If you’re tired of guessing whether anyone actually reads the slick decks and case studies you send out, this guide’s for you. Tracking buyer engagement sounds great in theory, but in practice it’s easy to drown in data and miss what’s really happening. We’re going to cut through the noise and show you exactly how to use Seismic analytics to see which sales assets resonate with buyers—and which ones die in their inbox.
Why Bother Tracking Buyer Engagement, Anyway?
Let’s be real: most sales teams send out a mountain of PDFs, one-pagers, and videos, then cross their fingers. Engagement analytics give you a window into what your buyers actually care about. Instead of guessing, you’ll know who opened your content, what they looked at, and for how long.
But don’t get starry-eyed. Not every click means “hot lead,” and not every ignored asset is worthless. The point here is to spot patterns and make better decisions—not to chase vanity metrics.
Step 1: Get the Basics Right in Seismic
Before you can track anything useful, you need to set up Seismic the right way. If your assets and users are a mess, your analytics will be, too.
Checklist:
- Organize your assets: Use folders, clear naming conventions, and tags. If you can’t find the file, neither can your analytics.
- Assign permissions: Make sure only the right teams and reps can access sensitive content.
- Enable analytics: Confirm with your Seismic admin that asset tracking and analytics features are turned on for your organization.
- Connect to your CRM: If you want to tie engagement data to actual deals, integrate Seismic with Salesforce or your CRM of choice.
Pro tip: Don’t overcomplicate your folder structure. If it takes more than a few clicks to find something, people will give up (and so will you).
Step 2: Share Content the Right Way
You only get engagement data if you share assets using Seismic’s sharing tools. If reps just download a PDF and attach it to an email, you’re flying blind.
How to do it:
- Use Seismic LiveSend or tracked links: These let you see who opens the file, how long they spend, and what they click.
- Avoid untracked downloads: It’s tempting to just send an attachment, but you lose all visibility.
- Set up notifications: Seismic can alert you when someone views your content. Don’t go overboard—no one likes a million notifications.
What doesn’t work:
- Tracking forwarded emails. If your buyer sends your asset to someone else, you’ll often just see “unknown viewer.” That’s a Seismic limitation, not yours.
- Hoping for perfect accuracy. There’s no magic here—if someone prints out your PDF or screenshots it, you’ll never know.
Step 3: Know Which Metrics Matter (And Which Don’t)
Seismic spits out a lot of numbers. Most of them don’t help you close deals. Here’s what’s actually useful:
Metrics to Watch
- Opens/Views: Did they even bother to look?
- Time spent per page/slide: Where did they linger? What did they skip?
- Repeat visits: Did they come back later? That’s usually a good sign.
- Shares/Forwards: Did your content get passed around internally? (Limited, but sometimes helpful.)
- Downloads: Did they grab a copy for later?
Metrics to Ignore
- Total clicks: One person clicking 10 times in a row doesn’t mean much.
- Time on cover page: If they left your doc open while they grabbed coffee, that’s not engagement.
- Location/IP address: Sometimes interesting, rarely actionable.
Honest take: Don’t get obsessed with “engagement scores” that try to roll everything into one number. They’re usually more marketing than science.
Step 4: Set Up Reports and Dashboards
Sifting through raw data is a waste of time. Build or request dashboards that show you what matters—without making you dig for it.
How to do it:
- Use Seismic’s built-in dashboards: Start simple. The out-of-the-box reports are good enough for most teams.
- Customize for your use case: Filter by asset, sales rep, or account. Focus on what helps you answer real questions.
- Schedule regular reports: Weekly or monthly snapshots keep you on track without drowning you in info.
- Export and share: If your exec team wants a summary, export visuals or tables they’ll actually understand.
Pro tip: Don’t waste cycles building custom dashboards unless you really need them. Start with what’s available, see what’s missing, and only then build something new.
Step 5: Actually Use the Insights
You’d be surprised how many teams track engagement, then ignore the results. Don’t be those people.
For Sales Reps
- Follow up with context: If you see a buyer spent 15 minutes on your pricing slide, you know what’s on their mind.
- Prioritize prospects: If someone keeps coming back to your proposal, bump them up your call list.
- Ditch the duds: If no one ever opens a certain case study, stop sending it.
For Marketers or Enablement
- Promote top assets: The deck everyone reads? Make it easier to find.
- Retire or update dead weight: Old assets no one touches just clutter up your library.
- Test variations: If a new pitch deck gets more engagement, double down.
What to ignore: Don’t get sucked into micro-managing every asset. Focus on the handful that move the needle.
Step 6: Handle the Limitations (and Don’t Expect Magic)
Seismic analytics are helpful, but not infallible. Here’s where things get fuzzy:
- Email privacy settings: Some companies block tracking pixels or strip links. If you see a lot of “unknown” viewers, that’s probably why.
- Multiple stakeholders: You may see one “open,” but five people gathered around a screen. Don’t assume too much from the numbers.
- Qualitative feedback: Engagement is useful, but it doesn’t replace a good conversation. Always ask your buyers what’s actually helpful.
Honest take: No analytics tool can tell you exactly what’s happening in your buyer’s brain. Use the data as a guide, not gospel.
What About Integrations and Automation?
Seismic can plug into your CRM, marketing automation, and other sales tools. This can be useful if:
- You want to see engagement data right in your CRM (like Salesforce).
- You want to trigger workflows, like sending a follow-up task when someone views your proposal.
But don’t get lost in integration hell. Start simple. If you’re not using the basics, automating just adds complexity without value.
Quick Wins and Common Pitfalls
Do:
- Train your sales team to share assets the right way.
- Review analytics at a regular cadence—monthly is plenty for most.
- Use engagement data to spark actual conversations.
Don’t:
- Obsess over every metric.
- Build reports no one reads.
- Assume high engagement always means “hot lead.”
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Overthink It
You don’t need a PhD in analytics to get value from Seismic. Organize your content, share it through tracked links, and watch what’s working. Use what you learn to make small changes, not massive overhauls.
Focus on what’s actionable. Ignore flashy dashboards if they’re just noise. The goal is to help your team spend less time guessing, and more time selling. Start small, pay attention, and tweak as you go. That’s how you actually get smarter about buyer engagement—no hype required.