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Measuring the success of your account-based marketing campaigns

November 17, 2023 | Jimit Mehta

Account-based marketing (ABM) is a targeted, personalized approach to marketing that focuses on reaching and engaging specific accounts or individuals within those accounts. It's an effective strategy for B2B companies looking to reach high-value prospects and customers, and it often involves a combination of targeted content, personalized outreach, and targeted advertising.

But how do you measure the success of your ABM campaigns? It's not as straightforward as traditional marketing metrics like clicks or conversions. In this article, we'll delve into the key metrics you should be tracking to measure the success of your ABM campaigns and how to use them to optimize and improve your strategy moving forward.

Defining your account-based marketing campaign goals and objectives

Defining your ABM campaign goals and objectives is an important step in the planning process for your ABM strategy. These goals and objectives will guide the development of your campaign and help you measure its success.

Here are some examples of common goals and objectives for an ABM campaign:

  1. Increase brand awareness: This goal focuses on getting your company's name and value proposition in front of potential customers. You might do this through targeted ads, social media, or events.

  2. Generate leads: An ABM campaign can help you identify and engage with potential customers who are interested in your product or service. You can then work to convert these leads into paying customers.

  3. Increase customer retention: If you already have a customer base, you can use an ABM campaign to strengthen relationships and encourage repeat business. This might involve personalized communication and incentives for loyalty.

  4. Boost sales: The ultimate goal of many ABM campaigns is to increase revenue by selling more products or services to existing customers or by acquiring new ones.

To set effective goals and objectives for your ABM campaign, it's important to be specific and measurable. For example, instead of simply setting a goal to "increase brand awareness," you might aim to "increase brand awareness by 20% through targeted social media advertising." This allows you to track your progress and determine whether your campaign is successful.

It's also a good idea to prioritize your goals and objectives, as this can help you focus your efforts and allocate resources more effectively. For example, you might prioritize generating leads over increasing customer retention if you are trying to grow your customer base.

In summary, defining your ABM campaign goals and objectives is an essential part of planning and executing a successful ABM strategy. By setting specific, measurable goals and prioritizing your objectives, you can effectively target and engage with potential customers and drive business results.

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Identifying KPIs for your campaign

Identifying KPIs for your campaign involves selecting specific metrics that will help you measure the success of your marketing efforts. These metrics should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound, and they should align with your overall business goals and objectives.

There are many potential KPIs that you might consider for your campaign, depending on your business and the specific goals of your marketing efforts. Some common examples include:

  • Sales or revenue: This is often a key metric for businesses, and it can be tracked over time to see how your marketing efforts are impacting your bottom line.

  • Traffic: If your goal is to drive more traffic to your website or social media pages, you might track metrics such as website visits, page views, or social media followers.

  • Engagement: Engagement metrics such as likes, comments, and shares can be useful for understanding how well your content is resonating with your audience.

  • Conversion rate: This metric measures the percentage of visitors who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form.

  • Customer acquisition cost: This metric measures the cost of acquiring a new customer through your marketing efforts, and it can be helpful for understanding the efficiency of your campaigns.

To identify the most relevant KPIs for your campaign, it's important to consider your business goals and objectives, as well as the specific actions and outcomes you hope to achieve through your marketing efforts. It may also be helpful to look at industry benchmarks and best practices to see what metrics are commonly used in your industry.

Setting up tracking and measurement tools

Tracking and measurement tools are used to gather data and insights about how a website or app is performing and how users are interacting with it. Setting up these tools involves installing and configuring the tracking code or software on the website or app, and often requires creating an account with the service provider.

There are various types of tracking and measurement tools available, including:

  1. Web analytics tools: These tools track and measure website traffic, user behavior, and other data to help understand how people use a website and how to improve it. Examples include Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, and Mixpanel.

  2. Conversion tracking tools: These tools track and measure conversions, or specific actions that users take on a website or app, such as making a purchase or filling out a form. This can help identify areas for improvement and optimize the user experience.

  3. A/B testing tools: These tools allow for testing different versions of a website or app to see which performs better. This can help identify which design elements, messaging, or other features are most effective at achieving a desired goal.

  4. Heatmap tools: These tools track and measure user behavior on a website or app by visualizing where users are clicking, scrolling, and hovering. This can provide insights into which elements of a website or app are most engaging and help identify areas for improvement.

To set up tracking and measurement tools, you will typically need to follow these steps:

  1. Choose the tools you want to use based on your specific goals and needs.

  2. Sign up for an account with the service provider and create a new project or property.

  3. Install the tracking code or software on your website or app. This may involve copying and pasting a snippet of code into your HTML, or installing a plugin or integration.

  4. Configure the settings for the tools to specify what you want to track and measure. This may include setting up goals, events, and other parameters.

  5. Test the tracking and measurement tools to ensure they are working properly and accurately capturing data.

  6. Monitor the data and insights generated by the tools to identify trends and opportunities for improvement.

Gathering and analyzing data on campaign performance

Gathering and analyzing data on campaign performance refers to the process of collecting and examining data related to a marketing or advertising campaign in order to understand how well it is performing and identify areas for improvement. This may include collecting data on various metrics such as reach, engagement, conversion rate, and revenue, as well as analyzing customer behavior and feedback.

There are a variety of tools and techniques that can be used to gather and analyze data on campaign performance, including web analytics platforms, social media analytics tools, CRM systems, and survey or market research methods.

To gather data on campaign performance, marketers may track metrics such as:

  • Reach: This refers to the number of people who see or are exposed to the campaign.

  • Engagement: This refers to the level of interaction or involvement that people have with the campaign, such as liking, commenting, or sharing on social media, or clicking on links or ads.

  • Conversion rate: This refers to the percentage of people who take a desired action, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter, after seeing the campaign.

  • Revenue: This refers to the amount of money generated by the campaign, either directly through sales or indirectly through leads or other actions.

To analyze data on campaign performance, marketers may use various techniques such as:

  • A/B testing: This involves comparing two versions of a campaign to see which performs better.

  • Customer segmentation: This involves dividing customers into groups based on common characteristics and analyzing the performance of the campaign for each group.

  • Funnel analysis: This involves analyzing the steps that customers take from initial awareness of the campaign to final conversion, and identifying where there are drop-offs or bottlenecks in the process.

  • Customer feedback: This involves collecting and analyzing customer feedback through surveys, focus groups, or other methods in order to understand how customers are responding to the campaign.

Gathering and analyzing data on campaign performance can help marketers understand what is and isn't working, identify opportunities for improvement, and make more informed decisions about future campaigns.

Assessing the ROI of your campaign

Assessing the ROI of your campaign is a way to determine whether the campaign was successful in terms of the benefits it generated compared to the costs incurred. This can help you determine whether the campaign was worth the investment and whether you should continue or modify it in the future.

To calculate the ROI of a campaign, you will need to gather data on the following:

  1. Costs: This includes all the money you spent on the campaign, including advertising, production, and any other expenses.

  2. Benefits: This includes any revenue or other benefits generated as a result of the campaign. This could be increased sales, brand awareness, or any other positive outcomes.

Once you have this information, you can use the following formula to calculate the ROI of your campaign:

ROI = (Benefits - Costs) / Costs

For example, if you spent $10,000 on a campaign and it generated $15,000 in benefits, your ROI would be (15,000 - 10,000) / 10,000 = 0.5, or 50%. This means that for every dollar you invested in the campaign, you received $0.50 in return.

It's important to note that ROI is only one way to measure the success of a campaign, and it may not always be the most appropriate metric depending on your goals. It's also important to consider other factors, such as the long-term impact of the campaign and the value of intangible benefits like increased brand awareness.

Evaluating the impact of your campaign on sales and revenue

Evaluating the impact of a marketing campaign on sales and revenue is an important step in determining the effectiveness of the campaign. This can help businesses understand what is working well and what may need to be improved upon in future campaigns.

To evaluate the impact of a campaign on sales and revenue, businesses can use a variety of methods, including:

  1. Tracking sales data: By comparing sales data before and after the campaign, businesses can see if there was an increase or decrease in sales. This can help determine the overall impact of the campaign on revenue.

  2. Analyzing customer behavior: Analyzing customer behavior can help businesses understand how customers are interacting with the campaign and whether it is driving desired actions, such as making a purchase or visiting the website.

  3. Running A/B tests: A/B testing is a method of comparing two versions of a marketing campaign to see which one performs better. This can help businesses determine which elements of a campaign are most effective in driving sales and revenue.

  4. Measuring website traffic: Tracking website traffic can help businesses understand how many people are visiting the website as a result of the campaign, and whether this is leading to increased sales.

Overall, evaluating the impact of a marketing campaign on sales and revenue is an important step in understanding the effectiveness of the campaign and making informed decisions about future marketing efforts.

Examining the effectiveness of different campaign tactics and channels

"Examining the effectiveness of different campaign tactics and channels" refers to the process of evaluating the various methods and channels used in a marketing campaign to determine which ones are most effective at achieving the campaign's objectives. This could involve analyzing data on the results of different tactics and channels, such as click-through rates, conversion rates, and engagement levels, to see which ones are driving the most success.

There are many different tactics and channels that can be used in a marketing campaign, and it's important to carefully evaluate each one to determine which are the most effective. Some common tactics and channels include:

  • Email marketing: Sending targeted emails to a list of subscribers or leads in order to promote products or services.

  • Social media marketing: Using social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to reach and engage with potential customers.

  • Content marketing: Creating and sharing informative, valuable, and relevant content with the goal of attracting and retaining customers.

  • Paid advertising: Using paid advertising platforms like Google AdWords or Facebook Ads to reach a targeted audience.

  • Influencer marketing: Partnering with influencers or social media personalities to promote products or services to their followers.

By examining the effectiveness of different campaign tactics and channels, businesses can identify which ones are driving the most success and allocate more resources towards those tactics and channels in future campaigns. This can help to optimize marketing efforts and improve overall campaign performance.

Understanding the customer journey during the campaign

Understanding the customer journey during a campaign refers to the process of tracking and analyzing the interactions and behaviors of customers as they engage with a business or brand during a marketing or advertising campaign. The customer journey includes all of the steps that a customer takes from the initial awareness of a product or service, through the consideration and decision-making process, and finally to the point of purchase or conversion. By understanding the customer journey, businesses can better understand the needs and motivations of their customers, and tailor their marketing efforts to better meet those needs and encourage conversions.

There are several key steps in the customer journey that businesses should be aware of in order to effectively understand and track customer behavior:

  1. Awareness: This is the initial stage of the customer journey, where customers become aware of a product or service. This can be through various channels such as social media, search engines, or advertising.

  2. Interest: Once customers are aware of a product or service, they may express interest in learning more. This can involve visiting a website, reading reviews, or seeking out additional information.

  3. Consideration: In this stage, customers are actively considering whether or not to purchase a product or service. They may compare different options, seek out recommendations, or look for special offers or discounts.

  4. Decision: In the decision stage, customers have made a choice and are ready to purchase. They may complete an online form, place an order, or visit a physical location to make a purchase.

  5. Loyalty: After making a purchase, customers may continue to engage with a business or brand. This can involve returning for additional purchases, sharing their experience with friends and family, or leaving reviews.

By understanding the customer journey, businesses can identify potential bottlenecks or points of frustration that may be causing customers to drop off or abandon their purchase, and take steps to improve the customer experience. This can involve optimizing website design, offering better customer support, or providing additional resources or information to help customers make informed decisions.

Identifying areas for improvement and optimization

Identifying areas for improvement and optimization refers to the process of identifying and addressing inefficiencies, bottlenecks, or other issues that may be hindering the performance, effectiveness, or efficiency of a system, process, or organization. This can involve analyzing data and metrics, observing and analyzing current processes, and soliciting feedback from stakeholders to identify areas where changes or improvements can be made.

There are many different approaches that can be used to identify areas for improvement and optimization. Some common strategies include:

  1. Data analysis: By analyzing data and metrics, you can identify trends, patterns, and outliers that may indicate areas for improvement. This can involve analyzing performance data, customer feedback, or other relevant metrics to identify areas where changes could have a significant impact.

  2. Process analysis: By carefully observing and analyzing current processes, you can identify bottlenecks, inefficiencies, or other issues that may be hindering performance. This can involve mapping out current processes, observing how they are being carried out, and analyzing the results to identify areas for improvement.

  3. Stakeholder feedback: By soliciting feedback from stakeholders such as employees, customers, or suppliers, you can gain valuable insights into areas where improvements or optimizations could be made. This can involve conducting surveys, focus groups, or other methods of gathering input from stakeholders.

Once areas for improvement and optimization have been identified, the next step is to develop and implement a plan to address them. This may involve making changes to processes, systems, or organizational structures, or introducing new technologies or techniques to improve performance.

Communicating the results of your campaign to stakeholders.

Communicating the results of your campaign to stakeholders refers to the process of providing information about the performance and outcomes of a marketing campaign to individuals or groups who have an interest in or are affected by the campaign. These stakeholders may include clients, customers, partners, employees, shareholders, and other interested parties.

Effective communication of campaign results is important for several reasons. It helps stakeholders understand the value of the campaign and the impact it had on the business or organization. It also allows for transparency and accountability, as stakeholders can see the results of the efforts and resources that were invested in the campaign. Additionally, communicating campaign results can provide valuable insights and feedback for future marketing efforts.

There are several ways to communicate the results of a campaign to stakeholders. These may include:

  1. Presentations: This can be an effective way to share information about the campaign, including KPIs, data visualizations, and key takeaways.

  2. Reports: Detailed reports that provide in-depth analysis of the campaign's performance can be shared with stakeholders. These may include metrics such as reach, engagement, and conversion rates.

  3. Meetings: Regular meetings or conference calls can be held to discuss the campaign results and provide updates to stakeholders.

  4. Email updates: Stakeholders can be kept informed about the campaign through regular email updates that provide key metrics and highlights.

  5. Social media: Campaign results can be shared on social media platforms, which can be an effective way to reach a wide audience.

Overall, it is important to clearly and effectively communicate the results of a campaign to stakeholders in order to demonstrate the value of the campaign and to inform future marketing efforts.

Final thoughts

ABM is a targeted approach to marketing that focuses on a select group of high-value accounts. Measuring the success of ABM campaigns is important for understanding the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and making data-driven decisions about future campaigns. There are several key metrics to consider when evaluating the success of your ABM campaigns, including:

  1. Engagement: This includes metrics such as clicks, opens, and website traffic. By tracking engagement, you can see how well your marketing efforts are resonating with your target audience.

  2. Conversion rate: The percentage of visitors to your website who complete a desired action, such as filling out a form or making a purchase, is an important metric to track.

  3. Pipeline impact: ABM campaigns should be tied to specific business goals, such as generating new leads or closing deals. By tracking the impact on your sales pipeline, you can see how effective your campaigns are at driving business results.

  4. Customer lifetime value: The long-term value of a customer is an important metric to consider when evaluating the success of your ABM campaigns. By understanding the lifetime value of your customers, you can make more informed decisions about the resources you allocate to your ABM efforts.

  5. ROI: This is a key metric for evaluating the success of any marketing campaign. By tracking the ROI of your ABM campaigns, you can see how well they are performing compared to other marketing efforts and make data-driven decisions about future campaigns.

By tracking these key metrics, you can get a better understanding of the success of your ABM campaigns and make data-driven decisions about future efforts.

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