The PMM Dashboard: 7 Metrics That Prove Your Value to Executives

As a product marketing manager (PMM), one of my biggest challenges is quantifying the value my team delivers. Unlike sales or customer success, our contributions can seem abstract or intangible. But in today's data-driven world, executives expect hard numbers to back up resource allocation decisions.

This is why I've developed a PMM dashboard – a curated set of metrics that showcase our team's tangible impact on the business. When I share this dashboard with executives, it provides concrete proof of our value and justifies the investment in our team.

The 7 Metrics That Matter

Over the years, I've honed in on seven key metrics that effectively communicate the breadth of our contributions. Here's what I track and why:

1. Lead Generation

   As a top-of-funnel engine, my team's content and campaigns drive a significant portion of new leads. I measure the number of marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) we source each quarter to demonstrate our pipeline impact.

2. Sales Enablement

   My team creates battlecards, competitive intelligence, and other sales enablement assets. I track the usage and engagement rates of these resources to show how we're arming our sales force.

3. Customer Acquisition

   While sales ultimately closes the deal, our product positioning, messaging, and marketing content play a pivotal role in converting prospects. I measure the number of new customers influenced by our efforts to highlight our revenue impact.

4. Product Adoption

   Through in-app messaging, user onboarding flows, and educational content, we drive activation and adoption of our product's core features. I track activation rates and feature usage to demonstrate how we're maximizing the value of our offerings.

5. Customer Retention

   By articulating our product's value proposition and differentiation, we help customers understand why they should renew year after year. I measure our influence on customer retention rates and expansion revenue.

6. Brand Awareness

   A strong brand presence amplifies all our other efforts. I monitor metrics like website traffic, social media engagement, and share of voice to quantify how we're building mindshare and credibility.

7. Operational Efficiency

   My team acts as a force multiplier, creating scalable assets that empower other teams. I track the reusability and ROI of our work to illustrate how we're boosting productivity across the company.

Telling a Cohesive Story

While each metric is valuable on its own, the real power lies in connecting them into a cohesive narrative. Like the chapters of a book, these data points weave together to tell the overarching story of how product marketing drives success across the entire customer journey.

With this dashboard, I can clearly articulate our team's multifaceted impact – from fueling the top of the funnel to accelerating revenue to fortifying the brand. It's a powerful tool for advocating for the resources we need and cementing our strategic role within the organization.

The Path to Credibility

At the end of the day, product marketing's greatest asset is its ability to bridge the gaps between product, marketing, sales, and customer success. By speaking the language of each discipline and translating between them, we ensure tight strategic alignment and operational cohesion.

The PMM dashboard is a manifestation of this connective capacity. It allows me to transcend organizational silos and demonstrate our team's universal value proposition in a way that commands executive respect and buy-in.

For any PMM looking to solidify their credibility and influence, I can't recommend enough the practice of meticulously tracking your team's contributions. The right metrics don't just justify your existence – they position you as an indispensable driver of company success.