You’ve finalized your list of contacts and know exactly which companies you want to win over. Now what? It’s time to make yourself highly visible and relevant to your target accounts with account-based marketing (ABM).
The hardest part of ABM isn’t getting a prospect’s attention: it’s keeping it. Deals take time, often requiring months of back-and-forth, multiple decision-makers, and various touchpoints before you see a signed contract. If you’re only showing up in one place, you’re making it far too easy for a prospect to forget you.
To actually move the needle and close high value accounts, you need to be everywhere that matters. The reality is that buyers today can complete as much as 70% of their journey without ever engaging a salesperson or brand.
However, the right mix of high-impact channels keeps your brand visible and relevant at every stage. Let’s look at the top five ABM channels and best practices for choosing and leveraging them to create winning account based marketing campaigns.
What Are Account-Based Marketing Channels?
ABM channels refer to the specific touchpoints where your target accounts connect with you. In contrast to typical “spray and pray” marketing channels, ABM success hinges on reaching the right high value accounts at the right time, place, and with tailored messaging.
Traditional marketing channels, on the other hand, are designed to cast a wide net, whether it’s through social media ads or email blasts. They aim for volume, hoping to catch anyone interested. But with ABM, you're working with a smaller, more targeted group of contacts. This approach works because the goal isn’t to reach everyone; it’s to build rapport with key high value accounts.
Why Is Choosing the Right Channel So Important in ABM?
The right ABM channels make all the difference between a strategy that yields results and one that falls flat. Here’s why:
- Improved targeting: Investing in the right channels enables you to connect directly with the key decision makers at target accounts so your marketing efforts have a greater impact.
- ROI that actually counts: The whole point of ABM is to drive results with fewer, but more meaningful, accounts. When you select the right channels, you can get the biggest return on your investment by investing your resources in reaching the accounts that are most likely to convert.
- More engagement: The right channels allow for more personalized, direct conversations with your target accounts. When you show up where they are (whether on LinkedIn, in their inbox, or through retargeting ads), you keep your brand top of mind.
- Shorter sales cycles: The secret to fast-tracking deals is having your marketing and sales teams aligned and connecting with prospects via multiple touchpoints across the buyer’s journey. The idea is to build relationships and consistent experiences so that individuals feel heard, understood, and appreciated.
Top Account-Based Marketing Channels for High ROI
You’ve pinpointed the accounts, and now you need the channels to win them over. These five ABM channels will spark real conversations, produce tangible results, and prove the benefits of an account-based experience.
1. Website Personalization
When target accounts land on your site (whether via an outbound email or a targeted ad), you want them to feel like your messaging directly addresses their needs. That’s content personalization in action.
Personalize your landing pages with relevant headlines, product features, and calls-to-action (CTAs) to make each prospect feel like your site was made just for them. These pages also help support your sales team by giving target accounts all the information they need up front.
In the era of generative AI, personalized messaging isn’t just easier than ever – it’s also increasingly authentic. For most organizations taking a traditional approach, creating ABM campaigns for hundreds of target accounts is impossible – they don’t have the tools, resources or scale.
However, with generative AI, no-code templates, and dynamic modules, it becomes incredibly easy to personalize the specific content assets for an ABM program (e.g. landing pages, microsites, email outreach, ads) in moments. What’s more, because these modules are dynamic and editable, they change based on who is viewing the content – and marketers and salespeople can adjust the copy accordingly.
It’s highly likely that in the future, organizations will be able to upload their own intelligence (e.g. what they know of individual accounts and target companies) to teach LLMs about priority messaging, key challenges, and opportunities they want to capitalize on.
2. Outbound Marketing
Outbound email marketing is your direct line to key decision-makers. Custom-tailored email sequences address unique pain points, nurture prospects, and steadily advance them through the sales funnel.
Consistently delivering relevant, value-driven content enables you to create a personal connection with each contact. These messages should be designed to build trust and spark engagement, ultimately turning initial interest into meaningful conversations that lead to conversions.
3. LinkedIn
Because it’s positioned and used as a professional networking platform, LinkedIn enables you to engage with target accounts on a more personal level than others. Start by sending tailored messages that show you're not just blasting out generic content but rather are interested in meaningful engagement with your prospects.
Get involved in the conversations happening in your industry by commenting on posts, sharing insights, and contributing value wherever you can. Additionally, leverage LinkedIn Ads for key accounts to push targeted messages out to the right people and focus your efforts for increased ROAS.
Pro tip: Focus on quality rather than quantity on LinkedIn. The goal isn’t to publish as much content as possible, but rather to share meaningful, valuable content that resonates with your target accounts. Keep showing up in their feeds with actionable insights and industry expertise to build trust and increase interest in your offering.
4. Paid Advertising
PPC and retargeting ads are your chance to reach the right audience at exactly the right time, or reconnect with those you may have missed. The visibility account-based advertising offers keeps you on your prospects’ radar, which is key to pushing them further down the funnel toward conversion.
PPC allows you to target decision-makers when they’re actively searching for solutions, meaning you’re meeting them in a moment of intent. Retargeting ads keep your brand in front of them as they browse other sites, gently reminding them of what you have to offer.
5. Inbound Marketing Efforts/Content Marketing (SEO)
Creating SEO-friendly, personalized content like blogs, case studies, and whitepapers gives you the chance to engage key accounts intentionally. When creating this content, focus on addressing their specific needs and challenges to drive value. Alternatively, create forward-thinking content that expands their horizons and gets them to see the bigger picture.
For example, trend-focused content or industry overviews and reports provide insights into what matters now and in the future. You can then tie these narratives back to what you offer to create a strong connection between the vision (trends, highlights, industry movement) and the opportunity (your product).
And don’t forget to leverage your network. Co-marketing with partners or experts helps extend your reach while adding authority to your content. The more relevant and tailored your content is, the more likely your target accounts will stick around to engage with it and, eventually, convert.
You should also create content with existing customers to help push sales efforts. Your customers are your best advocates, and having them co-create content with you helps to underscore the value of your product while providing social proof.
How to Choose the Right Channels for a Successful ABM Strategy
In order to select the ideal channels for your ABM strategy, you need to understand your target accounts. Each contact has their own preferences and behaviors, so start by getting to know where they spend their time.
Do they tend to read blogs, watch videos, or dive into case studies? Which platforms do they prefer: LinkedIn, email, or Google? These insights will help you meet them where they are.
This is often one of the most overlooked aspects of content marketing – creating and distributing content in the most accessible way.
Then, think about how they make decisions. Do they need to see various case studies before they’re convinced? Or personalized demos and direct outreach have a greater impact on them? Understanding their decision-making process helps you determine the best ways to engage them and deliver content that resonates.
For example, if your target accounts are big on LinkedIn and often interact with thought leadership posts, it makes sense to double down on LinkedIn ads and direct, personalized messaging.
The key here is to test and track your efforts. Channels that work wonders for some contacts may not be as effective for others, so keep an eye on how each channel performs at an account level, and pay close attention to metrics like engagement and conversions. This will help you fine-tune your strategy for each prospect and make sure you’re investing your resources where they’ll have the most impact.
Best Practices for Using ABM Channels Effectively
Once you’ve established which ABM channels you're going to invest in, you need to find ways to maximize their value. These best practices will help you fine-tune your strategy and avoid any missteps along the way.
Segment Accounts Based on Channel Preference
The best way to improve engagement and boost your chances of converting high-value target accounts into paying customers is by meeting each contact where they spend their time. So use the data from your CRM and account-based marketing software to figure out which channels each account engages with the most.
Once you have those insights, create account segments for each channel preference. That way, you can invest your time and resources where they’ll have the most impact, which may look like LinkedIn engagement for one prospect and personalized 1:1 landing pages for another.
Align Sales and Marketing for Multi-Touch Campaigns
You need your sales and marketing teams to form one cohesive go-to-market (GTM) team if you want to get the most out of your ABM efforts. Marketing teams need to get target accounts hooked with tailored ads and content. Then, sales can take over with personalized outbound to keep the momentum going.
The secret to the success of personalized campaigns is consistent communication across your GTM team. When marketing and sales are on the same page, they can execute smoother handoffs that ensure your target accounts feel engaged and understood—leading to a smoother sales process and more conversions.
Monitor Account-Based Marketing Metrics
Identifying the right channels is just the beginning. You’ll want to have a detailed breakdown of how your efforts contribute to things like deal sizes, customer lifetime value, pipeline and more. So make sure you decide on your key ABM metrics beforehand.
If you can identify which channels deliver the most value and closed deals based on some of the above metrics, you can start to refine your ABM program and take a very nuanced approach, and focus precisely on what works best for your industry.
Final Thoughts on Channels for Your Account-Based Marketing Strategy
Choosing the right channel can mark the difference between an ABM program that leads to revenue growth and one that eats up resources. Whether it's outbound, LinkedIn, or 1:1 landing pages, each channel offers its own potential to engage and nurture your accounts.
Just remember, ABM is a dynamic process, so keep tweaking your strategy until you find the approach that yields the best results. Don’t be afraid to experiment and test out different channels to see which ones resonate best with each target account.
Userled can help you analyze and optimize your ABM strategy with account-based analytics. Track engagement at various touchpoints, monitor contact behavior, and analyze content consumption so you can pinpoint where you should focus your efforts to engage your key prospects and maximize ROI.
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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