Are your marketing campaigns leading to an increase in qualified leads? Is your customer acquisition cost aligned with the lifetime value of your customers?

By continuously monitoring these metrics, you can make data-driven decisions, adjust your strategies as needed, and ensure that your marketing efforts are contributing to your overall business goals.

Conclusion

B2B Marketing Metrics aren’t just numbers, when used correctly, they can become your roadmap to success. They help you navigate the complex terrain of customer acquisition, engagement, and retention. By understanding and leveraging the right metrics, you can ensure that your marketing efforts aren’t just hitting the mark—they’re driving real business results.