Analyzing Multi-Channel Customer Engagement Metrics

Getting a multi-channel customer approach in account-based marketing (ABM) is like throwing a brand party and making sure your guests can chat, laugh, and share stories in the living room, by the pool, or even in the backyard. Each space offers a different experience, and together, they all make the party better. But how do you know if your guests are having a good time?

In marketing terms, your marketing channels are the areas of your party venue – the website, social media platforms, webinars, virtual events, and more. They all offer unique touchpoints, creating a cohesive experience for your customers. How do you measure the success of your digital strategy? Here’s where customer engagement metrics come in.

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What Are Customer Engagement Metrics?

Customer engagement metrics tell you who enjoyed what at your party. In the ABM world, they guide your decisions, showing you which channels, like email, social media, or events, are making your customers feel good.

When clients feel special, they’re more likely to buy your product and come back for more. These metrics help you understand your business, adapt your tactics, and create experiences that create loyal clients.

How Do You Choose the Right Channels for Your ABM Strategy?

Before starting to measure engagement metrics you have to choose the right channels for your ABM to effectively reach and engage your target accounts.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Research your target accounts to understand their preferences, behaviors, and where they spend their time online.
2. Define what you want to achieve with your ABM campaigns, such as brand awareness, lead generation, or customer retention.
3. Look at which channels your competitors are using successfully and consider if they might work for you.
4. Try switching up a few channels, measure their performance, and adjust your strategy based on what works best.
5. Ensure your marketing and sales teams are on the same page when it comes to channels and strategies.

If you aim to be precise, you cannot skip these steps. However, in general, there are a few well-known channels that work best for ABM:

• Emails
• Social media
• Content marketing
• Virtual events

Assessing Customer Engagement Metrics Across Different Channels

Email Engagement

Your brand party cannot thrive without personal invitations and regular communication. You can send emails through personalized campaigns and then track who’s opening them and how they interact with the content.

There are key engagement metrics to track in email marketing:

• Open rate. This shows how many people open the emails you send. It tells you if your email subject lines are working and if people are interested in what you are sending.
• Click-through rate (CTR). Reveals the percentage of people who click on links in your emails. It helps you see if your email content is engaging.
• Conversion rate. Indicates the percentage of people who take an action like purchasing after clicking on a link in your email.
• Bounce rate. Measures the percentage of emails that were not delivered to the recipient’s inbox. It can be split into hard bounces (permanent issues) And soft bounces (temporary problems).
• Unsubscribe rate. Shows the percentage of people who opt out of receiving your emails. It helps you see whether or not your audience is interested in your content and how fast your email list is growing by considering new subscribers minus those who unsubscribe or emails that bounce.
• Email sharing/Forwarding rate. Indicates the percentage of people who share or forward your emails to others. This helps you understand how engaging your content is and how much it is being shared.
• Overall ROI (Return on investment). Measures the financial effectiveness of your email marketing campaigns. It helps you see if your email efforts are bringing in a good return for the money you have invested.

Social Media Engagement

Now, let’s talk about the social butterflies at your brand party – social media channels.
A strong social media presence means your VIPs feel connected and valued, and that’s when they’re most likely to stick around for the long haul.

No matter which social media channels your business includes in its ABM strategy, there are a few key metrics that show you how much your targeted accounts are involved with your brand:

• Likes and reactions. These show that people are engaging with your content and liking what you post.
• Comments. When people comment on your posts, it means they are interested and want to interact with you. Comments provide valuable feedback and insights into what your audience thinks.
• Shares and reposts. If users share your content, it means they find it valuable and want to show it to others, helping to increase your reach.
• CTR: This measures how many people click on links in your posts, indicating how effective your call-to-action is at getting people to take the next step.
• Follower and subscriber growth. Keeping track of how many new followers or subscribers you gain over time helps you understand how well your social media presence is growing.
• Mentions and tags. These metrics show how much people are talking about your brand and tagging you in their posts. It can help you gauge your brand’s awareness and reputation in the social media space.

Content Marketing Engagement

At your brand party, there are always a few guests who are more interested in participating in deeper conversations. In other words this is your most valuable content – blog posts, white papers, and case studies.

You are measuring the success of this content by measuring how your audience interacts with your website. Key metrics include:

• Time on page. Shows how long a person spends on a specific page. It tells you if your content is interesting and relevant to your audience.
• Scroll depth. Indicates how far visitors scroll down a page. It helps you see if people read your content completely or if they lose interest quickly.
• Social shares. Tracks how many times your content is shared on social media. More shares mean your content is valuable and connects with your audience.
• Comments. This demonstrates the level of interaction through the number of comments on your content. They offer insights into what your audience thinks and feels.
• Bounce rate. Measures the percentage of people who leave your site after viewing just one page. A high bounce rate might mean your content isn’t engaging or relevant.
• Pages per session. Shows the average number of pages a visitor views in one visit. It helps you know if your content keeps people exploring your site.
• Conversion rate. Indicates the percentage of visitors who took a specific action after engaging with your content, like signing up for a newsletter.
• Return visitors. Reveals the percentage of guests who come back to your site. High rates suggest your content is valuable and encourages repeat visits.

Virtual Event Engagement

When it comes to virtual events, think of them as the grand galas of your ABM strategy. Here, the key metrics are like the guest list, RSVPs, and feedback forms all rolled into one:

• Registrations. Show how many people have signed up for your event. It helps you see the initial interest and how well your promotions are working.
• Attendance rate. Indicates the percentage of registrants who actually showed up at the event. It reflects on the commitment and interest of your audience.
• Session attendance. Tracks which event sessions attendees joined and how long they stayed. It helps you know which topics engage your audience the most.
• Polls and surveys. Participation in polls, surveys, and Q&A sessions during the event gives you direct feedback and measures engagement.
• Social media engagement. Tracking mentions, shares, and interactions about your event on social media helps measure its reach and impact.
• Networking activity. This shows the number of connections made, messages exchanged, and meetings scheduled during the event, indicating the level of networking and engagement.
• Content downloads. Reflects how many times attendees downloaded event resources, indicating the value and relevance of your content.
• Post-event feedback. Gathering feedback through surveys after the event helps you understand attendee satisfaction and if there are any areas for improvement.
• Conversion rate. This shows the percentage of attendees who took a desired action after the event, like signing up for a demo or making a purchase.

Using Integrated Marketing Platforms to Gather Data

Use integrated marketing platforms to gather data from emails, social media, and events in one place. This way, you can see how your audience interacts across all channels.

Here are some examples of integrated marketing platforms that can help you gather and analyze data from multiple channels:

• HubSpot. This platform offers a comprehensive suite of tools for marketing, sales, and customer service. It integrates data from emails, social media, and events, providing a unified view of customer interactions.
• Salesforce Marketing Cloud. Known for its robust data integration capabilities it allows you to track and analyze customer data from various sources, including emails, social media, and web interactions.
• Mailchimp. While often associated with email marketing, Mailchimp also offers tools for social media and event management. It integrates data from these channels to help you understand how your audience is reacting to your content.
• Hootsuite. Primarily a social media management tool, Hootsuite also integrates with other marketing platforms to provide a comprehensive view of your social media performance alongside other marketing efforts.

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Wrap Up

To ensure your ABM efforts are hitting the mark, it’s crucial to align your customer engagement metrics with your ABM objectives. They should reflect the quality of interactions and the depth of relationships. This will help your organization optimize strategies and drive sustained growth as well.