One thing is certain in B2B marketing: not all accounts are created equal. Shifting from a broad, one-size-fits-all marketing approach to a precise strategy focused on key accounts can bring you higher ROI, better engagement, and increased conversion rates.
But ABM is far from a plug-and-play solution. Success hinges on careful planning, close collaboration between sales and marketing and the ability to continuously adapt to the unique needs of your audience. This article will unpack everything you need to know about the power of ABM and how to create an impactful strategy that drives real results, every time.
What is an Account-Based Marketing Strategy?
ABM is a focused approach to B2B marketing where sales, marketing, and operations (ie, the core go-to-market team) join forces to target high-value accounts instead of casting a wide net for prospects.
Think of it as flipping the funnel: you start by identifying, segmenting, and tiering your ideal accounts and then create personalized campaigns to engage and convert them.
The core elements of ABM include:
- Account selection: Pinpointing, segmenting, and tiering the accounts most likely to benefit from your product or service.
- Personalization: Crafting tailored content and campaigns that speak directly to the unique needs and pain points of each account.
- Team alignment: Given the resources and efforts needed to engage high-value accounts across channels, sales and marketing teams must work hand-in-hand to ensure a seamless experience for the target accounts.
Unlike traditional marketing, which prioritizes reaching as many prospects as possible, ABM focuses on building deep, meaningful relationships with fewer accounts.
The result is a more efficient use of resources and a strategy that delivers measurable results, from shorter sales cycles to higher lifetime value per account.
Account-Based Marketing vs Traditional Marketing
Account-based marketing and traditional marketing take very different approaches.
While traditional marketing casts a wide net to reach as many people as possible, ABM is all about precision. It focuses on a select group of high-value accounts and tailoring every interaction to their specific needs.
Let’s take a look at the key differences between ABM and traditional marketing.
Account-Based Marketing Framework
A well-structured framework is the foundation for an effective ABM strategy. Here’s how to create one to set yourself up for success.
Align Sales and Marketing Teams
Alignment between sales, marketing (and other members of your go-to-market team) is the backbone of any successful ABM strategy. When these teams work together, they can create a seamless customer experience, from awareness to conversion.
Instead of generic marketing that brings in a ton of unqualified prospects, marketing and sales work together to provide a personalized marketing approach, and a sales cycle where each target account feels important from the get-go. Both need to be on the same page.
According to LinkedIn research, businesses whose marketing and sales teams are extremely aligned (92%) report having extreme success with ABM.
Without this alignment, you’ll have communication gaps that can cause you to miss opportunities and convey inconsistent messages. This can lead to wasted resources and fragmented customer journeys, ultimately hindering your ability to close deals and drive growth.
Qualify Target Accounts
A successful ABM strategy starts with effective account targeting, segmenting and tiering. The ideal account is the one that has the greatest revenue potential. Here, you should consider your potential targets’:
- Firmographics, such as industry type and business size
- Financials
- Scalability
- Current or previous relationship with your competitors
Look at your customers that have the highest lifetime value (LTV). Then consider your biggest wins and most recent successes, and ask yourself what they have in common.
Identifying these patterns can help you identify similar companies that have high conversion potential and pinpoint where you offer unique value. Use this data, along with intent signals, to guide your outreach and empower your sales team.
Assessing Your ABM Funnel
Assess your ABM funnel by going through it like you’re the prospect. Imagine their experience as they move through the various stages. What are the pain points? What makes them stop and think?
This exercise lets you spot areas for improvement, whether it's messaging, timing or touchpoints that could use a little more clarity.
A hands-on approach helps you optimize your funnel, ensuring that high-value accounts have a smooth, seamless journey that encourages conversions. It’s like quality control but for your marketing and sales strategy—so you’re always prepared for what’s next.
6 Steps to Develop an ABM Strategy That Increases ROI
Now that you’ve built the foundations for ABM success, you need a solid game plan to keep your team on track to hit targets and maximize ROI.
Build an ABM Team
We’ll say it again: alignment. Creating a focused ABM team breaks down barriers to collaboration. This enables marketing and sales to work together more easily and bring the right approach to the right accounts.
It doesn’t need to be huge to start—you need just one person from each team to get everybody on the same page. This alignment ensures smoother communication, clearer roles and a stronger strategy to make your ABM efforts a success.
Research Your ICP
Without a clear understanding of who your ideal customers are, you risk wasting valuable time and resources on accounts that aren’t the right fit for your product or service.
A well-defined ICP helps you zero in on businesses that are most likely to benefit from what you offer, making your efforts more focused and impactful. To build a strong ICP, you’ll need to dig into factors like:
- Company size, revenue and location
- Primary industries or verticals
- Key challenges or pain points
- Buying decision-makers and roles
- Current technology and tools
- Growth opportunities and scalability
Pick a Target Account or Group of Key Accounts
Picking target accounts is all about focusing on quality over quantity. Once you have a pool of suitable ICPs, you’ll want to hone in on accounts that are most likely to gain from your offering.
There are a variety of ways that you can identify a target account or group of key accounts. Using your ICP, you can set search alerts on LinkedIn and create a CRM workflow to identify potential targets.
You could also look at which customer was part of the preceding year’s best deal and search for similar businesses. Or you could analyze which major companies are already engaging with your marketing content.
What’s most important here is that sales and marketing are aligned about which account or accounts are the target.
Build Account Plans
Building a personalized plan for your targets will help to keep you on message and create a great customer experience.
Without a solid plan, your efforts can feel a bit scattered, and you could end up wasting time on strategies that don’t quite hit the mark. Here’s what you should include to make sure your plan is on point:
- Key decision-makers to target
- Best platforms for reaching out
- Customized content or offers
- Timeline for engagement
- KPIs to track success
- Clear value proposition for the account
Connect with Executives and Stakeholders from Target Accounts
With your account plan ready, it’s time to put it into action and start connecting with the key decision-makers. With your account plan ready, it’s time to put it into action and start connecting with the key decision-makers. You can leverage your existing inbound marketing strategy to build stronger relationships with stakeholders at the businesses you’re targeting.
This could look like interacting with them on social media, building custom landing pages or creating targeted ad campaigns for them. If you already have an in with the business, you could invite one of the executives to be a speaker at an event or guest on your podcast.
Lead nurturing comes into play here; the most rewarding relationships are built over time with valuable, consistent engagement. A genuine connection at this stage can turn into an invaluable business relationship down the road, so approach it thoughtfully and with intention.
Analyze Results and Optimize Your ABM Strategy
Once your ABM campaign is up and running, you need to keep an eye on the results.
Use analytics tools to track how well your strategy is performing. This will help you identify which tactics are delivering the best results and which need tweaking.
To assess success, look at engagement levels, conversion rates, and the overall ROI. The beauty of ABM is that you can optimize as you go, so regularly review your findings, make adjustments where needed and fine-tune your strategy for maximum impact.
Account-Based Marketing and Inbound Marketing Methods
ABM methods for inbound marketing make for powerful tactics. Let’s have a look at some of the methods you could be using to amplify your efforts, nurture relationships and drive conversions with your target accounts.
Tailor Make Your Value Proposition for Key Accounts
The real power of ABM lies in addressing the unique concerns of your target accounts. Once you’ve identified their specific pain points, you can tailor your value proposition to speak directly to those challenges.
Whether they’re looking to cut costs, streamline operations, or innovate in their field, presenting your solution as the answer to their needs shows you’ve done your homework.
Stakeholder Engagement
Stakeholder engagement goes beyond just pitching your product. Actively engage with key individuals through one-on-one conversations or social media interactions. You can build trust and show up as a valuable partner if you show that you understand their challenges and interests, setting the stage for long-term success in your ABM strategy.
Provide Personalized Web Experiences
Two-thirds of B2B customers expect the same or better personalization in the marketing content that’s served to them in their professional versus personal lives.
From customized messaging and tailored offers to personalized recommendations, every element of the content you share with a prospect should reflect an understanding of their business. When your website speaks directly to their unique needs and challenges, it creates a more meaningful experience that keeps them engaged.
Account-Based Social Media Engagement
Engaging with target accounts on social media is a great way to build connections in a more informal, approachable way. Whether it’s liking their posts, commenting on their updates, or sliding into their DMs, these small gestures go a long way in showing that you’re genuinely interested in their business.
Multi-threading your engagement—reaching out to different stakeholders across various channels—helps strengthen your presence. By engaging with multiple decision-makers, you increase your chances of sparking conversations and building relationships from different angles.
Create Personalized Ads
Creating personalized ads, such as 1:1 LinkedIn ads, allows you to speak directly to your target accounts in a way that resonates with their current needs. A great strategy is to use timely, relevant content and frame your product as the solution. When your ads address their pain points and offer a direct solution, it feels more personal and impactful.
Personalized ads grab attention because they’re relevant, boosting conversions and driving engagement. Plus, because you’re focusing on the right audience, you maximize ROI by reducing wasted spend on accounts that aren’t a good fit.
Retarget Previously Interested Stakeholders
It’s normal for interest to ebb and flow throughout your ABM journey, but that doesn’t mean you should give up on a potential account.
Retargeting previously interested stakeholders ensures that you remain visible, even when they’ve fallen off the radar. This ongoing connection increases the chances that your brand will be their top pick when they are ready to make a decision.
Host Events
Hosting events is a great way to connect with your target accounts and keep your brand top of mind.
Whether in-person or online, events give attendees a chance to network, learn more about what you offer, and engage with your team and product in a relaxed setting. Plus, the more face-to-face time you have, the more likely you are to convert interest into real business.
Create Omnichannel Targeted Content
Delivering the right content at the right time makes all the difference. This means reaching your target accounts where they are and customizing your content for a particular channel.
Whether through social media, blogs, email, or digital ads, omnichannel content ensures that your message is consistent and engaging. This strategy helps you maintain visibility, stay relevant, and keep prospects engaged, improving your chances of nurturing them through the sales funnel.
Tools and Technologies that Support ABM Strategies
Executing a successful ABM strategy is much easier when you’ve got the right tech stack in place. These tools help you organize, personalize, and analyze everything you’re doing, so you can focus on what really matters: building relationships with your key accounts.
- CRM systems: Customer relationship management systems (like Hubspot and Salesforce) centralize customer data, enabling sales and marketing teams to track interactions, manage relationships, and coordinate effectively.
- Lead-generation software: Help teams to discover prospects that align with your company’s ICP, enabling you to target qualified prospects and personalize your marketing efforts based on their profile.
- Content personalization tools: These platforms (e.g. Userled) enable teams to create and deliver customized content to target accounts, ensuring that messaging resonates with the unique challenges and goals of each client.
- Marketing automation platforms: Automate marketing tasks like sending email campaigns, posting to social media or retargeting adverts, allowing for scalable and consistent engagement with target accounts.
- Analytics tools: By analyzing customer data, these tools provide insights into account behavior, preferences and potential opportunities to help businesses tailor their strategies to meet the specific needs of each account.
Userled’s Solution for Account Based Marketing
Userled brings simplicity and power to account-based marketing. Our platform streamlines everything from content creation to campaign execution while providing detailed performance analytics.
With Userled, you can craft personalized messaging for each of your key accounts and engage with them across multiple touchpoints. Plus, seamless integration of content creation and analytics means you can make data-driven decisions quickly and efficiently, improving the ROI of your ABM campaigns.
It’s the perfect tool for businesses looking to elevate their ABM strategies without getting bogged down in complexity.
Book a demo to find out how Userled can improve your account-based marketing strategy.
Author
Generated £1.3M pipeline by focusing on UTM parameters personalisation.
Generated £1.3M pipeline by focusing on UTM parameters personalisation.
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