Business Strategy Metrics

How Sustainability Teams can make money. Ethical operating companies like Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, and Interface have proven that sustainable business practices aren’t just a “nice to have”. they drive profitability. It improves the bottom line of a company. Now, as corporate sustainability teams face growing pressure to prove their value amid deregulation and cost-cutting, it’s time for a strategic repositioning. Sustainability isn’t just policy work. It’s a core driver of business success that delivers financial returns. Here’s an approach that aligns impact with investment: High ROI + High Impact 👉 Priority Initiatives Low ROI + High Impact 👉 Strategic Investments High ROI + Low Impact 👉 Quick Wins Low ROI + Low Impact 👉 Low Priority Projects Impact How much does this project contribute to environmental and social sustainability? 💚 Carbon Reduction 💚 Circularity 💚 Water & Energy Savings 💚 Social Impact 💚 Biodiversity Protection ROI (Return of Investment) How much financial value does this project generate? 📈 Cost Savings 📈 Revenue Growth 📈 Regulatory & Compliance Benefits 📈 Brand & Customer Value 📈 Operational Efficiency Scoring System To prioritise projects, it’s necessary to have a scoring system in place—for example, a 1–10 scale for each metric under both Impact and ROI. Then, you weight the metrics according to the company’s priorities (e.g., carbon might be weighted more heavily). Examples Here are some examples for potential business cases: 💡 LED lighting retrofits 👉 Priority Initiatives Often has payback periods < 2 years with significant energy savings 🔃 Product redesign for circularity 👉 Strategic Investments Transformative impact but requires R&D and retooling 🚚 Optimising logistics routes 👉 Quick Wins Quick fuel savings but smaller portion of overall emissions 🌳 Carbon offsetting low-impact activities 👉 Low Priority Projects When direct reduction would be more effective »When you are led by values, it doesn't cost your business, it helps your business.« - Jerry, Greenfield / Co-Founder Ben & Jerry’s. This Matrix helps to prove it.

The business value of measuring and reducing carbon emissions 🌎 Understanding and addressing carbon emissions is an essential aspect of modern business operations. Emissions are categorized into three scopes, each representing different parts of an organization’s value chain. Scope 1 includes direct emissions from owned or controlled sources, such as facilities and vehicles. Scope 2 refers to indirect emissions from purchased electricity, steam, heating, or cooling. Scope 3 encompasses indirect emissions across the entire value chain, such as purchased goods, waste, and downstream use of products. Accurately measuring emissions across these scopes allows organizations to identify climate, financial, and regulatory risks. This enables businesses to proactively address challenges, align with evolving regulations, and mitigate exposure to potential liabilities. Measurement also provides a foundation for setting reduction targets and tracking progress toward achieving sustainability goals. Reducing emissions creates opportunities for operational efficiency and cost savings. For example, transitioning to energy-efficient systems or optimizing supply chain processes can lower energy consumption and reduce waste. These actions not only contribute to environmental goals but also improve the bottom line through lower operational costs. Integrating emissions reduction strategies into business models supports long-term competitiveness. In a low-carbon economy, organizations that lead in decarbonization can distinguish themselves from competitors. This differentiation enhances brand reputation, strengthens relationships with suppliers and customers, and opens opportunities for market expansion. Furthermore, transparent emissions management builds trust with stakeholders. Investors increasingly prioritize sustainability performance in their decision-making, and employees value alignment with organizational values. A credible approach to emissions reduction can enhance investor confidence, improve employee engagement, and secure a stronger social license to operate. Measuring and reducing carbon emissions is not solely a regulatory or environmental imperative—it is a strategic business opportunity. Organizations that integrate these practices into their core operations can reduce risks, capture efficiency gains, and position themselves for success in a rapidly evolving economic and environmental landscape. Source: Thinkstep #sustainability #sustainable #business #esg #climatechange #climateaction #emissions

*****Executive CISO Dashboard – Top 15 Cybersecurity KPIs Explained***** This is a comprehensive executive reference designed to help Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) measure, implement, monitor, and report the most critical cybersecurity performance indicators. The layout is presented in a professional, boardroom-style format with a dark blue theme, organized as a structured table containing six major columns: KPI, Description, Implementation, Identification/Measurement, Process, and Reporting. The dashboard covers 15 essential cybersecurity KPIs that represent the core pillars of an enterprise security program. These include Enterprise Cyber Risk Score, Critical Vulnerabilities, Patch Compliance, Mean Time to Detect (MTTD), Mean Time to Respond (MTTR), Mean Time to Recover (MTTRc), MFA Coverage, Privileged Account Protection, Zero Trust Maturity Score, Cloud Security Posture Score, Ransomware Readiness, Third-Party Risk Score, Backup & Recovery Success Rate, Security Awareness (Phishing Click Rate), and Compliance & Audit Status. Each KPI is accompanied by a concise explanation describing its business purpose, practical implementation guidance, measurement methodology, operational processes, and recommended reporting frequency. The Implementation column explains how organizations should deploy controls such as SIEM, EDR, PAM, vulnerability scanners, cloud security platforms, backup solutions, identity governance, and Zero Trust architectures. The Identification/Measurement section outlines how each KPI is calculated using quantitative metrics including percentages, averages, compliance scores, maturity models, and risk ratings. The Process column summarizes ongoing operational activities such as continuous monitoring, threat detection, vulnerability remediation, policy enforcement, periodic reviews, incident response, backup validation, phishing simulations, and compliance audits. The Reporting column recommends reporting frequencies ranging from weekly and monthly operational reports to quarterly board presentations and annual strategic reviews. At the bottom, the infographic includes additional guidance on how to use the dashboard, emphasizing continuous KPI monitoring, risk-based decision making, resource prioritization, and accountability to executive leadership. A Cybersecurity KPI Maturity Model illustrates the progression from an initial security posture to an optimized and continuously improving program. The Best Practices section highlights governance, automation, data quality, accountability, and effective executive communication. Finally, a Reporting Cadence summarizes operational, performance, strategic, and annual reporting cycles, enabling CISOs to communicate cybersecurity posture effectively to executive management and the Board of Directors while aligning cybersecurity investments with business objectives and enterprise risk management.

Have written about it in the past too, but strength of a brand cannot be measured by vanity metrics like number of award winning commercials, social media engagement/following or what other marketers think about the brand Here are 5 hard measurable business/marketing metrics which will tell you how strong your brand is 1. Price Elasticity of Demand: This is the measurement of change in demand with respect to the Price Elasticity= Percentage Change in Demand/Percentage Change in Price If you have a strong brand, you will have a lower price elasticity. Ideally as brand strength grows, the price elasticity should keep reducing 2. Contribution of Discounted Sales: Every brand has a standard market operating price( which could be MRP in few categories). And brands also have some sales through consumer discounts which are over and above the MOP Discounted Sales Contribution= Sales Volume with Discounts/ Total Sales Volume If you have a strong brand, the contribution of discounted sales will be lower. The ability to have more sales at the market operating price is a sign of a strong brand 3. Performance Ads Driven Sales: Every brand will have some organic sales( brand searches, repeats, Marketplace SEO etc) and some paid sales( Amazon ads, Google/FB ads) Performance Ads Driven Sales Percentage= Sales due to ads/Total Sales If you have a strong brand, the contribution of ads driven sales will be lower. A strong brand has higher repeats, higher brand searches and rank organically on top for generic searches on marketplaces 4. Performance Ads Driven Visitors: On the D2C website as well as marketplace listings, brands get both organic( brand searches and SEO) and paid ( Amazon Ads, Google/FB ads) visitors While the previous metric of ads driven sales is difficult for overall attribution( people clicking on ads to come to D2C website buys organically from marketplace is common), this is a easier metric to calculate Percentage of Performance Ads Driven Visitors= (Ads driven visitors on Marketplaces+ Ads driven visitors on D2C)/ (Total Visitors on Marketplaces+ Total Visitors on D2C) As brand strength grows, percentage of ads driven visitors should keep reducing 5. Share of Spends/Market Share: Share of spends in a category is the marketing spends done by the brand as a percentage of spends done by the entire category in a year. If a brand has a higher market share than share of spends, it means 2 things - Higher Conversion Rates & More Efficient Marketing Engine - High Baseline Sales When brands start, they would most likely have higher SOS than market share( as baseline is 0). But as brand strength grows, this number should be lower Strong brands should result in strong businesses. Done right, Investment in Brand Building always pay off financially. It means stronger brands are less reliant on performance marketing, discounts and can increase prices without drop in volumes.

Most customers don’t leave because of price. They leave when belief fades. A few years ago, a strong enterprise deal looked ready to close. The product was solid. The case studies were lined up. The pitch was polished. Then the deal stalled and quietly disappeared. Months later, the feedback came through: “It felt too slick. We couldn’t tell what was real.” That moment exposed a hard truth many teams avoid. Polish without proof can erode trust instead of building it. In today’s AI-heavy, content-saturated marketplace, buyers are far more sceptical. They’re not looking to be impressed. They’re looking for signals of reality. Does this sound like real experience? Does the message match what customers actually live? When it doesn’t, even well-funded campaigns fall flat. The opportunity is clear. Brands that lead with substance, lived insight, and honest storytelling earn attention and credibility others can’t buy. This week’s newsletter explores why trust has become the most valuable currency in B2B and how authenticity is no longer optional if growth is the goal.

The metrics-obsessed, MQL-chasing playbook that I helped create at Marketo is steering us away from marketing's fundamental truth: "do right by the customer." But the funny thing about doing right by customers – building brand through genuine value exchange, truly understanding their needs, letting them control the process – these aren't revolutionary ideas. They're timeless principles we've buried under automation workflows and pipeline metrics. That's why I wasn't surprised to find clues to the new B2B playbook in Dale Carnegie's 1936 classic "How to Win Friends and Influence People." Before marketing automation, before we turned relationships into MQLs, Carnegie understood something we need to rediscover. 🤔 Here's what his ideas tell us about fixing today's broken B2B playbook: 1. "Become genuinely interested in other people" Stop viewing buyers as MQLs to be harvested. Start seeing them as humans seeking solutions. This isn't just feel-good advice – it's the foundation of sustainable pipeline generation in an AI world where generic outreach is increasingly ignored. 2. "Give before you expect to get"  Create content so valuable people would pay for it – then give it away ungated. Trust builds pipeline better than form-fills. When everybody else is building walls, build bridges. 3. "Let the other person feel the idea is theirs"  Today’s buyers don’t want to be sold. They want to do research on their own and begin the buying process on their own terms. In fact, by the time B2B buyers first contact sales, 80% of the time they already have a preferred vendor, and that vendor is the winner 80% of the time! 4. "Remember that a person's name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language" Personalization isn't just a buzzword. It's about making every interaction feel tailored and relevant. This goes beyond just using {{FirstName}} or even having AI attempt something that sounds personalized but is ultimately soulless – it's about understanding and addressing individual needs with the right offer at the right time. 5. "Let the other person do a great deal of the talking" Active listening is crucial in B2B. Use voice of customer data, social listening, and direct feedback to shape your strategies. Your customers often have the answers – you just need to listen. 6. "Make the other person feel important – and do it sincerely" In a world of commoditized tech, emotional connections matter. Build a community around your brand. Celebrate customer wins. Make your champions feel like the heroes they are. The old marketing playbook is broken. Buyers are burned out on aggressive tactics and shallow automation. It's time to stop treating marketing like a gumball machine and start doing right by the customer experience — exactly as Dale Carnegie advised almost 90 years ago. Who knows? You might just win some deals – and influence some customers – along the way. #B2BMarketing #CustomerExperience #GoToMarket

"Brand ROI is impossible to measure" Unless you use THESE 8 metrics 👇 ♻️ The "Brand Growth Loop" Track these 8 metrics: 1️⃣ Brand Mentions When people mention your brand naturally on social/web Not paid. Not prompted. Just organic discussion. (This shows your brand is becoming part of the conversation) 2️⃣ "Alternative To" Pages Count how many companies list themselves as "alternatives to you" When competitors compare to you, you're becoming a known player (It means you're setting the standard in your space) 3️⃣ Comparison Mentions Track who you're being compared against 2-way = you vs one competitor 3-way = you're in the consideration set 4-way = you're a major market player (More comparisons = stronger market position) 4️⃣ Brand Terms Growth Monitor how search volume for your brand grows Track what terms people pair with your brand Watch which features/benefits they associate with you (Shows how brand awareness is growing) 5️⃣ Pipeline Impact Measure how many deals started from brand searches Track conversion rates from brand-aware leads Compare payback period and LTV vs non-brand channels (Proves brand building drives real business) 6️⃣ Review Velocity Count new reviews on G2, Capterra weekly Monitor sentiment trends over time Track which features customers praise most (Shows real customer advocacy) 7️⃣ Sales Conversations Use Gong to track how prospects mention you Listen for "I saw your content on..." Note which brand touchpoints influenced them (Proves brand impact on sales) 8️⃣ Direct Traffic People typing your URL directly Not coming from ads or search Growing across different regions (The ultimate "they know who we are" signal) Brand building needs all three of these: 1. Clear activities that drive value 2. Specific metrics for each activity 3. Constant experimentation 📌 Remember: Brand isn't just about awareness. It's a growth loop you can influence. Credit: Seedily ❤️ -- 👋 P.S. What else would you add? Always looking to improve this list!

In all of my roles across social analytics & social listening, I’ve noticed one thing: Most teams are measuring too much—and still missing what matters. Social is changing. People are watching more. Talking less. Saving content instead of liking it. Sharing to group chats, not comments. It’s more private. More intentional. And yet... most brands are still chasing likes and calling it insight. The truth? The most meaningful metrics are the quiet ones. → Save Rate → Share Rate → Sentiment (yes, read the comments) → Click-Through Rate → Share of Voice These are the metrics that tell you if your content mattered. If it stuck. If it moved someone enough to share it, save it, or speak on it. are you currently measuring against these?

GCC Leaders: Are You Measuring What Truly Matters? To measure the real impact of your Global Capability Center (GCC), you must go beyond traditional operational KPIs like cost savings or headcount. Those are hygiene. What truly matters is how your GCC moves the needle for the business. Here are 5 strategic metrics every GCC leader should track: 1. Value Delivered per Dollar Spent Why it matters: Shows how effectively the GCC converts investment into business outcomes. How to measure: • Business value (e.g., product revenue, productivity gains, IP created) / Total GCC cost • Can be benchmarked against alternative models (outsourcing, onshore) 2. Time to Market Acceleration Why it matters: Reflects the GCC’s ability to improve speed of execution for product development, support, or operations. How to measure: • % improvement in release velocity or cycle times after GCC involvement • Lead time from idea to launch before vs. after GCC enablement 3. Innovation Output Why it matters: Indicates contribution toward competitive advantage and future growth. How to measure: • Patents filed, features launched, automation use cases deployed • Number of AI/GenAI initiatives incubated and scaled • New product ideas or MVPs driven from GCC 4. Business Function Ownership & Accountability Why it matters: Measures the maturity and strategic importance of the GCC. How to measure: • % of global business function fully owned or co-owned by GCC (e.g., platforms, support functions, analytics COEs) • Strategic roles (Directors, VPs) based in the GCC • Participation in global decision-making forums 5. Customer or Stakeholder NPS / Satisfaction Score Why it matters: This metric reflects how well the GCC is delivering value—both through the products it helps build and the support it provides to global stakeholders. How to measure: • NPS from external customers using products or services developed by GCC teams • NPS from internal stakeholders on the GCC’s responsiveness, collaboration, and strategic alignment • Qualitative feedback on product quality, innovation, speed of execution, and business understanding If your GCC isn’t driving the business forward, it’s just another offshore team. And in 2025, that’s not enough. Rethink how you measure. Reframe how you lead. Redefine what your GCC stands for. Zinnov Amita Goyal Karthik Padmanabhan Amaresh N. Mohammed Faraz Khan Namita Adavi Dipanwita Ghosh Sagar Kulkarni Hani Mukhey ieswariya Rohit Nair Komal Shah Saurabh Mehta

We took a founder to 4M+ impressions and 26,000+ followers on LinkedIn in under a year. The signal we were optimizing for the whole time isn't something LinkedIn shows you by default. Impression going up feels like progress, but if your goal is to get opportunities and become known in your industry, it can be the most expensive distraction in your content strategy. Because you optimise what you track for, and the metric that actually matters is what your content made someone do after they read it. For example, one of the posts of the same founder had 50,000+ impressions, 200+ likes, and  15 comments. Pretty average performance based on reach. But it also had 40 sends and 20 saves. It was being forwarded inside teams and saved by people planning to act on it. That's why for all our clients our focus is always on these 4 metrics- 1. Saves:  Someone saving your post is planning to use it. High saves almost always outperform on the pipeline because they're solving something specific enough to revisit. 2. Sends:When someone forwards your post to a colleague your content just entered a room you were never in. 3. Followers gained per post: Reach means nothing if it's bringing the wrong people. We track which posts are converting the right audience to her profile. 4. Profile visits: Someone read your post, wanted to know more, and went looking. That's a prospect one step from a DM. Our team reviews all the posts on these metrics every week for all our clients.  👉 High saves and sends get repurposed and turned into new formats. 👉High impressions with nothing else get ignored. Over time, we built a library of formats that actually convert.  PS: What metric are you optimising for right now? #LinkedInGrowth #ContentStrategy #PersonalBranding #FounderMarketing #B2BMarketing