How to Choose Marketing Metrics That Actually Drive Sales

If you’ve ever stared at a dashboard full of numbers and thought, "So... now what?" — you’re not alone.

Most marketers track too many things. And too often, the metrics we obsess over aren’t the ones that help us make better decisions or drive actual sales.

In this article, you’ll learn how to identify the numbers that show how marketing impacts revenue, reflect real buyer behavior, and align with sales team goals.

Let’s fix the way we measure success.

Editors Note: At IMPACT, we use the Endless Customers System™ to coach teams on choosing, tracking, and acting on the metrics that move real revenue. If you need a guide, we’re ready to help; if you’d rather do it yourself, we still want you to be able to run with these ideas and start measuring what truly drives sales.

Start with the Business Outcome

Before you pick a metric, pick a goal. Not a marketing goal, but a business one.

Are you trying to increase revenue? Shorten the sales cycle? Improve customer lifetime value?

Marketing doesn’t exist in a vacuum. Your job is to help the business grow. So instead of asking, "What can we track?" ask "What does the business need us to improve?"

Every metric you choose should tie back to that answer. If it doesn’t support a specific business objective, it’s noise.

Avoid Vanity Metrics (They’re a Distraction)

Page views and social media likes might look nice in a report, but they rarely help you make smarter decisions.

Vanity metrics create a false sense of progress. They make your team feel busy but don’t tell you whether your work is actually moving the needle.

Instead, focus on numbers that show buyer movement through the funnel. Metrics like deal progression, SQL engagement, or marketing-attributed revenue tell a clearer story. They give insight into whether your efforts are attracting, nurturing, and converting the right people.

If a metric doesn’t help you decide what to do next, it probably doesn’t belong on your dashboard.

Choose Metrics That Track Buyer Behavior

The most valuable metrics reflect what your buyers are actually doing.

For example, tracking how long someone watches your decision-stage video says more about intent than counting total views. Similarly, measuring conversions by page type or the scroll depth on a product page tells you whether buyers are truly engaging.

By focusing on behavior-based metrics, you gain insight into how buyers move through their journey. You can see where they pause, where they drop off, and what content helps them make a decision.

That level of visibility is critical if you want to build a marketing strategy that guides buyers with intention.

Track Both Leading and Lagging Indicators

Good metrics tell a full story. That means tracking both leading indicators (which predict future results) and lagging indicators (which validate what already happened).

A demo request is a leading indicator. It shows someone might be ready to buy. The eventual close of that deal is a lagging indicator; it proves the result.

Other examples of leading indicators include chat conversations, pricing page views, or new subscribers to your newsletter. Lagging indicators include marketing-attributed revenue, close rates, or average deal size by source.

By combining both types, you can spot what’s working early and confirm what made a lasting impact.

Keep Metrics Focused and Actionable

Dashboards often become dumping grounds for every possible number. The result? No one knows which metrics actually matter.

Start with three to five core metrics tied to your team’s top goals. Make sure those metrics are reviewed regularly and used to inform real decisions.

When evaluating any metric, ask: Do I check this weekly? Does it tell me if we’re on track? Would I change strategy based on this number?

If the answer is no, consider removing it. A focused dashboard builds clarity. A bloated one creates confusion.

Suggested Marketing Metrics to Start With

If you’re unsure where to begin, here’s a set of high-impact metrics that apply to most marketing teams.

• Influenced pipeline: Tracks the revenue amount touched by your content or campaigns. This is your most direct connection between marketing activity and sales outcomes.
• Sales-qualified leads (SQLs): Helps you understand if you're attracting the right people, and whether your sales team agrees.
• Content-assisted conversions: Reveals which articles, videos, or tools are showing up in conversion paths and influencing decisions.
• Close rate by source: Not just where your leads come from, but where your customers come from. Essential for resource allocation.
• Time to revenue: Measures how fast a lead turns into a customer. Great for identifying friction in your funnel.
• Customer acquisition cost (CAC): Tells you whether your marketing efforts are sustainable.
• Self-reported attribution: Asking “How did you hear about us?” reveals impact from channels that may not be captured in traditional attribution tools.
• Video watch time on BOFU content: Indicates depth of engagement and readiness to buy.

Align Metrics Across Marketing and Sales

Your metrics should match the reality of how your team sells. That means marketing and sales need to be aligned on goals, definitions, and expectations.

Agree on what counts as a qualified lead. Decide how attribution will be handled. Use shared dashboards, and review your numbers together. Without alignment, even good metrics lead to tension. Marketing celebrates MQLs. Sales asks, “Where’s the revenue?”

When both sides agree on what matters, you stop arguing about credit and start focusing on growth.

Watch for Metric Bloat

Even well-intentioned dashboards can become overwhelming.

When you’re tracking too many things, it becomes harder to focus on the numbers that matter. You spend more time reporting than improving.

Review your metrics quarterly. Remove anything that hasn’t been referenced, discussed, or used to drive action in the past month. Don’t track it if you’re not using it.

Simplifying doesn’t mean ignoring. It means making space for clarity.

Metrics Are Only Useful If They Drive Action

The point of tracking marketing metrics isn’t just to prove impact, but to improve performance.

Your metrics should reflect real buyer behavior. They should show how marketing influences revenue. And they should lead to smarter decisions.

If they don’t do that, it’s time to rethink what you’re measuring.

The Endless Customers System™ is built on the same principle: focus on what earns trust and drives revenue, then measure only what matters.

Want help choosing the right metrics and implementing Endless Customers in your organization? Let’s talk about how coaching can help you connect the dots between content, leads, and revenue.