What to watch what to ignore: How to use campaign data and not drown in metrics
In an era where data drives decision-making, the ability to interpret and utilise campaign metrics effectively has become a cornerstone of successful B2B marketing strategies. In a recent panel discussion hosted by Joaquin Dominguez, Head of Marketing at Adzact, a diverse group of marketing professionals came together to discuss the challenges and opportunities in leveraging campaign data. The discussion covered a range of topics, from managing data overload and refining lead quality to aligning marketing efforts with sales objectives and understanding customer satisfaction metrics.
Hosts
Joaquin Dominguez was joined by five marketing experts to discuss the topic.
Guests
Adam Boita, CMO, Ecologi
Carlos Pedroza, Conversational Marketing Manager, HubSpot
Amanda Zafiris, Head of Europe Marketing, Canva
Matthew Soakell, PPC Account Director, Croud
Max Gordon, Senior International Campaign Manager, Tanium
Navigating Data Overload and Identifying Key Metrics
The conversation began with acknowledging the overwhelming data available to marketers today. Adam Boita highlighted the distinction between actionable metrics and vanity metrics, stressing the importance of focusing on data that drives tangible business results. He shared the specific metrics he prioritises, including marketing qualified leads (MQLs) with specific criteria, such as leads with more than 50 full-time employees and a high-quality score. Other key metrics include form conversion rates, which measure the effectiveness of landing pages and forms by calculating the ratio of business sessions to form completions, and the sales qualified leads (SQLs) conversion rate, which monitors how many MQLs turn into SQLs within a given timeframe. Adam also discussed the value of tracking disqualified leads to refine targeting and improve lead quality.
Carlos Pedroza added to this by discussing the importance of balancing lead volume with lead value, particularly in high-growth environments. He emphasized the need for dynamic lead scoring systems and highlighted customer satisfaction as a crucial metric for ensuring long-term success, maintaining growth while ensuring quality.
"In today's data-driven landscape, it's crucial to differentiate between actionable metrics and vanity metrics. The focus should always be on data that directly contributes to achieving tangible business results rather than getting lost in numbers that don't move the needle." - Adam Boita
Aligning Marketing Strategies with Business Objectives
The panelists underscored the importance of aligning marketing metrics with broader business goals. Amanda Zafiris discussed her experience at Canva and WeWork, where close collaboration between marketing and sales was essential for optimising lead conversion. She emphasised that understanding the business context is crucial to tailor marketing strategies effectively. It is not just about driving volume, but also about ensuring that marketing activities align with the company's strategic objectives and support the overall growth narrative and investor expectations.
Matthew Soakell offered insights from his previous role as Paid Media Marketing Manager at YouGov, focusing on enhancing lead quality rather than increasing lead volume. He described how refining lead scoring criteria and excluding low-quality leads improved conversion rates and overall campaign performance. By concentrating on lead quality, Matthew's team achieved a significant impact on return on ad spend (RoAS) and cost per acquisition (CPA), demonstrating that fewer, better leads can often be more valuable than a high volume of lower-quality ones.
"Our approach in PPC has been to refine lead quality over sheer volume. By enhancing lead scoring criteria and filtering out low-quality leads, we’ve seen significant improvements in conversion rates and overall campaign performance." - Matthew Soakell
Embracing Complexity in Multi-Channel Campaigns
Max Gordon brought an alternative perspective to the discussion by highlighting Tanium's approach to managing complex, international, multi-channel campaigns. With software sales cycles often being high-value and longer in tenure, Max emphasised the importance of looking beyond flat and individual metrics by adopting an ‘account-based’ view. Selling sophisticated products like Tanium to large Enterprise organisations can require upwards of 17 decision-makers, so they have to adopt an account-based marketing approach. This approach ensures that marketing efforts surround the entire decision-making unit with relevant content and experiences rather than focusing on a single individual.
Amanda and Max highlighted the importance of a multi-channel marketing approach, particularly in complex organisations with diverse product offerings and long sales cycles. Amanda shared her experience managing various channels, emphasising their distinct roles in the customer journey—from driving awareness to nurturing leads and converting sales. She stressed that understanding the function of each channel is crucial for effective resource allocation and maximising marketing impact. Similarly, Max discussed the need for creating omnipresence across multiple channels to maintain consistent messaging and brand awareness among all relevant stakeholders, which is essential in a lengthy sales process that can take months or even years.
Additionally, Max noted that Tanium utilises intent tools to aggregate and analyse data from multiple sources, offering a clearer picture of account engagement over time. This approach helps them understand the overall impact of their marketing efforts and adjust strategies accordingly to optimise performance.
Moreover, Max highlighted the importance of segmenting the target audience into different categories, such as decision-makers, influencers, and practitioners, and tailoring communications to each group’s specific needs and roles in the purchasing process. This segmentation ensures that the right messages reach the right people at the right time, increasing the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns.
"Given the lengthy sales cycles and the high-value nature of our products, it’s about engaging multiple stakeholders within a target account with relevant content and experiences. The aim is to influence the entire decision-making unit, not just a single individual", Max Gordon
The Role of Customer Satisfaction and Competitor Analysis
The discussion also highlighted the importance of balancing customer satisfaction with sales targets, emphasizing the need for a well-paced approach. Carlos Pedroza explained that customer experience metrics like CSAT (Customer Satisfaction) and NPS (Net Promoter Score) are crucial in shaping HubSpot’s short-term and long-term strategies.
He also compared the Marketing and Sales relationship to a band playing music, where Marketing is the drums, keeping the beat for Sales to drive revenue by providing leads with the right Volume, Value and Rhythm. “If we overdeliver the volume of leads, Sales can get overloaded, and the buyer experience gets hurt, reflecting in a bad CSAT.”
This balance is achieved through careful management of chatbots and other digital tools, which allow marketers to adjust parameters—relaxing them to generate more leads or constraining them to focus on higher-quality interactions.
By fine-tuning these settings, companies can ensure that sales teams reach their targets while delivering a consistent and satisfying customer experience.
Matthew Soakell stressed the significance of competitor analysis in maintaining a competitive edge. By closely monitoring competitors’ activities, particularly in search advertising, his team could adjust their strategies to stay ahead. He explained that understanding what competitors are doing and how it affects market positioning allows teams to refine their tactics and ensure they remain competitive in a rapidly evolving marketplace.
"Managing lead funnels in a high-growth environment is like keeping the rhythm of a drum beat. We adjust the flow of leads to keep the Sales team energized while maintaining customer satisfaction. It's about finding the right balance between Volume, Value and growth Rhythm to ensure our Marketing and Sales efforts work in harmony." - Carlos Pedroza
Balancing Short-Term Wins with Long-Term Strategies
The panel also discussed the challenge of balancing short-term performance metrics with long-term brand-building goals. Amanda Zafiris shared her experience at WeWork, where the focus often shifted between driving immediate sales and investing in brand awareness. She pointed out that maintaining a balance between these objectives is essential because a strong brand presence can drive more sustainable growth over time. Amanda’s insights highlighted the need for ongoing dialogue with business stakeholders to future-proof marketing plans and ensure a steady growth trajectory.
Adam Boita added that for companies like Ecologi, which operate in nascent and rapidly evolving markets, flexibility in strategy is key. He discussed the importance of adjusting tactics based on the maturity of the product and the market, emphasising that companies must be agile and adaptable, continually refining metrics and strategies in response to changing market dynamics and the product's lifecycle.
"At WeWork, we often navigated the delicate balance between short-term sales objectives and long-term brand-building. It’s vital to maintain this equilibrium because a strong brand presence fuels sustainable growth. Ongoing dialogue with business stakeholders is key to aligning these goals and future-proofing marketing strategies." - Amanda Zafiris
Conclusion
The insights from this panel discussion highlight the complexities and nuances of using campaign data effectively in B2B marketing. From managing data overload and aligning with business objectives to focusing on customer satisfaction and staying competitive, marketers must continuously adapt to an ever-changing landscape. The conversation underscored the need for collaboration, strategic alignment, and a balanced approach to both immediate and long-term goals.
As Joaquin Dominguez concluded, in B2B marketing, the challenge isn’t just about gathering data but knowing how to use it to make informed decisions that drive real business impact.
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