Event tracking
In short
Event tracking is the practice of recording specific actions users take in a website or product, such as clicking a button, submitting a form, starting a trial, or using a feature. Each action is logged as an event with a name and properties like time, page, and user or account.
For GTM teams, events are the raw material for behavior-based signals. They turn what people do into data that can score leads, trigger alerts, and measure campaigns.
What gets tracked
- Marketing events: Form submissions, content downloads, and demo requests.
- Product events: Sign-up, invitation sent, integration connected, and feature used.
- Sales events: Meeting booked, proposal viewed, and contract signed.
How to set up event tracking
1. Start with questions
List the decisions the data should support. For example: which actions predict that a trial will convert?
2. Define a naming scheme
Use one consistent format, such as object and action, so the data stays readable as it grows. Document each event and its properties.
3. Connect user and account
Link events to a person and to the company they belong to. Without account-level data, B2B teams cannot see group behavior.
4. Send events to the tools that act on them
Route events to the CRM, analytics, and automation tools so a key event can create a task or start a sequence.
Example
Say a team notices that trials where two or more users are invited in the first week tend to convert more often. They track an invite event and alert the rep when an account reaches that point.
Common mistakes
- Tracking everything: Too many events create noise and cost. Track what supports a decision.
- Inconsistent names: Variants of the same event break reports.
- Ignoring consent: Respect privacy rules and user consent settings. This is general information, not legal advice.
Event tracking FAQs
What is event tracking?
Event tracking is recording specific actions users take on a website or in a product, such as clicks, form submissions, or feature use. Each event is logged with details like time and user, so teams can analyze behavior.
What is event tracking used for in B2B sales and marketing?
It is used to score leads, spot product-qualified accounts, trigger alerts and sequences, and measure campaign performance. Events show what people do, which is often a better predictor of interest than what they say.
What are examples of tracked events?
Common examples include a demo request, a pricing page view, a trial sign-up, an invited teammate, a connected integration, and a completed onboarding step. Choose events that connect to decisions your team makes.
How is event tracking different from behavioral analytics?
Event tracking is the collection of individual actions. Behavioral analytics is the analysis of those events to find patterns, such as which sequences lead to conversion or churn. Tracking supplies the data and analytics interprets it.
