9 ESSENTIAL ABM METRICS TO TRACK AND MEASURE SUCCESS

Why it matters

Measuring the engagement level of your target accounts is fundamental to ABM success. You should include website visits, content downloads, and email open rates, and event attendance. Higher engagement indicates that your content and messaging resonate with your intended audience.

How to measure

• Use content analytics to monitor account-specific traffic

• Analyze email open and click-through rates for target account contacts

• Track event attendance by target accounts at webinars, conferences, or industry events

Track the number of content assets and lead magnets downloaded by target accounts – especially those that convert – to see which content leads to the most conversions

Why it matters

The ultimate goal of ABM is to convert target accounts into paying customers. This is a super easy, yet all-important metric to check how effectively you’re driving conversions. Calculate your account conversion rate by dividing the number of target accounts that became customers by the total number of target accounts.

How to measure

• Keep a record of which target accounts have converted into customers

• Divide the number of converted accounts by the total number of target accounts

Why it matters

Pipeline velocity measures how quickly target accounts move through your sales pipeline. A high velocity indicates that your ABM efforts are accelerating deals, while a slow velocity may signify roadblocks in the sales process. This can vary greatly depending on your industry and customers; what is good for your pipeline may differ from competitors but that doesn’t mean it’s bad. Just make sure to check out some ABM benchmarks that are relevant to your business to make sure you’re on a similar track to your rivals.

How to measure

• Track the average time it takes for target accounts to progress from one stage to another in your sales pipeline

• Identify bottlenecks and areas where accounts are getting stuck

Why it matters

ABM isn’t just about acquiring new customers; it’s also about nurturing and retaining leads. Another of the key ABM KPIs to consider is Customer Lifetime Value. Calculate the CLV for accounts that were part of your ABM programs to determine the long-term value of these relationships.

How to measure

• Analyze the total revenue generated from accounts targeted with ABM

• Assess the average length of time these accounts remain as customers

• Calculate the CLV by multiplying the average deal value by the average customer lifespan

Why it matters

Account coverage measures the percentage of decision-makers and influencers within your target accounts that you have successfully engaged with. Tracking account coverage within existing accounts can help identify opportunities for account expansion, such as upselling, cross-selling, and improving account retention. A higher coverage rate suggests better alignment with your overall ABM strategy.

How to measure

• Maintain a list of key contacts within each target account

• Track the number of engaged contacts within each account

• Calculate coverage as the percentage of engaged contacts compared to the total number of relevant contacts

Why it matters

Alignment between sales and marketing is crucial for successful ABM, as sales and marketing teams must collaborate closely to optimize ABM outcomes. Marketing teams play a key role in driving engagement and aligning with sales teams to ensure unified strategies and shared metrics. Assess the alignment between these departments to ensure they’re working together effectively.

How to measure

• Hold regular meetings between marketing teams and sales teams to review progress and to align on shared metrics

• Monitor shared metrics, such as the number of target accounts in the pipeline, and how they affect outcomes

• Gather feedback from both teams to identify areas for improvement

Why it matters

MQAs are accounts that show significant interest in your offerings but may not be ready to convert. Tracking MQAs helps you identify potential customers in the early stages of the buying process.

How to measure

• Define criteria that classify accounts as MQAs

• Monitor and score accounts based on their engagement with your content and interactions with your brand using lead scoring

• Track the number of MQAs and their progression through the funnel

Why it matters

To justify investment in ABM, you need to calculate the return on investment (ROI) specifically for your targeted accounts. ROI metrics for content provide a clear picture of whether your ABM efforts are financially sound. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) is a key metric for evaluating the efficiency and ROI of ABM campaigns, as it measures how cost-effectively you are acquiring new customers.

How to measure

• Calculate the revenue generated from target accounts

• Deduct the total costs associated with your ABM

• Express ROI as a percentage: [(Revenue – Costs) / Costs] x 100

Why it matters

Building strong customer relationships is essential for fostering advocacy and long-term loyalty. Measure customer advocacy by tracking the number of referrals, testimonials, and case studies generated from your target accounts.

How to measure

• Keep a record of referrals and leads generated by satisfied target accounts

• Collect and showcase testimonials and case studies from these accounts

• Analyze the impact of advocacy efforts on new customer acquisition

ABM metrics are fundamentally different from traditional marketing measurements because they hone in on account-level engagement and revenue growth, rather than just broad lead generation and conversion rates. Think of it this way:  Account based marketing metrics are designed to measure how deeply your organization is engaging with target accounts and driving revenue milestones at the account level. Sure, traditional metrics like website visits, content downloads, and social media interactions still matter, but they just don't offer the same detailed insight into what your most important accounts are actually doing and preferring.

ABM metrics give you a more nuanced understanding of how your target accounts behave and what they like. When you're trying to figure out if your ABM strategy is actually working, it's crucial to pick and track relevant metrics and metric measures that directly align your business goals. By keeping an eye on metrics like the ones we've delved into above, businesses can truly grasp what's happening with their target accounts. 

On the flip side, traditional marketing metrics often miss this depth. They tend to focus on broader numbers that simply don't capture the specific interactions and progress of individual accounts. By switching your focus to ABM metrics, you can make smarter decisions about your marketing strategies, ensuring you're effectively targeting and engaging those crucial high-value accounts.

Start by defining clear objectives for ABM strategies and aligning your ABM metrics with your ABM goals. Whether it’s increasing conversion rates, improving customer retention, or expanding into new markets, your metrics  should directly support these goals and help you achieve ABM success.

Regularly collect and analyze your data. Strong data practices help drive measurable outcomes and improve targeting effectiveness. Using a content creation platform with analytics provides real-time insights into your metrics which you can use to monitor target account engagement, conversion rates, pipeline velocity, and other relevant performance indicators. Leveraging marketing automation can also help to streamline data integration and campaign tracking, enhancing the effectiveness of your ABM strategies.

Optimize youur account based marketing campaigns based on performance data against metrics to maximize engagement and ROI.  If a particular metric is underperforming, take proactive steps to adjust tactics, messaging, or targeting based on the data you’ve collected and analyzed. By using and analyzing insights well you can increase your ABM campaign performance with every iteration.

Measuring the success of ABM is essential for effective allocation of your marketing budget, which supports ABM strategies and ensures you have the resources needed for ongoing optimization. By tracking these nine key metrics, you’ll gain valuable insights into the effectiveness of your ABM initiatives and be better equipped to make data-driven improvements. Remember that ABM is an ongoing process, so continuous measurement and adjustment are crucial for long-term success.

Turtl’s detailed analytics are perfect for measuring metrics from reads to downloads, sign-ups to bounce rate. Track specific accounts by the individual reader and see how they engage with your content for granular insight into account behavior to help build relevant, revenue-focused ABM programs.