--- description: KPI's mean nothing if they aren't driving this most important thing... stop caring about vanity metrics so much - it makes you... title: Why Tracking Marketing KPIs Is Worthless Unless You're Doing This image: https://www.leanlabs.com/hubfs/blog_post_imgs/Lean-Labs_Tracking-marketing-KPIs.jpg --- [Blog](https://www.leanlabs.com/blog)/ [Growth Marketing](https://www.leanlabs.com/blog/topic/growth-marketing) # Why Tracking Marketing KPIs Is Worthless Unless You're Doing This 4 min read time ![Why Tracking Marketing KPIs Is Worthless Unless You're Doing This](https://www.leanlabs.com/hs-fs/hubfs/blog_post_imgs/Lean-Labs_Tracking-marketing-KPIs.jpg?width=765&height=430&name=Lean-Labs_Tracking-marketing-KPIs.jpg) KPI stands for _Key Performance Indicator;_ it's a metric used to determine performance against business objectives. And it's something marketers talk a lot about. Obviously, proving a tangible return on investment is important to the livelihood of every marketer. What business owner is going to continue investing in something when they're not even sure it's working? But there's another reason to track KPIs – they're often the difference between results that are good and results that are amazing. Traditionally, marketing metrics have been notoriously difficult to monitor. Place an ad in a local magazine and you might notice a temporary spike in business. But how many of those leads were directly related to those ads? While you can can obtain a rough idea by comparing sales averages to this time last year, you don't really know. There are also many other questions that won't be answered: _How many people saw the ad and turned away? What part of the ad turned them off? How many of them were actively searching for your product or service? Where were they located? Are they a Mac-person or PC?_ ### Tracking Marketing KPIs with Inbound Imagine how much more targeted your campaigns would be if you had access to that kind of feedback? Enter inbound marketing – the practice of organically drawing customers to you by regularly publishing and distributing quality content online. Unlike their traditional marketing counterparts, inbound offers an abundance of KPIs to choose from. So much so, that the question has shifted from "How can we track KPIs?" to "Which KPIs should we track?" and "How do we act on them?" Technology is beautiful thing, but with more options come more questions. **[According to Datapine](http://www.datapine.com/kpi-dashboard), the data produced within any two days of 2014 was equivalent to the amount of data produced between the dawn of civilization and 2003.** If that doesn't put the term "information overload" into perspective, I don't know what will. Today's marketers must be increasingly savvy about: a). Which metrics they track and b). How they act on those metrics Because let's face it – tracking data without knowing what to do with it is about as useful as being gifted a lifetime supply of baked beans without access to a can-opener (assuming the droids have destroyed all kitchen appliances). For the remainder of this article, **we'll review the most important KPIs to track and the corresponding actions you should be taking in relation to them.** ### Dividing KPIs Into 3 Categories Begin by dividing your KPIs into 3 categories: **Top of The Funnel (TOFU), Middle of The Funnel (MOFU) and Bottom of The Funnel (BOFU).** While there will be some overlap in KPIs tracked (i.e. you track clickthrough rates for each phase), it's most useful to separate that data into organized categories. Because that is precisely what will help you determine "what's broken" or "what could be better." Inbound marketing is about taking potential customers on a journey – a journey that appeals to their desire for either more education or entertainment around your niche. And that journey can be divided into 3 distinct phases: **Awareness, Consideration and Decision** **.** These phases directly correspond with aforementioned funnel categories. The only difference between them? The funnel is how things look from the marketer's perspective and the journey is how things look from the prospect's perspective. ### Key Marketing KPIs to Track #### 1\. Content Groups At the heart of every inbound campaign is the content published. Organize all of your marketing content into your 3 categories. It might look something like this: **TOFU:** Social media posts, blog articles, initial CTAs **MOFU:** Email newsletters, white paper downloads, eBook downloads **BOFU:** Consultation sign-ups, lead nurturing email campaign sign-ups If prospects are indifferent to your initial content, how are you going to get them in the door? And if they're not really feeling your MOFU content, how will you ever turn those leads into sales? **Here are some content engagement metrics to track:** * Email Open Rates (regularly purge lists for accuracy) * Email Clickthrough Rates (regularly purge lists for accuracy) * Gated Content Conversion Rates (i.e. 5 percent of page visitors download your paper) * Social Engagement Rates (i.e. you have 100 followers; 10 of them are actively engaging with your brand; your social engagement rate is 10 percent) _Note: When measuring social engagement, prioritize clickthroughs, reposts and shares over "likes." Both Twitter and Facebook provide in-depth reporting on clickthroughs._ #### 2\. Self-Growth Do you have competitors? Of course. But should you be competing against them? Not really. You should ultimately be competing against yourself. That means tracking KPIs that measure the progress of _your_goals. For example, 50 white paper downloads may not sound like much. But if your previous gated content was downloaded 10 times, that's a pretty big deal. A 400 percent increase in conversions means you're doing something right. If that number becomes stagnant, and growth slows to a halt, you may want to revisit your Buyer Personas and ask yourself: How can we make this even more relevant? Conversely, you may realize a large percentage of downloaders _do_ become customers. And all you need are more visitors – time to work on distribution methods. **Here are some self-growth metrics to track:** * Number of customers you now have over number you had this time last year * Number of Website visitors you now have over this time last year * Number of products sold per customer or per order * Any of the engagement stats mentioned above _Bonus points for tracking self-growth in all stages of the funnel._ #### 3\. Conversion Rates While tracking Website traffic is important, it's value is substantially increased when factored in with conversion rates. Case in point: Which Website is more successful? The one generating 10 leads per month from 500 visitors OR the one one generating 50 leads per month from 5,000 visitors. The first one boasts a 2 percent conversion rate, while the second sits at 1 percent. Obviously, Business A would be ecstatic to have the traffic of Business B. But they're actually on track to surpass Business B if they continue working on distribution methods. Measure conversion rates for all levels of the funnel visitors can interact with on your Website. If an offer is continually converting low, ask yourself the following: * Is this offer appropriate for this stage of the funnel (i.e. buyer's journey)? * Is our copy accurately speaking to the prospect's needs, wants and desires? * Are we attracting enough visitors to generate an accurate conversion rate? * Are visitors easily able to find our offer or is it buried? ### Taking Action On KPIs As you can see, tracking content engagement, conversion rates and self-growth can provide your team with a wealth of information to make better marketing decisions. **The important part is to continually take action on the KPIs you choose to** **measure.** Knowing what actions to take is largely a mixture of logic and trial & error. But at the end of the day, it ALWAYS goes back to your customers. The better understanding you have of them, the more you will intuitively know what adjustments to make in terms of copy, design and promotional strategy. [![inbound-marketing-mountain](https://no-cache.hubspot.com/cta/default/275827/367c8116-5457-4d10-b63f-48eca429056b.png)](https://cta-redirect.hubspot.com/cta/redirect/275827/367c8116-5457-4d10-b63f-48eca429056b) ## Latest, related and recommended posts [ ![What is closed-loop marketing? Definition, process, and examples](https://www.leanlabs.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2022%20blog%20featured%20images/26%20(2)%20(1).png?width=500&height=500&name=26%20(2)%20(1).png) Growth Marketing What is closed-loop marketing? Definition, process, and examples Read more ](https://www.leanlabs.com/blog/what-is-closed-loop-marketing) [ ![Loop marketing vs. inbound marketing: what changed and what didn't](https://www.leanlabs.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2022%20blog%20featured%20images/37%20(4)%20(1).png?width=500&height=500&name=37%20(4)%20(1).png) Growth Marketing Loop marketing vs. inbound marketing: what changed and what didn't Read more ](https://www.leanlabs.com/blog/loop-marketing-vs-inbound-marketing) [ ![How to implement loop marketing: the 90-day roadmap](https://www.leanlabs.com/hs-fs/hubfs/2022%20blog%20featured%20images/32%20(1)%20(1).png?width=500&height=500&name=32%20(1)%20(1).png) Growth Marketing How to implement loop marketing: the 90-day roadmap Read more ](https://www.leanlabs.com/blog/how-to-implement-loop-marketing-90-day-roadmap) [![About Lean Labs](https://www.leanlabs.com/hubfs/LL%20V4.1/logos/LL%20Logo%20Dark.svg)](https://www.leanlabs.com) Lean Labs builds growth machines that take 7-figure startups to 8\. → [**See How!**](https://www.leanlabs.com/approach/why-lean-labs) Share [ ![Share on facebook](https://www.leanlabs.com/hubfs/LL%20v5/Images/Icons/Facebook.svg) ](http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.leanlabs.com%2Fblog%2Fwhy-tracking-marketing-kpis-is-worthless-unless-youre-doing-this%3Futm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial%26utm%5Fsource%3Dfacebook) [ ![Share on linkedin](https://www.leanlabs.com/hubfs/LL%20v5/Images/Icons/LinkedIn.svg) ](http://www.linkedin.com/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.leanlabs.com%2Fblog%2Fwhy-tracking-marketing-kpis-is-worthless-unless-youre-doing-this%3Futm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial%26utm%5Fsource%3Dlinkedin) [ ![Share on reddit](https://www.leanlabs.com/hubfs/LL%20v5/Images/Icons/reddit.svg) ](https://www.reddit.com/submit?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.leanlabs.com%2Fblog%2Fwhy-tracking-marketing-kpis-is-worthless-unless-youre-doing-this%3Futm%5Fmedium%3Dsocial%26utm%5Fsource%3Dreddit) [ Grade my site![chevron-right](https://www.leanlabs.com/hubfs/LL%20v5/Images/Icons/chevron-right.svg) ](https://cta-service-cms2.hubspot.com/web-interactives/public/v1/track/click?encryptedPayload=AVxigLLUGeyXuIFe4n%2B1E42IAXAWWgWgkkHKyylkCaC53TFA5LXNKHbY1ByeZ7mNZ9WHFS1WfZ1VrTarTazLKDbOc%2Btc%2Bg%2BBT11oQTrJhYOQyf5sCqDNGXudXVDytcA7Jb2UdS%2FC5xT4BZA6pMCL%2BHU0XpBYZ%2B0d78FOiUQsXv09XXmngTg%3D&portalId=275827) ![grader laptop](https://www.leanlabs.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LL%20v5/Images/grader%20laptop.png?width=552&height=454&name=grader%20laptop.png) ### AI Website Grader Uncover what’s working, pinpoint areas that need improvement, and get trained AI's recommendations on how to turn your website into your brand’s #1 salesperson. Grade my site ## TAKE THE FIRST STEP ### Turn your marketing from a cost center into a self-funding growth machine. ![work](https://www.leanlabs.com/hubfs/LL%20v5/Icons/work.svg) ### Our work & results Hear what our clients have to say about their results. **Read our 5 star reviews on HubSpot.** [](https://www.leanlabs.com/approach/success) ![programs](https://www.leanlabs.com/hubfs/LL%20v5/Icons/programs.svg) ### Programs & pricing **Find out how much it costs** to work with us. We have various programs available starting at $2k per month. [](https://www.leanlabs.com/pricing) ![kevin](https://www.leanlabs.com/hs-fs/hubfs/LL%20v5/Images/kevin.png?width=64&height=64&name=kevin.png) ### Get your free strategy session Find out exactly what **we’d do if we were your growth team.** Select a day and time on the calendar. Request a meeting [ Request A Meeting![right arrow icon](https://www.leanlabs.com/hubfs/LL%20V4.1/icons/Right%20arrow.svg) ](https://cta-service-cms2.hubspot.com/web-interactives/public/v1/track/click?encryptedPayload=AVxigLKguQz1pHGVkA3wdiTS9EE1O5E3Ct1K0Z80gm18lqpbpOzOOhixlWF3vFwSXsk5ZFPTer64z0Z%2BsMdxMcIozeqRS%2FeTnT1Fi%2Fenbbx6QM4lYwwHLgnazScch60YGZ8O7N48nP3dy51Pb162YfiwSq4Ucdk22w3H648JgH6iTgejT3TgMXeeL19riQjd&portalId=275827) ### Ask AI about Lean Labs [ ![](https://www.leanlabs.com/hubfs/LL%20v5/Images/Logos/chatgpt.svg) ChatGPT ](https://chat.openai.com/) [ ![](https://www.leanlabs.com/hubfs/LL%20v5/Images/Logos/googlegemini%201.svg) Gemini ](https://www.google.com/search?udm=50) [ ![](https://www.leanlabs.com/hubfs/LL%20v5/Images/Logos/perplexity%201.svg) Perplexity ](https://www.perplexity.ai/search/new) [ ![](https://www.leanlabs.com/hubfs/LL%20v5/Images/Logos/claude%201.svg) Claude ](https://claude.ai/new) [ ![](https://www.leanlabs.com/hubfs/LL%20v5/Images/Logos/copilot.svg) Copilot ](https://copilot.microsoft.com/) Ask AI ```json { "@graph": [ { "@id": "https://www.leanlabs.com/#organization", "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/", "logo": { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/favicon.ico", "@type": "ImageObject", "width": 60, "height": 60 }, "name": "Lean Labs", "@type": "Organization", "sameAs": [ "https://www.entities.org/entity/lean-labs", "https://www.linkedin.com/company/lean-labs", "https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/lean-labs-eed8", "https://twitter.com/leanlabs", "https://www.youtube.com/@LeanLabs1", "https://www.facebook.com/LeanLabs", "https://ecosystem.hubspot.com/marketplace/solutions/lean-labs", "https://clutch.co/profile/lean-labs", "https://www.g2.com/products/lean-labs/reviews", "https://opencorporates.com/companies/us_fl/P23000000218", "https://www.agencyspotter.com/lean-labs" ], "slogan": "We help companies on HubSpot Drive Growth", "address": { "@type": "PostalAddress", "postalCode": "34638", "addressRegion": "FL", "streetAddress": "16703 Early Riser Avenue, Suite 11", "addressCountry": "US", "addressLocality": "Land O' Lakes" }, "memberOf": { "name": "HubSpot Diamond Partner", "@type": "Organization" }, "knowsAbout": [ { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/solutions/answer-engine-optimization-agency", "name": "Answer Engine Optimization", "@type": "Thing" }, { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/solutions/growth-driven-design", "name": "Growth-Driven Design", "@type": "Thing" }, { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/solutions/loop-marketing", "name": "Loop Marketing", "@type": "Thing" }, { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/solutions/hubspot-projects", "name": "HubSpot", "@type": "Thing" }, { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/solutions/lead-generation-website", "name": "Lead Generation", "@type": "Thing" }, { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/solutions/website-redesign", "name": "Website Redesign", "@type": "Thing" }, { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/expertise/saas-marketing-agency-hubspot", "name": "SaaS Marketing", "@type": "Thing" }, { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/expertise/healthcare-marketing-agency-hubspot", "name": "Healthcare Marketing", "@type": "Thing" }, { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/expertise/fintech-marketing-agency-hubspot", "name": "Fintech Marketing", "@type": "Thing" } ], "description": "Lean Labs boosts marketing ROI for SaaS and B2B companies, driving significant growth through expert strategies, lead generation, and website optimization.", "contactPoint": { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/schedule", "@type": "ContactPoint", "email": "hello@lean-labs.com", "telephone": "+1-913-871-6500", "contactType": "sales" }, "foundingDate": "2007-08-10", "hasOfferCatalog": { "name": "Lean Labs Services", "@type": "OfferCatalog", "itemListElement": [ { "name": "Marketing x AI", "@type": "OfferCatalog", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/solutions/loop-marketing", "name": "Loop Marketing", "@type": "Service" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/solutions/answer-engine-optimization-agency", "name": "Answer Engine Optimization (AEO)", "@type": "Service" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/solutions/hubspot-website-schema-rocket", "name": "AEO Schema", "@type": "Service" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/solutions/aeo-genie", "name": "AEO Genie", "@type": "Service" } } ] }, { "name": "Web x AI", "@type": "OfferCatalog", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/solutions/lead-generation-website", "name": "Lead Gen Websites", "@type": "Service" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/solutions/websites", "name": "Website Design", "@type": "Service" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/solutions/growth-driven-design", "name": "Growth-Driven Design", "@type": "Service" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/solutions/website-redesign", "name": "Website Redesign", "@type": "Service" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/solutions/web-migrations", "name": "Website Migrations", "@type": "Service" } } ] }, { "name": "HubSpot x AI", "@type": "OfferCatalog", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/solutions/hubspot-projects", "name": "HubSpot Projects", "@type": "Service" } }, { "@type": "Offer", "itemOffered": { "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/solutions/hubspot-breeze-agents", "name": "HubSpot Breeze Agents", "@type": "Service" } } ] } ] }, "numberOfEmployees": { "@type": "QuantitativeValue", "value": 12 } }, { "@id": "https://www.leanlabs.com/#website", "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/", "name": "Lean Labs", "@type": "WebSite", "publisher": { "@id": "https://www.leanlabs.com/#organization" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "description": "Lean Labs boosts marketing ROI for SaaS and B2B companies through expert strategies, lead generation, and website optimization.", "potentialAction": { "@type": "SearchAction", "target": { "@type": "EntryPoint", "urlTemplate": "https://www.leanlabs.com/hs-search-results?term={search_term_string}" }, "query-input": "required name=search_term_string" } }, { "@id": "https://www.leanlabs.com/blog/why-tracking-marketing-kpis-is-worthless-unless-youre-doing-this", "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/blog/why-tracking-marketing-kpis-is-worthless-unless-youre-doing-this", "name": "Why Tracking Marketing KPIs Is Worthless Unless You're Doing This", "@type": "WebPage", "about": { "@id": "https://www.leanlabs.com/blog/why-tracking-marketing-kpis-is-worthless-unless-youre-doing-this#article" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://www.leanlabs.com/#website" }, "breadcrumb": { "@id": "https://www.leanlabs.com/blog/why-tracking-marketing-kpis-is-worthless-unless-youre-doing-this#breadcrumb" }, "inLanguage": "en-US", "description": "Learn which marketing KPIs actually matter for inbound marketing and how to take action on them across TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU stages of the funnel.", "dateModified": "2026-06-03", "isAccessibleForFree": true }, { "@id": "https://www.leanlabs.com/blog/why-tracking-marketing-kpis-is-worthless-unless-youre-doing-this#breadcrumb", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "item": "https://www.leanlabs.com/", "name": "Home", "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1 }, { "item": "https://www.leanlabs.com/blog", "name": "Blog", "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2 }, { "item": "https://www.leanlabs.com/blog/topic/growth-marketing", "name": "Growth Marketing", "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3 }, { "name": "Why Tracking Marketing KPIs Is Worthless Unless You're Doing This", "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4 } ] }, { "@id": "https://www.leanlabs.com/blog/why-tracking-marketing-kpis-is-worthless-unless-youre-doing-this#article", "@type": "BlogPosting", "about": [ { "name": "Key Performance Indicators", "@type": "Thing" }, { "name": "Inbound Marketing", "@type": "Thing" }, { "name": "Conversion Rate Optimization", "@type": "Thing" }, { "name": "Marketing Analytics", "@type": "Thing" } ], "author": { "name": "Kevin Barber", "@type": "Person", "sameAs": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/in/thekevinbarber", "https://www.thekevinbarber.com/", "https://www.entities.org/entity/kevin-barber" ], "jobTitle": "Head of AI Growth" }, "headline": "Why Tracking Marketing KPIs Is Worthless Unless You're Doing This", "keywords": "marketing KPIs, inbound marketing, conversion rates, TOFU MOFU BOFU, content engagement metrics, self-growth metrics, marketing funnel", "publisher": { "@id": "https://www.leanlabs.com/#organization" }, "wordCount": 1100, "inLanguage": "en-US", "description": "Learn which marketing KPIs actually matter for inbound marketing and how to take action on them across TOFU, MOFU, and BOFU stages of the funnel.", "dateModified": "2022-06-16T18:55:20.743Z", "datePublished": "2016-08-30T15:45:01.000Z", "articleSection": "Growth Marketing", "potentialAction": { "@type": "ReadAction", "target": "https://www.leanlabs.com/blog/why-tracking-marketing-kpis-is-worthless-unless-youre-doing-this" }, "mainEntityOfPage": { "@id": "https://www.leanlabs.com/blog/why-tracking-marketing-kpis-is-worthless-unless-youre-doing-this" }, "isAccessibleForFree": true } ], "@context": "https://schema.org" } { "@type": "BlogPosting", "@context": "https://schema.org", "articleBody": "KPI stands for Key Performance Indicator it's a metric used to determine performance against business objectives. And it's something marketers talk a lot about. Obviously, proving a tangible return on investment is important to the livelihood of every marketer. What business owner is going to continue investing in something when they're not even sure it's working? But there's another reason to track KPIs – they're often the difference between results that are good and results that are amazing. Traditionally, marketing metrics have been notoriously difficult to monitor. Place an ad in a local magazine and you might notice a temporary spike in business. But how many of those leads were directly related to those ads? While you can can obtain a rough idea by comparing sales averages to this time last year, you don't really know. There are also many other questions that won't be answered How many people saw the ad and turned away? What part of the ad turned them off? How many of them were actively searching for your product or service? Where were they located? Are they a Mac-person or PC? Tracking Marketing KPIs with Inbound Imagine how much more targeted your campaigns would be if you had access to that kind of feedback? Enter inbound marketing – the practice of organically drawing customers to you by regularly publishing and distributing quality content online. Unlike their traditional marketing counterparts, inbound offers an abundance of KPIs to choose from. So much so, that the question has shifted from How can we track KPIs? to Which KPIs should we track? and How do we act on them? Technology is beautiful thing, but with more options come more questions. According to Datapine, the data produced within any two days of 2014 was equivalent to the amount of data produced between the dawn of civilization and 2003. If that doesn't put the term information overload into perspective, I don't know what will. Today's marketers must be increasingly savvy about a). Which metrics they track and b). How they act on those metrics Because let's face it – tracking data without knowing what to do with it is about as useful as being gifted a lifetime supply of baked beans without access to a can-opener (assuming the droids have destroyed all kitchen appliances). For the remainder of this article, we'll review the most important KPIs to track and the corresponding actions you should be taking in relation to them. Dividing KPIs Into 3 Categories Begin by dividing your KPIs into 3 categories Top of The Funnel (TOFU), Middle of The Funnel (MOFU) and Bottom of The Funnel (BOFU). While there will be some overlap in KPIs tracked (i.e. you track clickthrough rates for each phase), it's most useful to separate that data into organized categories. Because that is precisely what will help you determine what's broken or what could be better. Inbound marketing is about taking potential customers on a journey – a journey that appeals to their desire for either more education or entertainment around your niche. And that journey can be divided into 3 distinct phases Awareness, Consideration and Decision. These phases directly correspond with aforementioned funnel categories. The only difference between them? The funnel is how things look from the marketer's perspective and the journey is how things look from the prospect's perspective. Key Marketing KPIs to Track 1. Content Groups At the heart of every inbound campaign is the content published. Organize all of your marketing content into your 3 categories. It might look something like this TOFU Social media posts, blog articles, initial CTAs MOFU Email newsletters, white paper downloads, eBook downloads BOFU Consultation sign-ups, lead nurturing email campaign sign-ups If prospects are indifferent to your initial content, how are you going to get them in the door? And if they're not really feeling your MOFU content, how will you ever turn those leads into sales? Here are some content engagement metrics to track Email Open Rates (regularly purge lists for accuracy) Email Clickthrough Rates (regularly purge lists for accuracy) Gated Content Conversion Rates (i.e. 5 percent of page visitors download your paper) Social Engagement Rates (i.e. you have 100 followers 10 of them are actively engaging with your brand your social engagement rate is 10 percent) Note When measuring social engagement, prioritize clickthroughs, reposts and shares over likes. Both Twitter and Facebook provide in-depth reporting on clickthroughs. 2. Self-Growth Do you have competitors? Of course. But should you be competing against them? Not really. You should ultimately be competing against yourself. That means tracking KPIs that measure the progress of yourgoals. For example, 50 white paper downloads may not sound like much. But if your previous gated content was downloaded 10 times, that's a pretty big deal. A 400 percent increase in conversions means you're doing something right. If that number becomes stagnant, and growth slows to a halt, you may want to revisit your Buyer Personas and ask yourself How can we make this even more relevant? Conversely, you may realize a large percentage of downloaders do become customers. And all you need are more visitors – time to work on distribution methods. Here are some self-growth metrics to track Number of customers you now have over number you had this time last year Number of Website visitors you now have over this time last year Number of products sold per customer or per order Any of the engagement stats mentioned above Bonus points for tracking self-growth in all stages of the funnel. 3. Conversion Rates While tracking Website traffic is important, it's value is substantially increased when factored in with conversion rates. Case in point Which Website is more successful? The one generating 10 leads per month from 500 visitors OR the one one generating 50 leads per month from 5,000 visitors. The first one boasts a 2 percent conversion rate, while the second sits at 1 percent. Obviously, Business A would be ecstatic to have the traffic of Business B. But they're actually on track to surpass Business B if they continue working on distribution methods. Measure conversion rates for all levels of the funnel visitors can interact with on your Website. If an offer is continually converting low, ask yourself the following Is this offer appropriate for this stage of the funnel (i.e. buyer's journey)? Is our copy accurately speaking to the prospect's needs, wants and desires? Are we attracting enough visitors to generate an accurate conversion rate? Are visitors easily able to find our offer or is it buried? Taking Action On KPIs As you can see, tracking content engagement, conversion rates and self-growth can provide your team with a wealth of information to make better marketing decisions. The important part is to continually take action on the KPIs you choose to measure. Knowing what actions to take is largely a mixture of logic and trial amp error. But at the end of the day, it ALWAYS goes back to your customers. The better understanding you have of them, the more you will intuitively know what adjustments to make in terms of copy, design and promotional strategy.", "articleSection": ["Growth Marketing","ll-no-index"], "keywords": ["Growth Marketing","ll-no-index"], "author": [ { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ashley Gwilliam", "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/blog/author/ashley-gwilliam" } ], "dateModified": "2026-07-22 09:05:38.000Z", "description": "KPI stands for Key Performance Indicator it's a metric used to determine performance against business objectives. And it's something marketers talk a lot about. Obviously, proving a tangible return on investment is important to the livelihood of every marketer. What business owner is going to continue investing in something when they're not even sure it's working? But there's another reason to track KPIs – they're often the difference between results that are good and results that are amazing.", "headline": "Why Tracking Marketing KPIs Is Worthless Unless You're Doing This", "image": [ { "@type": "ImageObject", "contentUrl": "http://www.lean-labs.com/hubfs/blog_post_imgs/Lean-Labs_Tracking-marketing-KPIs.jpg", "url": "http://www.lean-labs.com/hubfs/blog_post_imgs/Lean-Labs_Tracking-marketing-KPIs.jpg", "caption": "Why Tracking Marketing KPIs Is Worthless Unless You're Doing This", "sourceOrganization": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Lean Labs" }, "width": "600", "height": "315", "creditText": "Ashley Gwilliam/Lean Labs", "dateCreated": "2016-08-30 11:45:01.000Z" } ], "thumbnailUrl": "http://www.lean-labs.com/hubfs/blog_post_imgs/Lean-Labs_Tracking-marketing-KPIs.jpg", "inLanguage": "en", "isPartOf": { "@type" : "Blog", "@id": "https://www.lean-labs.com/blog/", "name": "Lean Labs Blog", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://www.lean-labs.com", "name": "Lean Labs" } }, "mainEntityOfPage": { "@type": "WebPage", "@context": "https://schema.org", "url": "https://www.leanlabs.com/blog/why-tracking-marketing-kpis-is-worthless-unless-youre-doing-this", "dateModified": "2026-07-22 09:05:38.000Z", "inLanguage": "en", "additionalType": "article_leaf", "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Lean Labs", "@id": "https://www.lean-labs.com/#organization", "logo": "https://www.lean-labs.com/hubfs/LL%20V4.1/logos/LL%20Logo%20Dark.svg", "url": "https://www.lean-labs.com/", "sameAs": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/lean-labs/", "https://ecosystem.hubspot.com/marketplace/solutions/lean-labs", "https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Lean-Labs-Reviews-E3982766.htm", "https://www.youtube.com/@LeanLabs1", "https://www.facebook.com/LeanLabs/", "https://x.com/leanlabs?lang=en", "https://rocketreach.co/lean-labs-profile_b5f5471df42d3400", "https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/lean-labs-eed8" ] }, "name": "Why Tracking Marketing KPIs Is Worthless Unless You're Doing This", "headline": "Why Tracking Marketing KPIs Is Worthless Unless You're Doing This", "description": "KPI stands for Key Performance Indicator it's a metric used to determine performance against business objectives. And it's something marketers talk a lot about. Obviously, proving a tangible return on investment is important to the livelihood of every marketer. What business owner is going to continue investing in something when they're not even sure it's working? But there's another reason to track KPIs – they're often the difference between results that are good and results that are amazing.", "datePublished": "2016-08-30 11:45:01.000Z" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "Lean Labs", "logo": "https://www.lean-labs.com/hubfs/LL%20V4.1/logos/LL%20Logo%20Dark.svg", "url": "https://www.lean-labs.com/", "sameAs": [ "https://www.linkedin.com/company/lean-labs/", "https://ecosystem.hubspot.com/marketplace/solutions/lean-labs", "https://www.glassdoor.com/Reviews/Lean-Labs-Reviews-E3982766.htm", "https://www.youtube.com/@LeanLabs1", "https://www.facebook.com/LeanLabs/", "https://x.com/leanlabs?lang=en", "https://rocketreach.co/lean-labs-profile_b5f5471df42d3400", "https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/lean-labs-eed8" ] }, "wordCount": 1476, "datePublished": "2016-08-30 11:45:01.000Z", "isAccessibleForFree": true } ```