Strategy
Setting Realistic KPIs for Startups
Early-stage marketing targets are usually guesses. How to set first targets from benchmarks and your own economics, then replace them with your own data.
BenchMarketing editorial team Updated October 2, 2026 3 min readShare
A startup's first marketing targets are guesses dressed up as plans. That is fine, as long as they are informed guesses and you replace them with real numbers quickly.
Start from the economics, not the channel
Before choosing KPIs, work out what a customer is worth and what you can afford to pay for one. Even a rough lifetime value (see LTV models) gives you a maximum cost per customer. Every channel target follows from that.
Use benchmarks for the first version
Without your own data, industry benchmarks are the best starting point:
| Channel | Median CTR | Median conversion rate |
|---|---|---|
| Google Ads | 6.11% | 7.04% |
| TikTok Ads | 0.84% | 1.50% |
| LinkedIn Ads | 0.44% | 6.10% |
| 2.3% | 1.8% |
Plan on reaching the median, not the top quartile. New accounts, new brands and untested landing pages usually start below typical results and improve.
Pick few KPIs, at different levels
- One business outcome: new customers, or revenue from new customers.
- One efficiency measure: cost per customer, or blended MER.
- Two or three leading indicators: CTR, landing page conversion rate, lead-to-customer rate. These move quickly and tell you where the chain is weak.
Avoid vanity metrics (impressions, followers) as targets; they are easy to raise without changing the business.
Set targets as ranges with review dates
"CPA between $60 and $90 by the end of the quarter, reviewed monthly" is more honest than "CPA of $75". Write down the assumptions behind each number, so when results differ you know which assumption was wrong.
Replace benchmarks with your own data
After a few months of consistent spend you have your own baseline. From then on, compare against your own trend first and benchmarks second. Benchmarks remain useful for spotting a metric that is far out of line with similar businesses.
Use Where to Start
If you are choosing your first channels, BenchMarketing's Where to Start tool suggests channels and a first test budget from what businesses in your industry pay per result. Create a free account to try it.
About the figures
Benchmark figures in this article come from the BenchMarketing dataset and update when the benchmark pages do. Each benchmark page lists its sources and period; see our methodology.
See where you stand
Compare your own numbers with these benchmarks for your industry.
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