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Chapter 19—How to set goals for B2B marketing

There are two things to measure in B2B marketing—activities
and results. Some companies argue that all that matters is
results, and indeed, that’s ultimately true, but it’s easier to
evaluate the results when you know the level of activity being
applied.

It’s important to balance the measurement of both activities
and results. I’ve seen many companies get distracted by the
amount of marketing activity and forget about getting results.
I’ve also seen companies expect significant results and then
not execute the activities. Both matter.

It would be nice if there was a standard prescription for setting
marketing goals. Unfortunately, there isn’t. However, in the
sections on tactics, I provide a number of metrics that address
both the activity and result considerations.

You can compile the individual tactic metrics into a marketing
scorecard that includes five to ten metrics that you will track
and report on monthly. Some metrics may be leading indicators
(for example, leads will help predict revenues) and others will
be lagging. The purpose is to focus your marketing team on
the activities that matter most to your business success and for
everyone to get a view into what results are being achieved.

For an example of a marketing scorecard, go to
www.marketsmartb2b.com/resources.

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© 2012 Lisa Shepherd