In B2B marketing, showing impact has never been more important – or more complex.
Today’s B2B marketers operate in a landscape defined by fragmented data, extended buying cycles, and complex customer journeys. Campaigns reach customers across many channels, involve influencing multiple decision-makers, and often unfold over months. In this ever-changing environment, traditional measurement models fall short.
That’s the premise behind The Measurement is the Message, new research from the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM), sponsored by LiveRamp and LinkedIn. Through interviews with 20 senior marketing executives, the study uncovers how leading B2B organizations are evolving their measurement practices to create something bigger and more valuable than dashboards and KPIs: organizational alignment.
Why B2B measurement is different
For B2C marketers, measurement can be relatively straightforward. A consumer sees an ad, clicks a link, and completes a purchase – all traceable actions.
But for B2B, the path to purchase is more nuanced. One buyer might engage after months of reading thought leadership articles, another after a single event or peer recommendation. Signals from multiple contacts in buying groups across departments further complicate marketers’ efforts to understand intent and attribution.
As Shagufta Gupta, group director at WPP Media put it:
“It is on us as measurement folks to be able to explain what we are doing based on the audience you are talking to.”
That’s why forward-thinking B2B teams are shifting away from chasing perfect attribution and instead focusing on telling data-informed stories about impact.
The persistent challenges: Silos and slow adoption
Even the most sophisticated organizations face measurement barriers. The study identified four core challenges:
- Data silos make it difficult to unify information across departments. Some companies are investing in customer data platforms (CDPs) to create a complete view of their customers. However, CDPs come with limitations and rarely succeed at making data accessible to all stakeholders.
- Untrackable, anonymous activities conducted by buyers, such as research through peer networks, Slack groups, or private communities, create a “dark funnel” that provides little to no insight into buyer preferences or intent, and – complicates attribution.
- Limited access to sales data remains a barrier, especially for companies selling through partners or distributors. Some marketers are testing co-marketing collaborations that share anonymized insights.
- AI adoption shows promise, but remains slow. Regulation, policy, and governance concerns keep automation from scaling, even as leaders recognize its potential for campaign optimization and content intelligence.
Five keys to success in B2B measurement
Through dozens of interviews, five strategies consistently emerged as best practices for navigating B2B measurement’s inherent complexity.
1. Educate stakeholders about the realities of B2B marketing
Top-performing teams set expectations early and often. They explain that long sales cycles, indirect influence, and imperfect data are normal in B2B. By contextualizing results within those realities, marketers build trust – and help executives see measurement as a journey.
2. Focus on business outcomes, not just activity metrics
Clicks and impressions are easy to count, but revenue growth, pipeline creation, and customer lifetime value matter most. The strongest marketing leaders translate their data into business impact by demonstrating how marketing investments fuel tangible growth.
This approach reframes the conversation from “What did marketing do?” to “How did marketing impact business results?”
3. Customize reporting for every audience
Different stakeholders care about different outcomes.
- CEOs look for indicators of market leadership and growth.
- CFOs value ROI, forecast accuracy, and budget efficiency.
- Sales leaders want to understand pipeline health and enablement impact.
Effective marketers tailor metrics and narratives accordingly, ensuring each audience gets insight that resonates.
4. Use attribution modeling thoughtfully
Attribution is powerful when used intentionally. Internally, it helps optimize spend and strategy. Externally, however, stakeholders often find storytelling more meaningful than model outputs. The most effective marketers blend both – pairing quantitative data with clear, customer-centric narratives.
5. Build transparency through tools and communication
Measurement should empower, not overwhelm. That’s why leading teams combine quarterly business reviews with self-serve dashboards that give stakeholders access to relevant metrics anytime. This approach reduces manual reporting burdens and builds trust.
From data to dialogue: Turning measurement into a communication tool
At its core, measurement is about enabling smarter conversations across the business.
The marketers interviewed consistently described how data becomes most valuable when it can be used by multiple departments. Marketing insights can guide sales prioritization. Financial modeling can inform go-to-market strategies. And leadership can make better decisions when everyone understands and is telling the same story.
The takeaway is clear: measurement is best when it serves as a shared language for decision-making.
When marketers position data as a way to connect the dots, they create alignment, accelerate growth, and elevate marketing’s role inside the enterprise.
The role of data collaboration in measurement
Many participants cited data collaboration as a turning point. With regulations expanding and third-party identifiers fading, marketers increasingly rely on secure data partnerships to fill the gaps.
Solutions like data clean rooms and identity-based collaboration enable teams to connect and analyze data safely. This approach not only improves measurement accuracy but also strengthens trust between partners and customers.
As Jen Whelan, VP of Growth Marketing at LiveRamp noted:
“Slow down, give context, and repeat, repeat, repeat.”
LiveRamp’s platform addresses this need, enabling B2B marketers to securely activate, measure, and optimize campaigns across channels.
AI’s emerging role in B2B measurement
While adoption is still maturing, AI’s potential in B2B measurement is undeniable. Many executives see opportunities to automate repetitive analysis, predict campaign outcomes, and generate actionable insights faster.
However, they also recognize the need for thoughtful governance and human oversight. The key will be combining AI’s speed with human judgment – ensuring insights are not just accurate, but also ethical and aligned with brand values.
For now, most organizations are experimenting in contained environments – testing AI for campaign optimization, lead scoring, and creative analysis – before expanding into enterprise-wide use cases.
Why it matters to marketers right now
In an era defined by uncertainty – economic shifts, data deprecation, and evolving buyer behavior – clarity is the key to winning.
Measurement gives B2B marketers that clarity. It transforms performance data into stories that drive confidence, accountability, and collaboration. It ensures that marketing isn’t seen as a cost center, but as a growth driver directly connected to business outcomes.
Explore the full findings from The Measurement is the Message: Effective practices for B2B marketing measurement to see how top B2B marketers are transforming measurement into a growth engine.