"What gets measured gets managed."
In Account-Based Marketing (ABM), success isn’t just about tracking activity—it’s about measuring the things that really matter: engagement, pipeline movement, and revenue impact. To make sure your ABM strategy is working, you need to focus on the metrics that provide true insight into how your efforts are translating into business value.
This section will walk you through how to measure the success of your ABM strategy by tracking the right metrics, from account engagement to revenue impact, so you can keep refining your approach for maximum results.
1. Define Clear ABM Goals Aligned with Business Objectives
Before you can measure success, you need to define your ABM goals. These goals should be aligned with your broader business objectives and focus on meaningful outcomes like increased account engagement, faster pipeline velocity, or larger deal sizes.
Action: Work with key stakeholders, including sales and leadership, to set specific, measurable ABM goals. Ensure that these goals directly support your overall business objectives, like revenue growth or market expansion.
Example: If your business objective is to increase market share in the financial services sector, your ABM goal could be to boost engagement with top-tier financial institutions and move 30% of targeted accounts into the pipeline within six months.
2. Track Account Engagement Metrics
Account engagement is one of the most critical indicators of ABM success. It measures how actively your target accounts are interacting with your content, communications, and sales outreach. Higher engagement levels signal that your messaging is resonating and that the account is moving closer to making a decision.
Action: Use your CRM and marketing automation tools to track key engagement metrics, such as:
Example: If a target account frequently downloads your whitepapers and attends your webinars, this indicates high engagement and interest, suggesting they’re moving closer to a purchasing decision.
3. Measure Pipeline Progress and Velocity
In ABM, it’s important to measure how effectively your efforts are moving target accounts through the sales pipeline . Pipeline velocity refers to the speed at which accounts move from initial engagement to closing deals. Faster velocity means your ABM strategy is effectively addressing the account’s needs and driving them toward a decision.
Action: Regularly review your sales pipeline to track the movement of target accounts. Key metrics include:
Example: If your ABM efforts are helping target accounts move through the pipeline 20% faster than non-target accounts, it’s a clear sign that your strategy is working.
4. Analyze Revenue Impact
Ultimately, the true measure of ABM success is its impact on revenue . You need to track the total revenue generated from your target accounts and assess the return on investment (ROI) of your ABM campaigns. This will show whether your efforts are translating into tangible business results.
Action: Implement a system that links closed deals back to your ABM campaigns. Track the following metrics:
Example: If your ABM campaigns result in a 25% increase in average deal size and a 15% reduction in sales cycle length, you’re seeing significant revenue impact and strong ROI.
5. Continuously Optimize Based on Data
ABM is an iterative process, meaning it requires continuous refinement based on the insights you gather from your metrics. Regularly reviewing your performance data helps you spot what’s working, identify areas for improvement, and optimize your strategy for even better results.
Action: Set up regular performance reviews with your ABM team to analyze data and pinpoint opportunities for improvement. Use A/B testing to try out new approaches and optimize your campaigns based on what works best.
Example: If certain types of content—like video—are driving higher engagement with specific accounts, consider creating more of that content or replicating the approach with other target accounts.
1. Integrate ABM Metrics with Broader Marketing Analytics
Make sure your ABM metrics are fully integrated with your broader marketing analytics. This gives you a holistic view of how your ABM strategy is contributing to overall marketing success and ensures it fits seamlessly into your larger demand generation strategy.
2. Use Metrics to Foster Sales and Marketing Alignment
Use the data you gather from your ABM efforts to foster closer alignment between your sales and marketing teams. Share key insights regularly so that both teams are aligned on the same goals and can fine-tune their approaches based on what’s working with target accounts.
3. Drive Continuous Improvement
Success in ABM is all about continuous improvement . Use your metrics not just to measure performance but to drive innovation in your strategy. Regularly revisit your goals and tactics to ensure they remain aligned with your business objectives and continue delivering results.