Measuring the success of your marketing efforts is an important part of any business or organization. Below is an infographic showing which metrics are used at each level of the marketing funnel. Below that is a deeper explanation of the metrics used to measure success in the funnel.
Note: Actual percentages vary widely by industry, audience intent, and campaign quality — so these are general, cross-industry benchmarks, not guarantees. They’re grounded in funnel benchmarks used across digital and traditional marketing today.
1) Awareness (Top of Funnel)
Goal: Get your brand seen or noticed — broad reach.
Metrics
- Impressions / Reach (Exposure) — % of people who saw your ad, post, or message. Example: If 100 people saw a billboard or social post, that’s 100% awareness at this stage.
- Reach Growth / Brand Mentions — how many new people are now aware vs returning. Useful for non-digital (TV ads, print) as well as digital.
- Brand Search Lift — how many more people searched your brand name after seeing the campaign.
Engagement Signals (still awareness-adjacent)
- Click-Through Rate (CTR) — % of people who click after seeing something. Digital expectations: ~1–5% CTR for paid ads and email links.
- View-through Rate (for videos) — % watched at least some of your ad.
Typical Transition Expectations
- From 100 people who see your campaign → 20–30% will take an initial interest action like click, search your brand, or revisit your site.
2) Consideration / Interest (Mid Funnel)
Goal: Prospect engages, learns more, or signals interest.
Metrics
- Engagement Rate — likes/comments/shares or time spent with content.
- Bounce Rate / Time on Page — lower bounce + longer time = stronger interest.
- Repeat Visits / Return Rate — % who come back to your site or content.
- Content Actions — downloads, video completions, webinar sign-ups, form fills.
- Email Open & Click Rates — a key measure of interest (e.g., 18–28% open, 2–5% click typical).
Typical Transition Expectations
- From 100 people who engaged at awareness → 20–30% take a mid-funnel action such as clicking deeper, opening an email, or engaging with content.
In practice: If 100 people clicked on a social ad → you might see ~20–30 meaningfully engage with content or take another step.
3) Conversion / Action (Lower Funnel)
Goal: Prospect completes the desired action (purchase, signup, form submit).
Metrics
- Conversion Rate — % of people taking the final action. Example: Out of 100 visitors, 2–5% complete a purchase or form.
- Average across industries: ~2–3% overall conversion.
- Top performers: ~5–10%+ in strong funnels.
- Cost per Action (CPA) / Cost per Lead (CPL) — how much you paid per conversion or lead.
- Return on Ad Spend (ROAS) — revenue return per ad dollar spent.
- Cart Completion / Checkout Rate (for e-commerce).
- Lead Quality Metrics — % of leads that reach a sales-qualified status.
Typical Transition Expectations
- From 100 people who showed interest → ~2–5% convert into customers or qualified leads.
Example Translation:
If 100 people engage with content → ~2–5 make a purchase or complete a core conversion action.
4) Retention & Loyalty (Post-Purchase / Advocacy)
Goal: Keep customers coming back and referring others.
Metrics
- Repeat Purchase Rate — % who buy again.
- Churn / Attrition Rate (for subscription or membership businesses).
- Customer Lifetime Value (CLV) — projected revenue per customer.
- Net Promoter Score (NPS) / Satisfaction scores — likelihood of referral.
- Referral or Word-of-Mouth Conversions — % of new customers from referrals.
Typical Performance Ranges
- Repeat purchase — many industries see ~20–40% of customers return over time.
- Referral impact varies widely but is a strong long-term signal.
Putting It All Together: Example Funnel (Baseline 100 People)
| Funnel Stage | Typical % Progressing | Where They End Up |
|---|---|---|
| Seen Campaign (Awareness) | 100% | 100 people |
| Initial Click/Interest | 20–30% | ~20–30 people |
| Conversion / Sale | 2–5% of total | ~2–5 customers |
| Repeat / Loyal | 20–40% of customers | ~0.4–2 repeat customers |
Interpretation:
Out of 100 people who saw a campaign, it’s common to see about 20–30 take an interest action and 2–5 complete the core conversion. A portion of those become repeat or loyal, depending on product and nurture efforts.
Quick Glossary
- Impressions/Reach: How many times your content was shown.
- Clicks / CTR: How many people clicked compared to how many saw it.
- Engagement: Likes, comments, watches, time spent — signs of interest.
- Conversion: The action you want (buy, signup, call).
- CPA / CPL: What you paid for each outcome.
- ROAS: What you got back financially from your spend.
- Retention: Repeat business and long-term value.