Demand Generation

Demand Generation focuses on driving awareness and interest in products or services to generate qualified leads and fuel sales pipelines.

Performance Management

Performance management isn’t just about tracking numbers—it’s about empowering your team to own outcomes, learn from results, and grow pipeline with confidence. To create a rhythm of accountability and improvement where metrics drive action, not just observation.

On a monthly basis, review performance against KPIs with the team, highlight wins and shortfalls, dig into drivers behind the numbers, and turn learnings into clear action steps. Use quarterly reviews for strategic course correction and to celebrate big wins or share learnings with leadership.

Focus Areas and Top KPIs

Focus Area	Top KPIs
Awareness & Reach	- Website Traffic - Branded Search Volume - Community Growth Rate - Brand Awareness - Organic Search Traffic Growth
Engagement & Nurture	- Content Engagement - Engagement Rate on Awareness Campaigns - Social Shares - Newsletter Subscription Growth - Engaged Unique Visitors
Acquisition & Conversion	- Conversion Rate - Trial Sign-Up Rate - Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) - Product Qualified Leads - Visitor-to-Sign-Up Conversion Rate
Pipeline & Revenue Impact	- Pipeline Value Growth - Expansion Revenue Growth Rate - Average Revenue Per Account - Activation-to-Expansion Rate - Expansion Revenue
Efficiency & ROI	- Cost per Acquisition - Return on Ad Spend - Engagement-to-Awareness Cost Efficiency - Cost Per Aware ICP Account - Content ROI

Frameworks for Metric Selection

Selecting the right metrics is half the battle—use proven frameworks to keep your KPIs focused, actionable, and truly reflective of Demand Gen’s impact. To help Demand Generation teams navigate the sea of possible metrics and select those that connect directly to business outcomes and campaign optimization.

Demand Gen Funnel Mapping

Map metrics to each stage of the demand generation funnel—from initial awareness to pipeline creation and expansion—to ensure KPIs are actionable and cover the full journey.

Key Stages / Examples

• Awareness: Website Traffic, Branded Search Volume
• Engagement: Content Engagement, Engagement Rate on Awareness Campaigns
• Acquisition: Conversion Rate, Trial Sign-Up Rate
• Pipeline: Product Qualified Leads, Pipeline Value Growth
• Expansion: Expansion Revenue Growth Rate

Outcome-Backed Metric Selection

Start by defining the desired business outcomes (e.g., pipeline created, revenue influenced) and work backwards to identify the metrics that directly predict or reflect progress.

Key Stages / Examples

• Outcome: Pipeline Created → Metric: Product Qualified Leads
• Outcome: Brand Growth → Metric: Branded Search Volume
• Outcome: Revenue Expansion → Metric: Expansion Revenue Growth Rate

Reporting Cadence and Structure

Consistent, structured reporting keeps your Demand Generation engine honest and nimble—helping teams spot trends, surface insights, and rally around shared goals. To ensure everyone from campaign owners to executives gets the right level of insight at the right time—without drowning in data or missing the signal.

Cadence Overview

• Level: Team/Leadership/Executive
• Frequency: Weekly (Tactical), Monthly (Strategic), Quarterly (Executive)
• Audience: Demand Gen team, Marketing leadership, Sales, Executive stakeholders

Examples

• Weekly: Channel performance snapshot (e.g., Content Engagement, Conversion Rate)
• Monthly: Funnel health and pipeline creation (e.g., Product Qualified Leads, Trial Sign-Up Rate)
• Quarterly: Brand awareness trends and revenue impact (e.g., Branded Search Volume, Pipeline Value Growth)

Standard Report Structure

• Executive Summary
• Key KPIs & Trends
• Channel/Program Highlights
• Insights & Recommendations
• Action Items & Next Steps

Common Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them

Great Demand Gen teams don’t just collect data—they avoid the traps that turn metrics into noise, distraction, or frustration. To keep your analytics sharp, actionable, and trusted—so you stay focused on outcomes, not just activity.

Frequent Pitfalls and How to Avoid Them:

Issue	Solution
Tracking too many metrics and losing focus.	Prioritize 3–5 KPIs per focus area. Tie every metric to a real business outcome.
Relying solely on vanity metrics like raw page views or impressions.	Balance volume metrics with quality/impact KPIs—like Conversion Rate and Product Qualified Leads.
Inconsistent or unclear metric definitions across teams.	Standardize definitions, document them, and share them broadly to align Marketing, Sales, and Leadership.
Ignoring data quality issues (e.g., duplicate leads, misattributed conversions).	Invest in regular data hygiene, and audit your key funnels quarterly.
Failing to act on insights—reporting for reporting’s sake.	End every reporting cycle with agreed action items, owners, and timelines.

How to build a Data-Aware Culture

A data-aware culture is built, not bought—blend the right habits, rituals, and mindsets to make metrics part of how Demand Gen teams think and win. To foster an environment where everyone—from campaign owners to execs—feels ownership of results, knows how to use data, and celebrates learning as much as winning.

Foundational Elements

• Clear, shared definitions for all key metrics.
• Accessible dashboards and self-serve reporting.
• Regular learning sessions to upskill the team.
• Open forums for sharing wins, losses, and surprises.
• Visible, leadership-supported commitment to acting on data.

Team Practices

• Start every campaign planning session with baseline metrics and benchmarks.
• Host monthly 'insight jams' to dig into what’s working (and what’s not).
• Make metric ownership part of every team member’s role—not just the analysts.
• Celebrate data-driven wins and smart, fast pivots—not just big numbers.
• Share both successes and learnings in team retros and leadership updates.

Maturity Stages

Stage	Description
Foundational	Metrics are tracked, but reporting is manual and ad hoc. Knowledge lives with a few team members, and data is used mostly for post-mortems.
Emerging	Dashboards are shared, and teams begin using data in campaign planning and weekly stand-ups. Some metric definitions are standardized.
Established	Data is a core part of every decision. KPIs are consistent, teams self-serve insights, and learnings from data are routinely acted on.
Advanced	Data is democratized, cross-functional, and predictive. Teams rapidly experiment, learn, and scale what works—metrics are tied to both leading and lagging indicators for full-funnel optimization.

Why Data Aware Culture Matter

A data-aware culture is the backbone of effective Demand Generation—empowering your team to make smart, timely decisions that drive pipeline, revenue, and brand impact. To ensure every campaign, channel investment, or strategic pivot is grounded in objective insight, not gut feel. This unlocks agility, focus, and repeatable success.

Relevant Topics:

• Aligns teams on what success looks like and how to measure it—no more ambiguity.
• Enables fast course correction by spotlighting what's working and what isn't.
• Turns reporting from a chore into a competitive advantage.
• Builds trust across marketing, sales, and leadership by making progress visible and credible.
• Fuels continuous improvement by making learning part of the day-to-day.

Other Related KPIs

Metric	Description
Activation Rate by Source	Activation Rate by Source measures the percentage of users from each acquisition channel who reach activation. It helps assess the quality of acquisition sources and their ability to drive users to value.
Aided Brand Recall (Survey-Based)	Aided Brand Recall measures the percentage of respondents who recognize your brand when prompted with a list of competitors. It helps assess brand awareness and marketing effectiveness.
Brand Awareness Lift	Brand Awareness Lift measures the percentage increase in the number of people who are aware of your brand before and after a specific campaign or time period. It helps assess the impact of marketing efforts on brand visibility.
Brand Recall Score in ICP Surveys	Brand Recall Score in ICP Surveys measures the percentage of ideal customer profile (ICP) respondents who remember your brand, either unaided or aided. It helps assess brand strength and category awareness among target buyers.
Branded Search Volume	Branded Search Volume measures the number of search queries containing your company or product name over a defined period. It helps assess brand awareness and intent-to-engage from both new and returning audiences.
Branded Search Volume Growth	Branded Search Volume Growth measures the percentage increase or decrease in branded search queries over a set period. It helps track brand momentum and marketing effectiveness over time.
Channel Effectiveness	Channel Effectiveness refers to how well various marketing and sales channels perform in reaching target audiences, generating leads, and driving conversions. It assesses the efficiency and ROI of each channel used to promote products or services.
Content ROI	Content ROI measures the return on investment generated by content marketing initiatives. It evaluates how much revenue or value your content delivers relative to the costs involved in creating and distributing it.
Cost per Aware ICP Account	Cost Per Aware ICP Account measures the average cost to generate awareness from an Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) account. It helps evaluate the efficiency of brand and demand activities focused on your most valuable target accounts.
Cost Per Conversion	Cost Per Conversion (CPCo) measures the total cost incurred to achieve a specific conversion, such as a lead, or sign-up. It indicates how efficiently your marketing efforts are driving the desired outcomes.
CTR from ICP Audiences	CTR from ICP Audiences measures the percentage of impressions from ideal customer profile (ICP) segments that result in clicks. It helps evaluate campaign resonance and message effectiveness with your highest-value buyers.
Demo Request Rate	Demo Request Rate measures the percentage of site or landing page visitors who submit a request for a product demo. It helps gauge the effectiveness of messaging, targeting, and CTA clarity in generating sales interest.
Engaged Unique Visitors	Engaged Unique Visitors measures the number of distinct visitors who meet a defined engagement threshold within a set period. It helps track the volume of high-quality traffic interacting meaningfully with your product, website, or content.
Engagement Rate from Buying Personas	Engagement Rate from Buying Personas measures the percentage of your total visitors or users who belong to your defined buyer personas and meet engagement criteria. It helps assess whether your GTM strategy is attracting and resonating with decision-makers.
Inbound Lead Volume	Inbound Lead Volume measures the number of leads generated through inbound channels over a given time period. It helps quantify how effectively content, campaigns, and organic traffic attract prospects.
Incentive CTA Click Rate	Incentive CTA Click Rate measures the percentage of users who click on a call-to-action that includes an incentive (e.g., free trial, discount, gift, reward). It helps assess the effectiveness of incentive-based messaging.
Intent Signal Volume (3rd-party)	Intent Signal Volume (3rd-party) measures the number of buying intent signals collected from external sources (e.g., Bombora, G2, media partners) over a defined time period. It helps quantify market interest beyond owned channels.
Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs)	Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) are leads that have shown enough interest or engagement with your brand to be considered potential customers. They meet specific criteria that indicate they are ready to be handed over to the sales team for further nurturing.
New Account Creation Rate	New Account Creation Rate measures the percentage change or volume of new user or company accounts created within a specific timeframe. It helps evaluate top-of-funnel performance and signup momentum.
Newsletter Subscription Growth	Newsletter Subscription Growth measures the increase in net newsletter subscribers over a given period. It helps track interest in long-form content and audience-building performance.
Opportunity Creation Velocity (from MQL)	Opportunity Creation Velocity (from MQL) measures the average time it takes for a marketing-qualified lead (MQL) to convert into a sales opportunity. It helps track lead progression speed and sales-readiness alignment.
Organic Acquisition Rate	Organic Acquisition Rate measures the percentage of new users or customers acquired through unpaid channels, such as SEO, content, social shares, or direct traffic. It helps quantify inbound performance and CAC efficiency.
Pipeline Value Growth	Pipeline Value Growth measures the increase in total dollar value of open sales opportunities over a specific period. It helps track pipeline health, deal velocity, and the impact of GTM efforts on revenue generation.
Reach to ICP %	Reach to ICP % measures the percentage of your total marketing or campaign reach that falls within your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). It helps assess targeting precision and audience quality.
Referral-Generated MQL Rate	Referral-Generated MQL Rate measures the percentage of referred leads or contacts that meet your MQL (Marketing Qualified Lead) criteria. It helps assess the quality and pipeline-readiness of referral-acquired prospects.
Return Visitor Rate to Product Pages	Return Visitor Rate to Product Pages measures the percentage of visitors who return to your product-related pages after an initial visit within a defined timeframe. It helps track sustained interest and buying intent across the marketing and sales funnel.
Revenue from Referrals	Revenue from Referrals measures the total amount of revenue generated from referred customers or accounts. It helps quantify the financial return of referral programs, customer advocacy, and partner-based acquisition.
Sales Call Brand Mention Rate	Sales Call Brand Mention Rate measures the percentage of sales calls where prospects mention your brand, product, or company unprompted. It helps assess brand recall and the influence of pre-funnel exposure.
Share of Voice vs. Competitors (By Channel)	Share of Voice (SOV) vs. Competitors (By Channel) measures your brand’s visibility as a percentage of total market conversations, mentions, or impressions compared to key competitors — segmented by specific marketing or communication channels.
Signup Completion Rate	Signup Completion Rate measures the percentage of users who finish the full signup or account creation process after initiating it. It helps assess the efficiency and effectiveness of your conversion funnel entry point.
Signup Source Quality Rate	Signup Source Quality Rate measures the percentage of signups from a specific traffic source that meet defined quality criteria (e.g., ICP fit, activation, conversion). It helps evaluate the effectiveness and downstream potential of various acquisition channels.
Social Engagement from Target Accounts	Social Engagement from Target Accounts measures the number or percentage of social interactions (likes, shares, comments, follows, mentions) that come from accounts on your target account list. It helps assess brand awareness, content resonance, and early-stage intent within your ICP.
Top Funnel Conversion Rate by Channel	Top Funnel Conversion Rate by Channel measures the percentage of visitors or leads from each marketing or acquisition channel that complete a desired top-of-funnel action (e.g., sign-up, demo request, content download). It helps assess channel effectiveness at converting attention into engagement.
Traffic Growth from Sales-Aligned Channels	Traffic Growth from Sales-Aligned Channels measures the increase in website or product traffic from channels that are strategically aligned with sales efforts—such as outbound campaigns, ABM programs, partner co-marketing, or SDR-driven events. It helps track top-of-funnel momentum that supports revenue teams.
Visitor-to-Sign-Up Conversion Rate	Visitor-to-Signup Conversion Rate measures the percentage of website visitors who convert into sign-ups for a free trial, product, or account. It helps assess your website’s ability to turn attention into action.
Webinar Registrations / Attendance	Webinar Registrations / Attendance measures the percentage of webinar registrants who actually attend the event live. It helps assess the effectiveness of webinar promotion, topic relevance, and engagement follow-through.