Janhavi Nagarhalli

When you think of launching an ABM campaign, it’s natural to consider running LinkedIn ads. All you need to do is build and upload an audience list of your target accounts and launch your ads… right? Unfortunately, creating audience lists isn’t a walk in the park. 

Your ability to maximize the value of your ads depends heavily on how you target them. If you want to build the perfect audience list, you need to look through mountains of data across multiple tools and Excel sheets while manually categorizing it according to your campaign goals. 

Luckily, we have “Audience Builder” to prevent you from wasting your money.

In this article, we’ll show you how using Audience Builder is an effective way for you to target your audience on LinkedIn 🎯 

Audience targeting: why the old way doesn’t work 

Marketers typically build multiple audience lists for several different marketing initiatives, such as:

• ICP lists
• ABM lists
• Retargeting lists
• Webinar lists
• Intent data lists
• SDR lists, etc. 

You might rely on LinkedIn’s native targeting filters to build your target account list. However, this comes with a set of challenges, such as: 

• LinkedIn native targeting filters don’t include intent data, making it difficult to specifically target high-intent accounts 
• LinkedIn’s job titles and industry tags are still being updated, so you might unintentionally target accounts that don’t fall under your ICP. 

Of course, you can also build target account lists outside the platform via Apollo or Zoominfo and upload them to Campaign Manager. However, building out and vetting this list while sorting through different data sets would be time-consuming. Let’s say you want to build a list excluding your existing customers or those who have already signed up for a demo. It becomes tedious to scope out and filter every single account. Plus, you also have to continuously update this list every day according to when prospects book demos. 

Now that’s A LOT ☠️

Abhishek at Descope explains why they faced a challenge when creating audience lists for their LinkedIn ad campaigns:

“Most tech companies have very complex buying groups with multiple stakeholders where the decision-maker and influencer differ. We were looking for a scalable way to craft the right message for the right buyer role at the right organization size without blowing the company’s budget.” – Abhishek Iyer, Director of Marketing at Descope.

For all these reasons, you need a tool that consolidates and integrates all your account data across multiple tools and automatically creates an audience list of accounts interested in your solution. Fortunately, your search ends here!

Introducing Audience Builder 

Audience Builder allows you to build any audience from your Factors data and automatically sync these lists directly to LinkedIn. Let’s show you how: 

Segment your audience lists based on intent data

Let’s say you want to show your ads specifically to accounts who visit your pricing page. You can use the event as a trigger to add them to a LinkedIn audience. Now, you can show ads to product-aware accounts, aiming to engage them further after they've shown interest. 

You can skip the guesswork and leverage the power of intent data to target the accounts genuinely interested in your product. You avoid wasting ad spend and can have your GTM team prioritize the right prospects to meet your pipeline targets

Sync data from multiple sources 

Every marketing team uses various tools across their tech stack, each with different capabilities. However, syncing data across these tools to create an airtight audience list can be tricky. 

Let’s say you use Salesforce. Since Salesforce doesn’t have a native sync with LinkedIn, you have to manually sort and build the list before uploading it to Campaign Manager. Plus, Salesforce doesn't offer website intent data or G2 intent data, so you cannot filter accounts that are genuinely interested in your solution. That’s where Factors comes in. 

We help you unify end-to-end B2B customer journey data from G2, Linkedin, CRMs, and MAPs, giving you insights into every customer segment, their intent signals, and how to reach them effectively.

Here’s an example of how Descope uses the Audience Builder feature to build their lists:

“Factors provides granular visibility into accounts visiting our website as well as their engagement across G2 and other channels. Accordingly, we receive tons of insight into account activity without the need for form submissions or sign-ups. 

Based on this, we’ve created 3 audience segments: Top, middle, and bottom of the funnel. These audiences are pushed into LinkedIn campaigns and served tailored ads based on their sales cycle stage.”  – Abhishek Iyer, Director of Marketing at Descope

Audience Builder use cases

Now, you can leverage every bit of GTM data to create and activate the most relevant audiences. Here are a few ways you can use this shiny new feature to supercharge your LinkedIn ads:

• US-based software companies with 500+ employees that visited the pricing page >2 times and are not in the CRM: When ICP accounts visit a high-intent page like your pricing or demo booking page, they are far more engaged than just regular website visitors. You can create a list of such accounts in your CRM and launch a retargeting campaign where you can use ads to drive consideration for your product. 

• ICP accounts that clicked on a search ad but failed to convert: Suppose a set of accounts clicked on a search ad that includes a feature keyword. You can use this data to push these accounts to a list that shows ads related to the relevant feature. Plus, you can add a condition to exclude companies who booked a demo. 

• Enterprise Software and IT services companies that engage with more than 5 pages of your G2 category: When you notice accounts engage with your G2 page, they are evaluating your solution. Create a list targeting decision-makers and launch an ad campaign highlighting your best reviews and case studies. 

• ABM target accounts that viewed LinkedIn ads and then visited the website: Prospects that visit your site after clicking an ad are likely problem-aware, so you can create an account list and add them to a sequential ad campaign to move them further down the funnel. 

Once Descope used Factors to build audience lists, they saw positive results and could easily target their ICP accounts without sifting through loads of data across their tech stack:

“Factors is already playing a key role in helping us make our LinkedIn paid spend more efficient. Even if one person from a specific account visits our website, Factors helps us target decision-makers and the larger buying committee as a whole to ensure that all the right people from a target account see our ads. Ultimately, this helps our LinkedIn ad budgets go that extra mile.”  – Abhishek Iyer, Director of Marketing at Descope.

Enhancing LinkedIn Ad Targeting with Factors.ai's Audience Builder

Factors.ai’s Audience Builder refines LinkedIn ad targeting by leveraging intent data for precise audience segmentation.

- Targeting with Intent Data: Identify high-intent accounts, such as those visiting pricing pages.

- Automated Audience List Creation: Integrates data from multiple sources to streamline segmentation and reduce manual effort.

- Direct LinkedIn Sync: Ensures ads reach relevant prospects in real-time, boosting engagement and conversions.

By addressing limitations in LinkedIn’s native filters—such as outdated job titles and lack of intent data—Audience Builder enhances targeting accuracy, improves campaign performance, and drives higher ROI.

Join the waitlist today

Building a solid audience list is key to targeting your ideal prospects. With AdPilot, you can use data-driven insights to effectively target the right accounts at the right time and double your LinkedIn ROI. Speak to our experts today to learn how AdPilot can revamp your LinkedIn ads strategy.

LinkedIn is truly the place to B2B, isn’t it?

80% of B2B marketers say LinkedIn is part of their advertising strategy because 4 out of 5 of its 900 million members drive business decisions, making it a key platform for lead generation. Marketers can launch ad campaigns to target decision-makers from small businesses to Fortune 500 companies worldwide. 

LinkedIn’s robust campaign manager platform allows companies to set their targeting criteria based on 20 different attribute categories, such as company, job experience, education, demographics, interests, and traits.

However, while LinkedIn campaign manager is a boon for running B2B ads, there's room for refinement when it comes to the ad platform's industry tag categorization and audience targeting mechanism.

The LinkedIn industry list currently consists of 24 main categories and 148 subcategories as applicable industries for company profiles. These categories are presently visible for company pages but are yet to be updated on Campaign Manager.

While these categories cover a wide range of industries, this article explores why they may still be insufficient — and how we can overcome the hurdle of vague industry tags to optimize ad performance ⬇️

How Does LinkedIn Campaign Manager Define Industries? 

LinkedIn defines industry as the company's primary industry, which is where the member is employed, as stated by the company. Additional industries may be inferred about the company and included for targeting.

Individuals can’t choose the industry but rather get assigned the company's industry to which they are attached. 

The problem arises when there is limited clarity on which industry a particular company belongs to. When selecting the industry option of a LinkedIn company page, the creator or page admin determines the industry. Since these are subjective, irregularities can occur especially when a company can come under two different industries. 

For instance, a health tech company can come under “health, wellness and fitness,” “hospital and health care” or “software development”

Let’s look at this with a detailed example 🔽

Suppose you want to showcase your ad to decision-makers working in fintechs specifically. Here are examples of 3 fintech companies and how LinkedIn identifies their industries: 

1. RazorpayXPayroll is placed under “IT services and consulting,” whereas it’s payroll software. 

2. PayPal & Payoneer are similar platforms that facilitate international bank transfers but are under different industry tags.

As you can see, all 3 companies are virtually the same but are categorized differently on Linkedin. Seems confusing, right?

You risk losing out on ICP companies or worse you spend on irrelevant companies that are not your ICP because LinkedIn's categorization is different from your expectations

For instance, if you want to target fintechs and pick “financial services” in campaign manager, you’d also end up advertising to banks and investment companies.

Or if you pick “software and development,” your ads are shown to every other software company, regardless of whether they come under your ICP.

And we all know that an unqualified prospect can take a lot of time from your sales and marketing team, costing your company more than it pays.

Now the real question is, 

How Do You Overcome This Problem?

Here’s what Tim Davidson, VP of Marketing at B2B Rizz, has to say:

As mentioned above, creating a target account list on a third-party platform allows you to present your ads to high-intent companies that actually fall within your ICP without overshooting your paid ad spend.

You can either build a list of cold accounts on a database tool like Apollo or ZoomInfo or build granular segments of warm ICP accounts engaging on your Website, LinkedIn, G2, CRM, etc. inside Factors.

💡You can use Factors account segments to identify and create a list of web visitors segmented by source and how far along they are in the customer journey. You can also refine the list by targeting accounts that visit high-intent pages (pricing pages, comparison blogs, G2 reviews, etc.) and fit your ICP based on demographics, industry, technographics, revenue, etc. Once done, you’ll have a list of high-fit, high-intent accounts.

Upload this list when creating audiences on LinkedIn to skip the ambiguity and save ad spend. It also comes in handy when launching retargeting campaigns to prospects in the solution-aware stage.

Understanding LinkedIn Industry Tags

LinkedIn industry tags help categorize companies into 24 main categories and 148 subcategories, enabling audience segmentation for B2B advertising.

- Challenges in Targeting: Categories can be ambiguous, making precise audience segmentation difficult.

- Classification Issues: A health tech company may fall under multiple categories like "Health, Wellness and Fitness," "Hospital and Health Care," or "Software Development."

- Optimizing Targeting: Combine industry tags with job titles, company size, and demographics for better audience reach.

Refining targeting strategies with additional attributes ensures more accurate segmentation, improves ad performance, and enhances B2B marketing effectiveness.

Wrapping Up

LinkedIn’s native targeting features while useful still have some room for optimization that the LinkedIn team is currently working on solving. In the meantime, you can use target account lists to save time and exclusively target your ads to prospects in market for your solution.

Find out how you can use Factors.ai for LinkedIn retargeting

And guess what? We’re coming up with something exciting that can help you revamp your LinkedIn ad strategy and make the most of LinkedIn. Stay tuned for more!

Whether you launch a new product or want to advertise your tool in a new market, running paid ads is inevitable. Paid search campaigns have a 200% ROI, meaning that for every $1 spent, $2 is returned.

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And to run the perfect PPC campaign, you need the right tools in your arsenal. In this article, we’ll dive deep into PPC analysis tools and how they play a role in creating, launching, and optimizing your campaigns. 

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TL;DR

• PPC analysis tools help B2B marketers optimize paid ad campaigns by tracking performance, audience behavior, and conversions.
• Key features include real-time analytics, cross-platform integration, conversion tracking, A/B testing, and competitor insights.
• B2B marketers can use these tools for precise audience targeting, budget optimization, competitor research, and lead generation with measurable ROI.

What is a PPC Analysis Tool?

A PPC (pay-per-click) analysis tool is a software solution designed to help marketers monitor, manage, and optimize their paid advertising campaigns across platforms like Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, and Facebook Ads. These tools allow marketers to:

• Track key performance metrics like impressions, clicks, CTR (click-through rate), CPC (cost-per-click), and conversions.
• Understand which ads, keywords, or campaigns are performing best.
• Identify opportunities for optimization by analyzing audience behavior, ad copy, or targeting parameters.

PPC analysis tools help you make data-driven decisions, reduce ad spend waste, and maximize the return on your marketing investment by providing detailed insights into your ads' performance.

Why Do Marketers Need PPC Analysis Tools?

Paid advertising is a significant investment for any business, especially in highly competitive B2B industries. Without the right tools, it's easy to waste budgets on poorly performing ads or to miss opportunities for optimization.

Here are three reasons why PPC analysis tools are crucial for marketers:

1. Data-Driven Decision Making: PPC analysis tools provide in-depth performance data on your ads, helping you understand what's working and what's not. This enables you to make informed adjustments to improve targeting, ad copy, or bidding strategies.
2. Budget Optimization: By identifying the most cost-effective keywords, audiences, and ad formats, these tools help you allocate your budget more efficiently. You'll be able to focus on high-performing campaigns and cut back on those that underperform.
3. Improved Campaign Performance: Continuous monitoring and analysis through these tools enable you to spot trends, identify opportunities, and make real-time adjustments to improve campaign results. A good PPC analysis tool helps marketers scale successful campaigns and optimize underperforming ones.

Essential Features to Look for in a PPC Analysis Tool

WhenIt is important to ensure that the right PPC analysis tool offers the features necessary to monitor and optimize your campaigns selecting the right PPC analysis tool, ensuring it offers the features necessary to monitor and optimize your campaigns is important. 

Here are the key features to look for:

1. Real-Time Analytics

Access to real-time data is essential for making quick decisions in fast-moving PPC campaigns. Look for tools that provide up-to-date performance metrics, allowing you to make timely adjustments to optimize your ad spend.

2. Cross-Platform Integration

Most businesses run ads across multiple platforms, including Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram. A good PPC analysis tool should integrate with various platforms to give you a holistic view of your ad performance across channels.

3. Conversion Tracking

Understanding how your ads drive conversions is critical. The best tools will offer detailed insights into which ads or keywords are leading to conversions, helping you optimize for what matters most—your business goals.

4. Custom Reporting

Every business has different goals, so being able to create customized reports is important for tracking the metrics that matter to you. Look for tools that allow you to generate reports tailored to your specific KPIs: ROI, customer acquisition cost, or lead generation.

5. A/B Testing Capabilities

One of the best ways to improve campaign performance is through continuous experimentation. A PPC analysis tool should provide built-in A/B testing features so you can test different ad copy, creatives, or targeting strategies and optimize based on results.

6. Competitor Insights

Knowing what your competitors are doing in the paid ad space can give you a competitive edge. Some tools offer features allowing you to analyze competitor keywords, ad copy, and performance, helping refine your strategy.

7. Automation and Optimization Suggestions

Manual optimization can be time-consuming. The best PPC analysis tools have automation features that handle bid adjustments, budget allocation, and ad rotation based on performance metrics. Additionally, some tools provide AI-driven recommendations to improve your campaigns further.

6 Types of PPC analysis tools for your marketing stack 

1. Keyword Research Tools

These tools help B2B marketers identify high-potential keywords for targeting in search-based PPC campaigns.

1. Google Keyword Planner

A free tool offered by Google Ads, Google Keyword Planner is primarily used to find keywords that align with a brand’s goals while providing estimates on search volume and cost per click (CPC). 

Marketers can use the Google Keyword Planner to plan their campaigns based on actual data from Google. This allows them to set realistic budgets and bid amounts. It's also helpful for discovering new keyword opportunities and forecasting performance.

Key Features

• Keyword Forecasting & Search Volume Data
• Suggested Bid Ranges
• Geographic Performance Estimates
• Historical Keyword Data

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2. SEMrush

SEMrush is a powerful SEO and competitive analysis tool that offers extensive keyword research features. It allows marketers to discover profitable keywords, track rankings, and analyze competitors' strategies. 

B2B marketers can use SEMrush to uncover the keywords their target audiences are searching for, helping them create more targeted PPC campaigns that align with user intent. The platform also provides insights into competitor PPC strategies, helping marketers find keyword gaps to exploit.

Key Features

• Keyword Difficulty Analyzer
• PPC Keyword Research
• Competitive Keyword Analysis
• Ad Copy Research and Suggestions

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3. Ahrefs

Ahrefs is a comprehensive SEO and PPC tool with strong keyword research capabilities. It focuses on competitor analysis and organic rankings. B2B marketers can leverage Ahrefs to find PPC keywords that competitors are bidding on and use the data to create highly targeted ad campaigns. It also helps track keyword performance and identify trends in search demand.

Key Features

• Keyword Explorer
• PPC Ad Tracking
• Competitor PPC Data
• Search Volume and Click-through Rate (CTR) Data

2. Campaign Management Platforms

These tools allow marketers to create, manage, and track multiple ad campaigns across different platforms.

4. Google Ads

Google Ads is the most widely used PPC platform. It allows advertisers to create, manage, and optimize search, display, and video ad campaigns across Google’s network. Google Ads can target relevant audiences based on keywords, location, interests, and behavior. The platform also offers robust tracking and reporting features to optimize campaigns in real time.

Key Features:

• Smart Bidding and AI Optimization
• Performance Tracking & Conversion Tracking
• Audience Targeting and Remarketing
• Integration with Google Analytics

💡Also read: Dummies Guide to Google Ads Management

5. Microsoft Advertising (formerly Bing Ads)

Microsoft Advertising allows marketers to run PPC campaigns on the Bing search engine and its partner networks, offering a lower-cost alternative to Google Ads. You can use Microsoft Advertising to reach a different audience demographic than Google, often at a lower CPC. The platform provides detailed reporting and integration with LinkedIn targeting data for B2B professionals.

Key Features:

• LinkedIn Profile Targeting
• Audience Network for Display Ads
• Keyword Planner Integration
• Cross-Device Conversions

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6. WordStream

WordStream is a comprehensive PPC management platform offering tools to optimize Google Ads and Microsoft Advertising campaigns. It streamlines PPC management through automated recommendations, budget tracking, and advanced reporting features. It also helps analyze campaign performance and suggest optimization strategies.

Key Features:

• 20-Minute PPC Work Week for Optimization
• Cross-Platform Campaign Management
• Ad Performance Reporting
• Budget Management Tools

3. Analytics and Reporting Tools

These tools provide in-depth data on campaign performance, helping marketers monitor KPIs and adjust campaigns accordingly.

7. Google Analytics

Google Analytics (now GA4) is a web analytics service that tracks and reports website traffic, providing detailed insights into how users interact with a site after clicking on a PPC ad. Although GA4 is good for general analytics and reporting, it’s not tailored to B2B marketers so companies may get incomplete insights.

Key Features:

• Goal and Conversion Tracking
• Traffic Source Attribution
• Audience Segmentation and Behavior Reports
• Customizable Dashboards and Reporting

💡Compare Factors Vs. Google Analytics (GA4)

8. Supermetrics

A reporting tool that pulls PPC data from various platforms into Google Sheets, Data Studio, or Excel for in-depth analysis.

Key Features: 

• Data connectors for multiple ad platforms
• Custom reporting
• Automated report scheduling 

💡Learn more about Supermetrics: Features, Alternatives & more

4. A/B Testing and Ad Optimization Tools

These tools are essential for testing different ad variations to optimize performance and increase ROI.

9. Optimizely

A powerful A/B testing tool that allows marketers to test various elements of landing pages and ads to optimize conversion rates.

Key Features: 

• Multivariate testing,
• behavioral targeting
• Real-time data.

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10. Unbounce

• Description: A landing page optimization platform that enables marketers to create, test, and optimize landing pages for better ad performance.
• Key Features: Drag-and-drop landing page builder, A/B testing, dynamic text replacement, integrations with PPC platforms.

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11. VWO (Visual Website Optimizer)

• Description: A full-featured A/B testing tool for optimizing landing pages and improving ad campaign performance.
• Key Features: A/B and multivariate testing, heatmaps, visitor behavior analysis, and real-time reporting.

5. Competitor and Ad Intelligence Tools

These tools help marketers analyze competitors’ PPC strategies, ad copy, and targeting, allowing for better-informed decisions.

12. SpyFu

It is a tool that allows marketers to see competitors’ PPC campaigns, keywords, and ad copy, helping refine their strategies.

Key Features: Competitor keyword analysis, ad spend data, historical ad performance, keyword group recommendations.

13. Adbeat

A competitive intelligence tool that gives insights into display ads and native ad performance across the web.

Key Features: Competitor display ad strategies, network targeting, ad creative analysis, top publishers.

14. iSpionage

A competitive intelligence tool that helps marketers discover competitors’ paid search strategies, ad copy, and landing pages.

Key Features: PPC campaign insights, competitor keyword tracking, landing page analysis, campaign performance benchmarks.

6. Audience Targeting and Retargeting Tools

These tools help B2B marketers refine their audience targeting and run retargeting campaigns for better engagement.

15. AdRoll

A tool for running retargeting campaigns across web, social media, and email, focusing strongly on conversion tracking.

• Key Features: Audience segmentation, cross-platform retargeting, dynamic ads, conversion tracking.

16. Perfect Audience

A retargeting tool that allows marketers to track visitors and serve them ads across web, social media, and mobile platforms.

• Key Features: Cross-channel retargeting, real-time reporting, dynamic product ads, audience segmentation.

17. Criteo

A retargeting tool that helps brands re-engage visitors through personalized ads across various channels.

• Key Features: Dynamic retargeting, omnichannel ad placement, predictive bidding, and performance insights.

Take your PPC campaigns to the next level with Factors 

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Instead of investing in a suite of tools on this list, you can use Factors to scale and optimize your ad campaigns! 

Factors can help you:

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1. Denonymise accounts visiting your website through paid search

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2. Analyze Google Ads' performance at a campaign level.

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3. Use Segment Insights to identify how Google Ads play a role in generating revenue for your business and compare it to other channels. 

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Your GTM team can use these insights to:

• Prioritise accounts during sales outreach
• Improve their retargeting efforts 
• Refine ad copy and positioning 
• Save ad spend by allocating budgets to high-performing campaigns 

Enhance B2B Advertising with PPC Analysis Tools

‍PPC analysis tools help B2B marketers optimize paid campaigns by tracking key performance metrics and audience behavior.

- Key Features: Real-time analytics, cross-platform integration, conversion tracking, A/B testing, and competitor insights.

- Optimization Benefits: Improve audience targeting, budget allocation, and lead generation.

- Competitive Advantage: Gain insights into competitor strategies for better positioning.

- Data-Driven Decisions: Measure ROI and refine campaigns for maximum effectiveness.

Leveraging PPC analysis tools ensures smarter marketing strategies, improved conversions, and higher returns on ad spend.

Book a demo today to learn how Factors can improve your PPC performance.

Whether you’re launching a new product or planning to expand in a new market, a great GTM strategy is your key to success.

However, a strategy is only as good as the metrics used to measure it. Tracking the right GTM metrics can provide actionable insights into customer acquisition, retention, and overall business growth.

In this guide, we’ll explore the top GTM metrics you should track, explain why they matter, and provide actionable examples to help you apply these insights.

TL;DR:

• This article covers the top GTM (Go-to-Market) metrics businesses should track to evaluate and optimize their strategies. 
• We discuss essential metrics like Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC), Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV), Sales Cycle Length, Conversion Rate, Churn Rate, and more. 
• You'll learn why these metrics are important, how they impact your business, and actionable examples to help you apply them effectively.

What is GTM?

Before diving into metrics, let's define GTM. Go-to-market (GTM) refers to a company's process and strategy for bringing a product to market and reaching target customers. It encompasses marketing, sales, distribution, and customer service activities. A GTM strategy outlines how a company plans to sell and deliver its product to customers.

Why Are GTM Metrics Important?

GTM metrics are critical because they provide quantifiable insights into how well your GTM strategy is performing. These metrics allow businesses to:

• Identify areas for improvement in marketing, sales, and distribution.
• Align cross-functional teams with shared goals and performance indicators.
• Predict future performance and make informed decisions.
• Justify investments and budget allocations based on data-driven insights.

Tracking these metrics ensures that your GTM strategy is on the right path and helps you pivot when necessary.

Top GTM Metrics to Track

1. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC)

CAC measures the cost of acquiring a new customer. It includes all marketing and sales expenses divided by the number of new customers acquired during a specific period. A high CAC can indicate inefficiencies in your GTM strategy, while a low CAC suggests that you're acquiring customers cost-effectively.

Suppose your marketing expenses for Q1 were $100,000, and your sales expenses were $50,000, totaling $150,000. If you acquired 300 new customers in Q1, your CAC would be $500. By tracking this, you can evaluate whether your acquisition channels are efficient or need optimization.

2. Customer Lifetime Value (CLTV)

CLTV estimates the total revenue a customer will generate during their relationship with your company. Compared to CAC, it gives insight into the profitability of your GTM strategy. A higher CLTV suggests that customers find value in your product, leading to longer relationships and more revenue.

If a customer spends $200 monthly for 24 months, the CLTV is $4,800. If your CAC is $500, your customer is providing nearly 10x return on your acquisition cost, signaling a healthy business model.

3. Sales Cycle Length

The sales cycle length measures the time it takes to convert a lead into a paying customer. A shorter sales cycle means you're efficiently moving prospects through the pipeline, while a longer cycle may indicate friction points in your process.

Track the average time from the first interaction (e.g., demo request) to the closed sale. If the average sales cycle is 60 days, but top competitors close within 30 days, you should refine your sales approach.

4. Conversion Rate

The conversion rate measures the percentage of leads or prospects that convert into paying customers. This metric is essential because it directly impacts revenue and highlights the effectiveness of your GTM strategy.

If you generate 1,000 leads from a campaign and convert 100 into customers, your conversion rate is 10%. Analyzing conversion rates at different stages of the funnel can help you identify bottlenecks and improve your process.

5. Churn Rate

The churn rate measures the percentage of customers who stop using your product or service during a given period. A high churn rate can indicate problems with product-market fit, customer satisfaction, or customer support. Reducing churn should be a priority in any GTM strategy.

If you start with 1,000 customers in January and lose 100 by the end of the month, your churn rate is 10%. By tracking churn, you can implement strategies to improve retention, such as personalized onboarding or enhanced customer support.

6. Net Promoter Score (NPS)

NPS measures customer loyalty and satisfaction by asking customers how likely they are to recommend your product or service to others. A high NPS indicates strong customer advocacy, while a low score suggests room for improvement in your product or customer experience.

After a customer purchases, send out an NPS survey. If your score is below industry benchmarks, you may need to re-evaluate your GTM strategy, focusing on enhancing customer satisfaction and loyalty.

7. Market Penetration Rate

This metric measures the percentage of your target market that you’ve captured. Understanding how well your product is performing in the market and how much growth potential remains is essential.

If you’re targeting a market of 100,000 potential customers and have acquired 10,000, your penetration rate is 10%. Tracking this over time helps you assess the effectiveness of your GTM strategy and identify new growth opportunities.

8. Revenue Growth Rate

The revenue growth rate is a key indicator of your company's financial health and the effectiveness of your GTM strategy. It shows how quickly your revenue increases over time, which is crucial for long-term sustainability.

If your revenue grew from $1 million to $1.2 million in a year, your growth rate is 20%. Analyzing this metric alongside other GTM metrics can help identify the drivers behind your revenue growth.

9. Cost Per Lead (CPL)

CPL measures the cost of generating a new lead. It’s a vital metric for understanding the efficiency of your marketing efforts. A high CPL might suggest that your marketing channels are not cost-effective, while a low CPL indicates efficient lead generation.

If you spend $10,000 on a campaign that generates 500 leads, your CPL is $20. You can allocate your budget to the most efficient sources by comparing CPL across different channels.

10. Customer Retention Rate

The retention rate measures the percentage of customers who continue to use your product over time. A high retention rate indicates customer satisfaction and loyalty, while a low rate may signal that your product or service isn't meeting customer needs.

If you have 1,000 customers at the start of the month and 950 by the end, your retention rate is 95%. Tracking this metric helps you identify patterns and implement strategies to retain customers, such as loyalty programs or regular check-ins.

How to Effectively Track GTM Metrics

Now that you know the top GTM metrics to track, let's discuss how to track them effectively:

1. Set Clear Goals: Begin by defining what success looks like for each metric. For example, if your goal is to reduce CAC, determine a specific target, such as lowering CAC by 15% within six months.
2. Use the Right Tools: Invest in analytics and CRM tools that track and visualize your GTM metrics in real-time. Platforms like Google Analytics, HubSpot, and Salesforce can be valuable for monitoring various GTM metrics.
3. Regular Reporting: Create a regular reporting cadence to review your GTM metrics with your team. This could be weekly, monthly, or quarterly, depending on your business needs. Regular reviews help keep your strategy on track and allow you to adjust quickly when necessary.
4. Focus on Actionable Insights: Metrics alone won’t drive success. You need to derive actionable insights from them. For instance, if your churn rate is high, look into customer feedback to understand why and implement changes accordingly.
5. Align Metrics with Business Objectives: Ensure the GTM metrics align with your business goals. For example, if your objective is to grow market share, focus on metrics like market penetration rate and revenue growth.

Key Takeaways

Best Unify Alternatives for Signal-Based GTMLooking for Unify alternatives to enhance your GTM strategy?

Several tools offer better reporting, intent data, and automation.

1. Factors.AI: Combines LinkedIn AdPilot, funnel analysis, and revenue attribution.

2. Apollo.io: Extensive B2B contact database with outreach automation.

3. ZoomInfo: Integrated sales workflows and intent-based targeting.

4. Lusha: AI-powered prospect enrichment for better lead quality.

5. Warmly: Identifies high-intent website visitors for personalized engagement.

6. Common Room: Provides dev-focused signals for community-driven growth.

Factors.AI stands out by consolidating multi-channel signals, improving GTM efficiency. If you need deeper insights and better attribution, these Unify alternatives offer scalable solutions.

Measure your GTM efforts with Factors

Tracking the right GTM metrics is crucial for the success of your Go-to-Market strategy. By focusing on metrics like CAC, CLTV, churn rate, and conversion rates, you can gain valuable insights into your strategy's effectiveness and make data-driven decisions to optimize performance.

Remember, metrics are not just numbers; they are the pulse of your business. Regularly tracking and analyzing these GTM metrics will help you stay ahead of the competition, drive growth, and ultimately achieve your business objectives.

Book a demo to find out how Factors can help you effectively streamline your GTM strategy. 

If you’re building a SaaS company and haven’t invested in Google ads yet, you have no idea what you’re missing.
Over 80% of businesses use Google ads as a part of their marketing strategy and typically see a return of $2 for every $1 spent on Google ads. If you want to target in-market prospects and grow pipeline, this is the way to do it.
But how can SaaS companies leverage Google ads for revenue growth? Find your answer here, where we discuss the ABCs of SaaS google ads ⬇️

TL;DR

• Launch Google Ads only after achieving product-market fit and acquiring 10-15 customers.
• Set SMART goals, understand your audience, and conduct in-depth keyword research.
• Choose ad formats based on goals—Search for intent, Display for reach, and YouTube for engagement.
• Optimize landing pages, monitor performance, and adjust budgets to ensure ROI.

Firstly, when should SaaS companies run Google ads?

Ishaan Manchanda, the founder of GrowthSpree, has over 7 years of experience in PPC marketing, and he recommends that you begin running ads once you achieve product-market fit (PMF):
“Consider launching Google search ads only when you’ve achieved PMF and acquired at least 10-15 customers. If you’re still in the very early stages, paying for ads won’t make sense when you’re still making changes to your product.” 

Running ads on Google has many benefits, the main one being that Google ads are intent-driven. Unlike other platforms, Google only shows your ads to folks looking for your solution. So, you only have to pay when a user clicks on your ad.

Your ad data also clarifies how you can modify your strategy for greater conversions. Now, let’s explore the types of ad formats you can leverage when launching Google ads.

Types of Google ads 

Google Search Ads

These ads appear in search results above the organic results when people search for relevant keywords like "email marketing automation software." They are intent-based ads targeting existing demand.

Google Display Ads

These ads are shown on a vast collection of third-party websites that agreed to display Google ads. They can be in text, image, video, or rich media formats.

YouTube Ads

Video ads are an underrated method of generating leads for your business. SaaS companies can create video and display or text ads shown during or before YouTube videos or elsewhere on YouTube's platform. Video ads can be skippable or non-skippable.

App Campaigns

If the SaaS company has a mobile app, Google automatically creates ads by pulling the most relevant text, images, and ratings from the app store to drive mobile app installs and in-app conversions.

How to run Google ads for SaaS companies: a step-by-step guide 

Here is a step-by-step guide for SaaS companies to launch effective Google Ads campaigns:

1. Define Your Campaign Objectives

When asked, “What is your campaign objective?” The most obvious answer is “to generate revenue.” However, you need to establish SMART goals to establish more clarity amongst the team, so that you can refine your ad strategy moving forward.
Example: Increase qualified leads from Google Ads by 30% in Q3 2024 by implementing targeted campaigns, optimized landing pages, and SMART Goals in Google Analytics. 

2. Develop Audience Personas

Create detailed profiles of your ideal customers - their demographics, interests, pain points, etc.

Identify the keywords and search queries they will likely use when looking for a solution like yours. Determine the most relevant ad formats, landing pages, and offers for each persona. 

3. Set Up Your Google Ads Account

Create a new Google Ads account or link an existing one to your SaaS business. Set your campaign objective to "Leads" to drive signups and demos. Choose the Search campaign type to reach people actively searching for your solution

4. Conduct Keyword Research

Use the Google Ads Keyword Planner to find relevant keywords and assess their potential.

Identify long-tail keywords that indicate high purchase intent. Group keywords into themed ad groups for more targeted ads

We’ve researched what keyword themes work best and have analyzed the following keyword types:

• Branded keywords
• Competitor keywords
• Pricing keywords
• Product/Feature keywords

💡Find out how to use these keywords in your Google ads strategy.

5. Optimize Landing Pages

Create dedicated landing pages for each ad group with a clear value proposition and call-to-action. For instance, if you’re creating a competitor landing page, you need to ensure 

Ensure pages load quickly and are mobile-friendly. A/B test different page elements to improve conversion rates. 

Tas Bober, a paid ads landing page expert and founder at Delphinium Solutions, recommends placing your form fields and displaying your product in the first fold of the landing page
“Create landing pages that: 

1/ Deliver on the promise of the ads 

2/ Showcase your product 

3/ Call out who you're for 

4/ Use clear language (think 5th grade) 

5/ Bucket features into themes 

6/ Save the company awards for the About page 

7/ Use *relevant* social proof 

8/ Tell the user what to expect after reaching out” 

At Factors, we highlight the core value propositions in the first fold to drive consideration and engage prospects

6. Set Your Bids and Budget 

Set a daily budget that allows you to get sufficient data to assess performance. Adjust bids and budgets over time based on the cost per click and conversion rates. You should also keep these metrics in mind when setting a Google ads budget:

• Calculate your Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC) and ensure your budget allows you to acquire customers at or below this cost.
• Determine your Customer Lifetime Value (LTV) and set a budget that reflects this value to ensure profitability.

Distribute your budget across different campaigns and ad types to test and find the most effective strategies. To optimize your budget allocation, you can also employ automated bidding strategies like Target CPA.

7. Monitor and Optimize

Regularly check your Google Ads dashboard to analyze key metrics like CTR, conversion rate, CPC, and ROAS. Use the Search Terms report to identify negative keywords to add to your campaigns. Make ongoing optimizations to bids, budgets, ads, and landing pages to improve performance.

Measure your Google ads performance with Factors

Google ads are critical to your overall GTM strategy. If you want to make the most of Google ads, Factors is the tool you need! 

You can use our “Account Identification” feature to deanonymize visitors who visit your site and also identify which campaign brought them to the website:

With our advanced attribution and analytics features, you can visualize how they engage with your ads and how your ad campaigns contribute to generating pipeline:

You can also leverage our Segment Insights features to understand how paid search is performing in comparison to other performance marketing initiatives (e.g. LinkedIn ads), thereby allowing you to strategize and change your approach to generate maximum ROI.

You can also connect Factors with G2 to understand how many accounts visit G2 product pages, competitor pages, and category pages after viewing your ads. 

Well, we aren’t going to reveal it all here! Contact our sales team to learn more about how you can leverage Factors to make the most of your Google ad spend.

How SaaS Companies Can Maximize Growth with Google Ads

For SaaS companies, Google Ads can be a powerful growth lever when used strategically. Companies should wait until they achieve product-market fit and have at least 10-15 customers before investing in ads. This ensures the product is stable and ready for a broader audience.

Clear campaign objectives aligned with revenue goals are critical. Defining SMART goals helps track progress and refine ad strategies. Understanding your target audience and conducting detailed keyword research covering branded, competitor, pricing, and product-related terms ensures ads reach high-intent prospects.

Choosing the right ad format is essential. Search ads target active demand, while display and YouTube ads expand brand visibility. App campaigns promote mobile apps if applicable. High-performing ads direct users to optimized landing pages that match the ad’s message, highlight product value and include a clear call to action.

Budgeting should align with customer acquisition cost (CAC) and lifetime value (LTV). Automated bidding strategies like Target CPA help improve cost efficiency. Continuous monitoring and optimization, like adjusting bids, refining keywords, and improving landing pages, ensures sustained performance and ROI.

A thoughtful, data-driven approach helps SaaS companies turn Google Ads into a scalable pipeline growth engine.

As marketers, we face a barrage of new terminology, and it can be confusing to truly understand the nuances of each concept. 

Two such terms popping up are “Demand Generation” and “Growth Marketing.”. But how would you differentiate between the two?

Here’s a detailed comparison of growth marketing vs demand generation and how you can implement it for your GTM motion ⬇️

TL;DR,

• Growth marketing focuses on long-term, sustainable growth by optimizing the customer lifecycle, prioritizing customer retention, and using data-driven strategies.
• Demand generation aims at immediate demand creation through targeted tactics that drive short-term lead generation and conversions.
• Growth marketing emphasizes long-term relationships, while demand generation focuses on quick results.
• Understanding both strategies is essential for developing effective marketing plans that align with evolving consumer behaviors and business goals.

Definition of Growth Marketing

Growth marketing is a strategic approach focused on achieving long-term sustainable growth for a business. It emphasizes the entire customer lifecycle, from awareness and acquisition to activation, retention, and referral. Unlike traditional marketing, growth marketing prioritizes data-driven strategies and continuous experimentation to optimize results and drive business growth.

Definition of Demand Generation

Demand generation, conversely, is centered around creating immediate demand for products or services. It primarily focuses on short-term lead generation and sales, utilizing targeted marketing tactics to generate interest and drive conversions. Demand generation strategies often involve creating compelling and targeted content to engage potential customers and prompt them to take action.

Importance of Understanding These Concepts in Modern Marketing

Businesses must adapt to changing consumer behaviors and market trends. Understanding growth marketing and demand generation is essential for developing effective marketing strategies that align with business goals and drive tangible results. By comprehending these concepts, businesses can tailor their marketing efforts to meet the evolving needs of their target audience and achieve sustainable growth.

3 Core Concepts of Growth Marketing

Focus on Long-term Sustainable Growth

Growth marketing prioritizes long-term sustainable growth over short-term gains. It involves building a comprehensive customer journey that focuses on nurturing and retaining customers, ultimately maximizing their lifetime value to the business.

Data-driven Strategies

Data is central to growth marketing, guiding decision-making processes and enabling continuous optimization. By leveraging analytics and customer insights, businesses can identify opportunities for growth and tailor their marketing strategies to engage their target audience effectively.

Emphasis on Customer Retention and Lifetime Value

In growth marketing, customer retention and lifetime value are paramount. The focus extends beyond acquiring new customers to nurturing existing ones, fostering long-term relationships, and maximizing the value derived from each customer over time.

3 Core Concepts of Demand Generation

Focus on Short-term Lead Generation and Sales

Demand generation strategies are geared towards generating immediate interest and driving short-term lead generation and sales. The primary objective is to create immediate demand for products or services and prompt potential customers to make a purchase decision.

Targeted Marketing Tactics

Demand generation relies on targeted marketing tactics to reach potential customers at the right time with the right message. This may involve personalized content marketing, social media advertising, and other targeted approaches to capture the attention of the target audience.

Emphasis on Creating Immediate Demand for Products or Services

Unlike growth marketing, demand generation strongly emphasizes creating immediate demand for products or services, driving conversions, and capitalizing on short-term opportunities to generate revenue.

3 Practical Applications of Growth Marketing

Building a Comprehensive Customer Journey

Growth marketing involves mapping a comprehensive customer journey encompassing every stage of the customer lifecycle. By understanding customers' needs and behaviors at each touchpoint, businesses can effectively tailor their marketing efforts to guide prospects through the sales funnel.

Implementing Personalized Marketing Strategies

Personalization is key in growth marketing. It allows businesses to deliver tailored experiences that resonate with individual customers. By leveraging customer data and behavioral insights, businesses can create personalized marketing campaigns that drive engagement and foster long-term loyalty.

Leveraging Analytics and Data for Continuous Improvement

Analytics and data serve as the backbone of growth marketing, enabling businesses to measure their marketing efforts' performance and identify areas for improvement. Businesses can optimize their marketing initiatives by continuously analyzing data and iterating on strategies to achieve sustainable growth.

3 Practical Applications of Demand Generation

Creating Compelling and Targeted Content

Demand generation relies on creating compelling, targeted content that resonates with the target audience. Whether through blog posts, videos, or social media content, businesses must craft messaging that captures attention and prompts action.

Utilizing Various Marketing Channels for Lead Generation

To effectively generate demand, businesses must leverage various marketing channels, including social media, email marketing, search engine optimization, and paid advertising. By diversifying their approach, companies can reach a wider audience and drive interest in their products or services.

Implementing Effective Sales Strategies to Convert Leads into Customers

Demand generation strategies extend beyond lead generation to encompass the conversion of leads into customers. This involves implementing effective sales strategies, nurturing leads through the sales process, and ultimately driving conversions to capitalize on the demand generated.

3 Key Differences Between Growth Marketing and Demand Generation

Timeframe for Results

One key difference between growth marketing and demand generation is the timeframe for results. While demand generation focuses on immediate results and short-term gains, growth marketing prioritizes sustainable growth over time.

Focus on Customer Relationship

Growth marketing strongly emphasizes building and nurturing long-term customer relationships, focusing on customer retention and lifetime value. In contrast, demand generation is more transactional, aiming to create immediate demand and drive quick conversions.

Metrics for Measuring Success

The metrics used to measure success also differ between growth marketing and demand generation. Growth marketing focuses on customer retention, lifetime value, and overall business growth metrics. At the same time, demand generation metrics are as follows:

Wrapping up

Understanding the nuances of growth marketing and demand generation is essential for navigating the complex landscape of modern marketing. By grasping these strategies' core concepts and practical applications, businesses can develop targeted marketing initiatives that align with their goals and drive tangible results. As the marketing landscape continues to evolve, the integration of growth marketing and demand generation will play a crucial role in shaping the future of marketing, enabling businesses to adapt to changing consumer behaviors and achieve sustained growth in an increasingly competitive environment.