KPIs for Account Journey Mapping

Samuel Hall
May 2
7 min read

Updated: May 8

Want to measure your ABM success effectively? Start by tracking the right KPIs for account journey mapping. These metrics help you understand how target accounts move through the buying journey, from awareness to decision-making, and ensure your efforts align with business goals.

Why KPIs Matter:

Show how accounts progress through the sales funnel.
Identify which touchpoints drive engagement.
Prove marketing’s contribution to revenue.
Provide actionable data to refine strategies.

Common KPI Mistakes:

Misaligned Goals: Metrics like page views don’t always tie to revenue growth.
Too Many Metrics: Overloading on data slows decision-making.
Vanity Metrics: Focus on actionable insights, not just impressive numbers.

Key Metrics by Stage:

Awareness: Account-specific page views, content engagement, social interactions.
Consideration: Demo requests, stakeholder involvement, content depth.
Decision: Proposal review time, meeting frequency, contract progress.

How to Choose KPIs:

Set clear business goals first.
Use a 3-level KPI system: Main, Supporting, and Diagnostic metrics.
Align metrics across teams (e.g., Marketing, Sales, Customer Success).

Pro Tip: Regularly review and refine your KPIs to ensure they stay relevant and actionable.

This framework ensures that your ABM strategy stays focused, measurable, and impactful.

ABM Customer Journey

Main KPI Selection Problems

Organisations often run into issues that can derail their KPI strategy.

Poor Alignment with Business Goals

One of the most common mistakes is choosing KPIs that don’t tie directly to the organisation’s core goals. This misstep wastes time and resources while masking real opportunities.

For example, focusing on website metrics like page views or time on site might seem useful. But if the actual goal is to increase high-value enterprise deals, these metrics won’t reveal whether key accounts are advancing through the sales pipeline.

Key factors to consider for better alignment include:

Measuring the impact on revenue
Assessing how well accounts are qualified
Monitoring the speed of the sales cycle
Evaluating customer lifetime value
Ensuring efficient resource use

Tracking Too Many Metrics

When teams track an overwhelming number of metrics across various platforms, it becomes difficult to pinpoint which data truly matters. This overload can lead to:

Slower decision-making
Conflicting data that complicates communication
Excessive time spent on reporting
A lack of clarity on priorities

Overreliance on Surface-Level Metrics

Focusing on vanity metrics often leads to misleading insights. These metrics might look impressive in reports but don’t provide actionable information about how accounts are progressing.

Examples of surface-level metrics to avoid include:

Generic page views without understanding account-specific activity
Social media follower counts without measuring engagement quality
Email open rates without tracking follow-up actions
Content downloads without knowing if the content was consumed
Counting meetings without evaluating their outcomes

Here’s a comparison to illustrate the difference between vanity metrics and more insightful alternatives:

Surface-Level Metric	Meaningful Alternative	Impact on Decision Making
Total Website Visits	Account-Specific Page Journey	Identifies actual buying intent
Email Open Rate	Content Engagement Score	Highlights genuine account interest
Number of Meetings	Meeting Outcome Quality	Tracks effectiveness of progression
Content Downloads	Time Spent with Content	Shows whether content was consumed
Lead Volume	Account Penetration Rate	Measures true market traction

These challenges underscore the importance of choosing KPIs that provide actionable insights and help drive impactful decisions.

Key Metrics for Each Journey Phase

Each stage of the account journey requires specific metrics to track progress and measure success effectively.

Awareness Metrics

During the awareness phase, focus on metrics that reflect account engagement and brand visibility:

Metric Category	Key Performance Indicators	Purpose
Website Activity	Account-specific page views, Average session duration, Return visit rate	Assess initial interest and content relevance
Content Engagement	Resource downloads, Video completion rates, Blog interaction time	Evaluate how well your content resonates
Social Engagement	Account mentions, Quality of social interactions, Share-to-impression ratio	Track brand visibility and interaction quality

The goal here is to measure meaningful engagement, not just surface-level interactions.

Consideration Metrics

At this stage, the focus shifts to how thoroughly accounts are evaluating your offerings:

Metric Type	Key Indicators	Purpose
Content Investment	Engagement with in-depth resources like technical documents or case studies	Shows serious evaluation of your solution
Direct Engagement	Demo requests, Initiated sales conversations	Reflects growing interest in your product or service
Account Penetration	Participation of multiple stakeholders within an account	Indicates a broad evaluation by the buying team

These metrics highlight deeper interest and the involvement of key decision-makers.

Decision Metrics

When accounts move towards making a decision, track metrics that signal readiness to close. Key indicators include:

Time spent reviewing proposals
Frequency of meetings with stakeholders
Completion rate of technical evaluations
Progress in pricing discussions
Status of contract reviews

These metrics not only help forecast deal closures but also identify potential roadblocks in the process.

How to Pick and Use KPIs

Choosing the right KPIs is crucial for achieving your business goals. They should directly tie to the outcomes you aim to achieve.

Set Goals First

Start by defining clear business objectives that outline what success looks like. Use a goal hierarchy to connect organisational objectives to specific outcomes:

Goal Level	Example	KPIs
Strategic	Increase enterprise account revenue	Year-over-year account value growth
Tactical	Improve stakeholder engagement	Multi-stakeholder engagement rate
Operational	Make content more relevant	Content consumption depth score

Once your goals are set, organise your metrics using a structured framework to track progress effectively.

3-Level KPI System

Organise your KPIs into three categories to keep them focused and actionable:

Main KPIs: These are the top 3-5 metrics for each journey stage that directly reflect your business objectives.
Supporting KPIs: Secondary metrics that provide additional context for the performance of your main KPIs.
Diagnostic KPIs: Metrics used to identify and address problems when your primary indicators fall short.

This system ensures that your metrics are both manageable and meaningful.

Connect Team KPIs

For effective collaboration, align KPIs across teams by setting shared metrics:

Team	Primary Focus	Shared KPIs
Marketing	Account Engagement	Account qualification score
Sales	Pipeline Progress	Joint opportunity velocity
Customer Success	Account Health	Cross-functional relationship index

To maintain alignment, hold regular cross-team meetings, use consistent measurement methods, assign clear ownership, and rely on unified dashboards. These steps ensure everyone stays on the same page and works towards shared goals.

Track and Improve Journey Maps

To keep your account journey mapping effective, it's important to regularly review your KPIs and refine your approach.

Set a Review Schedule

Establish a consistent schedule to evaluate KPIs and make timely updates. Here's a handy breakdown:

Review Type	Frequency	Focus Areas	Key Actions
Weekly Check-ins	Every Monday	Operational KPIs, Immediate actions	Adjust activities, Resolve urgent issues
Monthly Reviews	First week	Tactical metrics, Trend analysis	Update touchpoints, Reallocate resources
Quarterly Assessments	End of quarter	Strategic KPIs, Journey effectiveness	Revise maps, Update measurement framework

Test and Update

Improving your journey maps involves trying out different strategies. Focus on key touchpoints, set clear goals, and define specific test parameters. To get accurate results, test only one variable at a time and ensure you gather enough data before making permanent changes.

Use KPI Tools

The right tools can make tracking and analysing KPIs much easier. Consider these categories:

Tool Category	Primary Function	Key Features to Look For
Journey Mapping	Visual mapping and analysis	Real-time updates, Collaboration tools
Analytics	Data collection and reporting	Custom dashboards, Automated alerts
Feedback Collection	Customer insights	Multi-channel options, Sentiment analysis

Wrap-Up

Make sure your account journey KPIs align with your key business objectives, and avoid the trap of tracking too many metrics.

A strong KPI framework is built on three main principles:

Principle	How to Apply It	What It Achieves
Goal Alignment	Link KPIs directly to your business goals	Provides measurements that truly matter
Balanced Metrics	Keep the number of KPIs per journey stage manageable	Prevents data overload and keeps focus
Regular Review	Continuously evaluate KPI performance	Helps refine and improve the journey map

These principles guide every stage of mapping the customer journey, ensuring your strategy stays consistent and effective.

As your organisation grows, your KPIs should adapt too. Building on earlier steps like setting clear objectives and testing KPIs regularly, this framework brings your approach together. To get the best results, define your goals clearly, use a layered KPI system that connects team efforts, and keep reviewing. This ensures your framework stays flexible and keeps pace with your organisation's changing needs.

FAQs

How can I make sure the KPIs I choose for account journey mapping align with my business objectives?

To ensure your KPIs for account journey mapping are aligned with your business objectives, start by clearly identifying your goals. Are you focused on revenue growth, customer retention, or improving engagement? Once your goals are defined, select KPIs that directly measure progress towards these outcomes, such as conversion rates, deal velocity, or customer lifetime value.

If you're facing challenges, platforms like ABM Answered can provide valuable guidance. With its extensive library of insights and tools tailored for Account-Based Marketers, you can access expert solutions to refine your KPI selection and optimise your account journey mapping process.

What are vanity metrics in account journey mapping, and how can I focus on more meaningful KPIs?

Vanity metrics are data points that may look impressive but provide little actionable insight or value for decision-making. Examples include the total number of website visits, social media likes, or email open rates. While these metrics can indicate activity, they often fail to show how effectively your account journey mapping is driving real business outcomes.

To identify more meaningful KPIs, focus on metrics that align with your objectives and measure progress towards tangible results. For instance, instead of tracking website visits, consider monitoring conversion rates, pipeline velocity, or account engagement scores. These metrics provide a clearer picture of how well your efforts are influencing target accounts and contributing to revenue growth.

When selecting KPIs, ensure they are specific, measurable, and tied to your goals. This approach will help you avoid distractions from vanity metrics and make data-driven decisions that enhance your account journey mapping strategy.

How often should I review and update my KPIs for account journey mapping?

To ensure your KPIs remain relevant and actionable, it's important to review them regularly. A good rule of thumb is to assess them quarterly, as this aligns with most business reporting cycles and allows you to adjust to changes in strategy or market conditions.

However, if you're working in a highly dynamic environment or implementing a new account-based marketing (ABM) strategy, consider reviewing them monthly until the process stabilises. Pay attention to shifts in customer behaviour, business objectives, or external factors that might require adjustments to your KPIs. Regular reviews will help ensure your metrics continue to provide meaningful insights and drive impactful decisions.