The pitfall of focusing on activity-based metrics in B2B marketing

Many B2B marketers fall into the trap of measuring inputs and activities rather than meaningful outcomes. According to Gartner, 63% of B2B marketers focus on activity-based metrics like the number of calls made, emails sent or events held, but only 36% measure customer engagement or brand recognition.

The input or activity is almost irrelevant. Sending hundreds or even thousands of emails doesn’t matter, but which subject line has received the most opens tells you how ‘on message’ you are, and click-throughs on a strong CTA link reveal what is of most interest.

What open rate are you receiving on your emails and how does it vary between different personas you might be targeting? Is the message getting traction and what links or calls to action are prospects acting on?

Similarly, tracking whether you make 30, 50 or 100 outbound calls is not necessarily helpful, but it’s the outcomes of those calls and conversations that really matter. What is important, and points to more qualitative measurement rather than quantitative, is what have you learned from the people who have engaged? How closely is your message aligned to the prospects’ ‘explicit needs’, based on your understanding of the market?

Forrester reports that while 89% of B2B marketers track metrics like leads generated, fewer than 50% measure metrics that gauge, for example, message engagement, buyer’s journey, sales effectiveness, customer value, and the long-term impact.

Success shouldn’t just be measured in numbers

I am a businessman, right. I totally recognise that numbers are important. We exist to generate leads for our clients; if we don’t achieve this, then we could cease to exist. That is something I say to all Incognate employees. Yet, sometimes we can get so focused on numbers that we miss out on other things and potential opportunities.

If your proposition isn’t getting traction, you’ll find this out by measuring the ‘right metrics’. For example, a lack of connection and engagement of messages on LinkedIn or a low open and click-through rate on email. It might be people are following a link to a landing page or white paper, but again aren’t engaging with links or downloading the collateral. The best way to get more qualitative feedback is a two-way conversation.

This is why I still strongly believe that while AI and automated solutions are all great, particularly for those of you pushing products and needing volume, there is still a strong need to have conversations. The calling element of outbound demand generation is really important because it leads to conversations, and ‘active listening’ will enable you to pick up intonations and perhaps unspoken messages that can only today be picked up by a person  and not machine! It also means that you can get a deeper understanding of what is happening on the ground.

There is so much more that I could share, but I think I’ve made the main points. You first need to know where you are headed and why, you then need to track all metrics, but ensure you gain qualitative feedback through direct conversations.

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