20 Essential Marketing Metrics and KPIs

Marketing metrics and KPIs are arguably the most crucial element of any marketing campaign, without these essential measures you’re just throwing dice and hoping for the best. 

These necessary marketing measurements can give your organization the best understanding of whether your marketing strategy is successful or needs to be adjusted. In fact, 37.7% of CMOs say they use marketing analytics in their projects before a decision is made.

However, an overwhelming amount of marketing data is available, and it can be hard to figure out which metrics and KPIs to focus on. In this blog, we will provide you with valuable insights on how to measure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts and achieve your business goals. 

Let’s dive in!

What’s the difference between a marketing metric and a KPI?

A marketing metric is a numerical value that measures the performance of a specific marketing activity, like website traffic, email open rates, or social media engagement. These metrics provide insights into a particular marketing activity's effectiveness in achieving its objectives.

A key performance indicator (KPI) is a measurable value that indicates how well a business is achieving its overall goals and objectives. KPIs are typically used to measure and track the success of a business's strategy, while marketing metrics are used to measure the success of specific marketing activities within that strategy.

For example, a company's KPI may be to increase its customer retention rate by 10% over the next year. Marketing metrics that may contribute to achieving this goal include email open rates, social media engagement, and customer satisfaction scores. By tracking these marketing metrics, the company can measure the success of its marketing campaigns and adjust its strategy accordingly to improve its KPIs.

Why are marketing metrics and KPIs so important? 

• Provide clarity- Metrics and KPIs provide a clear picture of the effectiveness and ROI of marketing efforts by quantifying and analyzing marketing performance.
• Save time & resources- When marketers are able to identify areas of high and low performance they can make data-driven decisions more efficiently. 
• Help prioritize objectives- Having the right insight into which metrics are most closely aligned with business goals and which areas require the most attention is key.

20 Essential Marketing Metrics and KPIs 

1. WEBSITE TRAFFIC

The number of visitors to your website.

• Why it’s important- Gives you valuable insights about your target audience that can help your business.
• How to calculate it- Set up a tool such as Google Analytics and install the code on your website.

2. CONVERSION RATE

The percentage of website visitors who take an action like filling out a form or downloading an e-book.

• Why it’s important- Indicates how effective your website or marketing campaign is in persuading visitors to take action.
• How to calculate it- (number of people who took the desired action / total number of visitors) x 100%.

3. COST PER ACQUISITION (CPA)

The cost of acquiring a new customer.

• Why it’s important- Provides valuable insights into your marketing campaigns and helps optimize spending on customer acquisition.
• How to calculate it- Total cost of campaign/number of customers or leads acquired.

4. CUSTOMER LIFETIME VALUE (CLV)

The total amount of revenue a customer is expected to generate over the course of their relationship with your business.

• Why it’s important- Helps provide data-driven decisions about customer retention and acquisition.
• How to calculate it- (average value of purchase) x (number of purchases per year) x (customer lifespan).

5. RETURN ON INVESTMENT (ROI)

The profitability of your marketing campaigns.

• Why it’s important- Gives insight on where to invest your marketing dollars to achieve the best possible results.
• How to calculate it- (revenue generated - marketing cost) / marketing cost x 100%.

6. CLICK THROUGH RATE (CTR)

The percentage of people who click on a link or call to action on your website, email, ad, etc.

• Why it’s important- Tracking CTR over time improves the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns.
• How to calculate it- (clicks / impressions) x 100%.

7. BOUNCE RATE

The percentage of visitors who leave your website after viewing only one page.

• Why it’s important- Provides insights into the quality and relevance of your website's content and user experience.
• How to calculate it- (total number of single-page sessions / total number of website sessions) x 100% or use Google Analytics.

8. TIME ON PAGE

 The amount of time visitors spend on a particular page of your website.

• Why it’s important- Gives insights on how engaged visitors are with your website.
• How to calculate it- Use Google Analytics.

9. COST PER CLICK (CPC)

 The cost of each click on your paid advertising campaigns.

• Why it’s important- Helps manage ad costs, optimizes ad performance, compares ad channels, and ultimately increases ROI.
• How to calculate it- Total cost of the campaign / total number of clicks generated.

10. SOCIAL MEDIA ENGAGEMENT 

The level of engagement your social media posts receive, such as likes, comments, and shares.

• Why it’s important- Measures the effectiveness of your social media campaigns.
• How to calculate it- Monitor metrics like likes, clicks, comments, and shares or take advantage of tools like Hootsuite.

11. SOCIAL MEDIA FOLLOWERS 

The number of people who follow your brand on social media.

• Why it’s important- Provides insights into the reach, growth, and engagement of your social presence. 
• How to calculate it-  No calculation is necessary, you can see this number on the profile page of each social media platform. 

12. ENGAGEMENT RATE

The percentage of followers who engage with your social media posts.

• Why it’s important- Provides insights into how your content resonates with your audience.  
• How to calculate it- (total public interactions within a post / number of followers) x 100.

13. EMAIL OPEN RATE

The percentage of people who open your marketing emails.

• Why it’s important- Determines the effectiveness of your email campaigns and provides insights into the engagement and interest level of the recipients.
• How to calculate it- (unique opens / emails Delivered) x 100 or your email tool should do this for you.

14. EMAIL CLICK-THROUGH RATE

The percentage of people who click on a link in your marketing emails.

• Why it’s important- Measures the effectiveness in driving recipients to take actions like visiting your website.
• How to calculate it- (clicks / emails delivered) x 100 or your email tool should do this for you.

15. CUSTOMER RETENTION RATE

The percentage of customers who continue to do business with your company over a given period.

• Why it’s important- Helps you understand how well you’re business is retaining existing customers and provides insight into customer experience.
• How to calculate it- Customer retention rate = ((E-N)/S) x 100. 

1. E = number of customers at the end of a given period.
2. N = number of new customers acquired during that period.
3. S = number of customers at the start of that period.

16. NET PROMOTER SCORE (NPS)

The level of customer satisfaction and loyalty.

• Why it’s important-  Helps you realize the likelihood of customers recommending your products to others, which is closely tied to business growth and success.
• How to calculate it- First, survey your customers and ask “On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to recommend our company to a friend or colleague?”
• Group your responses into the following groups:

1. Promoters (score 9-10): These are highly satisfied and loyal customers who are likely to recommend your product or service.
2. Passives (score 7-8): These customers are generally satisfied but may not actively promote your product or service.
3. Detractors (score 0-6): These customers are unhappy or dissatisfied and may have negative opinions about your product or service.
4. Total the numbers and plug them into an online NPS calculator for the easiest results. We recommend using this NPS calculator provided by Survey Monkey. ‍‍

17. COST PER LEAD (CPL)

The cost of generating a new lead.

• Why it’s important- Helps you evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of your marketing campaigns.
• How to calculate it- Total marketing or advertising cost / number of leads generated.

18. SEARCH ENGINE RANKINGS

The position of your website in search engine results pages (SERPs).

• Why it’s important- Provides insights into how well your website is performing.
• How to calculate it- Use online rank tracking tools such as SEMrush or Google Search Console. These tools allow you to input your target keywords and track your website's rankings over time.

19. REFERRAL TRAFFIC

The number of visitors to your website who come from other sources.

• Why it’s important- Helps you understand how much traffic is coming into your website from external sources like social media or email.
• How to calculate it- Use Google Analytics.

20. CHURN RATE

The percentage of customers who stop doing business with your company over a given period.

• Why it’s important- Helps you understand why your customers are leaving or discontinuing to use of your products or service.
• How to calculate it- (customers lost during a given period / total customers at the beginning of the period) x 100.

Wrapping Up

Understanding and tracking key marketing metrics and KPIs is vital for the success of any marketing strategy. These 20 essential marketing metrics and KPIs provide valuable insights into the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of marketing campaigns and initiatives. From measuring website traffic and conversion rates to analyzing customer engagement and retention, these metrics enable businesses to make data-driven decisions for growth.

Remember, tracking these metrics empowers marketers to adapt, optimize, and stay ahead in today's dynamic and competitive marketing landscape. For help, give us a shout.