When we drew up our plans and budgets, the key metric was consumer impressions: how many people would see, hear or read our ad? Now information flows in many directions, consumer touch points have multiplied, and the old, one-size-fits-all approach has given way to precision marketing and one-to-one communications. MORE >>

This post is part of the HBR Insight Center Marketing That Works. Are you skeptical about using digital and social media in business marketing? Increasingly, business customers create great content and experiences to market to their own customers, so they know what they want from suppliers when they themselves are the potential buyers. MORE >>

Three years ago, I invented a social media metric. The dilemma, I knew, was the metrics. knew that the company would expect me to defend my client's value with the standard "cold metrics"--reach, frequency, page views, impressions, eyeballs captured. Still, I believed in this blend of cold and warm metrics. Sentiment? MORE >>

Once compensation depends on improving a particular score, people tend to focus on the metric rather than on what it tells you about what customers want or need. At metrics-driven companies, an extreme focus on customer feedback scores can eventually lead to gaming the system. Compensation Customers MarketingRight? Wrong. MORE >>

More and more companies are tying incentive pay to customer metrics. Pep Boys, a US auto parts store chain, reports in its proxy statement that customer metrics are now an important part of its executive compensation system. Truly reliable feedback and metrics. One direct marketer learned this the hard way. Don't do that! MORE >>