9 Essential metrics to measure ABM success

Track specific metrics to see what’s working – fast. Analytics and data drive understanding of your customers and leads, whether they convert or not. This is essential to refine your ABM campaigns and increase conversions, but it’s also important for lead scoring and aligning your overall marketing strategy.

In this post, we’ll explore nine ABM metrics to track so you can easily measure success. Ready?

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. 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 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 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. 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

Successful ABM campaigns require seamless collaboration between marketing and sales teams. Assess the alignment between these departments to ensure they’re working together effectively.

How to measure

• Hold regular meetings between marketing and sales teams to review progress
• 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.

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

Satisfied customers can become your best advocates, referring new business and providing testimonials. 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

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

Regularly collect and analyze your data. Using a content creation platform with analytics provides real-time insights into your KPIs which you can use to monitor target account engagement, conversion rates, pipeline velocity, and other relevant metrics.

Look to refine your ABM approach based on KPI insights. 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 optimizing your efforts and achieving better results. 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 Dashboard is 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 refine your ABM strategy.

We outline how to plan a four-phase framework for starting a scalable ABM. It includes links to webinars and guides.

Click to read How to start an ABM program that scales | Turtl