In today’s world, what Marketing can measure is only limited by your imagination. What separates the best-in-class (BIC) marketers from the rest is their ability to prove the long-term, quantitative impact of Marketing. These Marketing organizations recognize that accountability requires connecting performance to C-suite relevant outcomes and results. According to Gartner, many “CMOs struggle to align marketing metrics with business priorities.”

Marketers who make this connection make a stronger case for securing a greater share of resources. Period.

We all know what happens when Marketing is unable to quantify its impact, value, and contribution. Marketing’s existence is in peril, subject to the whims of the C-suite’s opinion du jour, and constantly facing the threat of the budget-cutting axe.

To Demonstrate Accountability, Measure What Actually Matters

Marketing organizations that are able to measure and report the real contribution of their programs to the business definitely exist. How are they different and, indeed, better at what they do?

BIC marketers go beyond tracking and reporting on “vanity” metrics and creating a dashboard consisting of a smorgasbord of numbers that report on activity and outputs. These marketers identify and track metrics derived from aligning Marketing to the business outcomes. Astute experts, they build a culture of accountability and measure and report on what matters to the business as a whole. BIC marketers work to ensure that measurements are properly defined and that tracking and reporting mechanisms are in place. These elite marketers pursue the performance data that allows them to measure, report, and improve.

The dashboard of the BIC guides their actions and helps them mitigate risks. They use their dashboard to know what is and isn’t working. They know how to ascertain whether they are within proper operating and performance target parameters. If your Marketing dashboard doesn’t guide your strategic and investment decisions, it’s time to return to the drawing board.

Your Actionable Dashboard Depends on Strong Metrics Chains

Here’s a quick litmus test of your Marketing accountability. Do your measures between your activities and business results form a chain? Each metric at the top of your chain should in some way directly connect to a business outcome. Each link in the chain going down should be a measure related to each level of your measures: objectives to programs, programs to tactics, tactics to activities. Here’s a way to illustrate and visualize the idea:

Let’s say the business outcome is to increase the number of your products used by existing customers for a specific application, for example, some number of microcontrollers used in automotive systems, such as braking systems, climate control, and so on.

And for purposes of illustration, we will use the Marketing function to convey the concept. Let’s agree that Marketing’s contribution will be measured by the number of evaluation boards customers request. This will become the basis for the Marketing objective.

Now the Marketing organization will develop a strategy with associated programs and supporting tactics and activities to engage customers in the automotive industry, designed to request evaluation boards. These programs will have measures too- such as demos of the product, product samples, downloads of product specs, participation in webinars, meetings at key automotive engineering events, etc. Each of these will have performance targets.

Key tactics associated with these may include content readership, social media engagement, and event registration. At the very bottom of the chain will be the measures around the activity or work of the team. The linkages between the activities at the bottom to the objectives and outcomes at the top are the chain.

When you have a solid chain, you can measure your Marketing. One caveat: choose the right measures.

Choosing the right measures is far more important than the quantity of data measured. Measuring the right things and acting on the results found in the measurements is an essential requirement for operating marketing as a Center of Excellence (CoE).

BIC marketers are adept at creating a metrics chain, the sequence of metrics that establishes the links between activity, output, operational metrics, and outcome metrics. They understand how to connect the work of Marketing, such as email campaigns, with the relevant outputs, such as response rates and sentiment, with what matters to the business, such as renewals.

Concrete and quantifiable performance targets that link your activities and your objectives serve as the starting point of your chain. Working down from the outcome you need to impact to the activities you need to perform to achieve your objectives will illuminate which metrics and measures need to go together. These metric chains serve as the framework for your marketing dashboard.

Metrics Matter

Knowing which metrics matter will bolster your competence in marketing planning and forecasting. Pick metrics that enable you to know what is and isn’t working and that demonstrate Marketing’s value to the business.

Avoid selecting metrics that are easy to collect or cool to see. Select the right metrics and create a dashboard that

Measures Marketing’s contribution
Tracks and analyzes Marketing performance
Facilitates strategic and investment decisions
Mitigates Risk
Enables Fast Course Adjustments

With improved accountability, nothing’s stopping you from joining the ranks of the BIC.

We’ve got a robust archive of info. Check out some of our additional resources to learn how to improve your Marketing accountability. In fact, why wait? Give us a call to discuss your metrics and schedule a Dashboard review. Let us guide you to that greater share of resources.

FAQ:

(written by Penn of Sintra.ai)

Q1: What separates Best-in-Class (BIC) marketers from everyone else in measurement?
A: Their ability to prove Marketing’s long-term, quantitative impact by connecting performance to C-Suite-relevant outcomes. While Marketing can measure almost anything, BIC organizations focus on accountability—aligning metrics with business priorities (a known CMO challenge per Gartner) and using that linkage to secure resources and credibility.

Q2: Why does it matter if Marketing cannot quantify its value, impact, and contribution?
A: Because Marketing becomes vulnerable—subject to leadership opinion, budget scrutiny, and the “cost-cutting axe.” When Marketing cannot demonstrate impact in business terms, its existence and investment levels are perpetually at risk.

Q3: What does it mean to “measure what actually matters” to demonstrate accountability?
A: It means going beyond vanity metrics and dashboards filled with activity/output numbers. BIC marketers measure and report metrics derived from aligning Marketing to business outcomes, define metrics precisely, and ensure tracking/reporting mechanisms are in place—creating a culture of accountability.

Q4: What role does the dashboard play for BIC marketers?
A: The dashboard guides action and mitigates risk. It helps leaders see what is and isn’t working, whether performance is within target parameters, and what course adjustments are needed. If the dashboard does not guide strategic and investment decisions, it is not doing its job.

Q5: What is a “metrics chain,” and why is it the litmus test for Marketing accountability?
A: A metrics chain is the sequence of linked measures that connect Marketing activities to business results. Each metric at the top connects directly to a business outcome. Each link down the chain connects objectives → programs → tactics → activities, with defined performance targets at each level. Strong chains make Marketing measurable and accountable.

Q6: Can you illustrate what a metrics chain looks like?
A: Example:

Business outcome: Increase usage of products by existing customers for a specific application (e.g., more microcontrollers used in automotive systems).
Marketing contribution metric (objective-level): Number of evaluation boards requested.
Program measures: Demos, product samples, spec downloads, webinar participation, meetings at key engineering events—each with targets.
Tactic measures: Content readership, social engagement, event registration.
Activity measures: Team execution/work measures at the base of the chain.
The chain is the linkage from bottom activities to top outcomes.

Q7: Why is choosing the right measures more important than measuring more data?
A: Because quantity creates noise; relevance creates decisions. BIC marketers avoid metrics that are merely easy to collect or “cool to see.” They select measures that reveal what is and isn’t working and that connect Marketing’s work (e.g., campaigns) to outputs (e.g., response/sentiment) to outcomes that matter (e.g., renewals).

Q8: What should the “right” metrics and dashboard enable?
A: A value-centered, actionable dashboard should:

Measure Marketing’s contribution
Track and analyze performance
Facilitate strategic and investment decisions
Mitigate risk
Enable fast course adjustments
When these are in place, Marketing strengthens accountability and improves its ability to earn a greater share of resources.