In the age of information overload, account-based marketing (ABM) is one of the most effective strategies for reaching and converting high-value accounts and boosting marketing ROI.<\/p>\n
You want to know more, right? That\u2019s why we thought, \u201cWhy not have a whole guide on account-based marketing?\u201d for you to enjoy, so you can develop and implement your own ABM strategy.<\/p>\n
What is ABM or account-based marketing?<\/h2>\n
Account-based marketing (ABM) is a B2B sales<\/a> and marketing strategy<\/a> using the power of personalization to win high-value clients within a target set of accounts.<\/p>\n With an ABM strategy, your sales and marketing team<\/a> will work together to form a list of key accounts, get their attention, nurture each lead, and convert them into loyal customers using research and relationship-building.<\/p>\n There are two main types of account-based marketing, and those are:<\/p>\n If you\u2019re in marketing (or know about it), you might have heard of \u201cone to many\u201d. This type of marketing is more of a one-size-fits-all approach, taking away the personalization that ABM is so well-known for.<\/p>\n By approaching prospects with a one-to-one or one-to-few method, you allow for more time to research, understand pain points, and adapt your outreach campaigns to:<\/p>\n And that, my friends, is the beauty of account-based marketing. Time and effort put towards custom campaigns to really <\/i>boost your engagement and customer relationships.<\/p>\n Account-based marketing or ABM comes in all shapes and sizes, with lots of different types of content and approaches for outreach.<\/p>\n But any successful ABM strategy has to be made up of these three components:<\/p>\n The primary trait of account-based marketing is that it\u2019s extremely targeted. You only go after accounts that you or your marketing team have determined will generate high ROI and lend specific strategic value to your book of business.<\/p>\n The \u2018omnichannel\u2019 imperative isn\u2019t exactly anything new, but it\u2019s very important to ABM. We\u2019ll look into some of the different channels and platforms in the next section. Your ultimate goal? To run coordinated, highly-tailored campaigns across these channels to maximize user engagement.<\/p>\n Along with everything in marketing, monitoring KPIs is integral to ABM. By keeping tabs on metrics, like spend, campaign runtime, conversion rate, and deal value, you gain important insights on how to optimize your campaigns and their performance so you can improve results every time.<\/p>\n Now, what content do you need for ABM? (We told you we\u2019d come back to it).<\/p>\n ABM content can vary from campaign to campaign and prospect to prospect. You\u2019ve got to give the people what they want, after all.<\/p>\n Here are just a few examples:<\/p>\n And you know what? It doesn\u2019t have to be just one of these methods. You can pick and choose a selection, or even all of them, to create the best-fitting campaign for your prospect.<\/p>\n So, why is account-based marketing so popular with growing businesses? With at least 67% of brands using ABM<\/a>, it has to be doing something right, doesn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n Well, we\u2019ve got 6 reasons right here:<\/p>\n First up, with an ABM strategy, you\u2019re utilizing your resources in the most efficient way possible. That includes your staff, your time, and your budget.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look into this a bit more.<\/p>\n With a more targeted approach from beginning to end, you\u2019ll find fewer resources and hours are wasted. You know who you\u2019re targeting, you know they\u2019re right for you, and you know your product or solution is right for them. So, any time put into researching and developing a marketing campaign specifically for them should be considered productive. Why? Because it gets you closer to closing that deal.<\/p>\n Another benefit of account-based marketing is the necessary alignment between marketing and sales. With more alignment, improved communication between the two branches, and slicker processes as a result.<\/p>\n Can\u2019t complain about that, can you?<\/p>\n This synchronization of marketing and sales creates quite the dynamic duo, making sure both departments\u2019 messaging, targets, and goals are in keeping with each other. That\u2019s great news internally as a company, but also externally, creating a flawless customer experience.<\/p>\n When there\u2019s a lack of continuity in your messaging or how your company communicates, that can be pretty jarring, whereas consistency will strengthen your brand<\/a> and authority in the eyes of the prospect.<\/b><\/p>\n Good news for the sales reps out there. When using account-based marketing, it means less time cold calling or writing cold sales emails<\/a>, and more time spent with prospects that will definitely have an interest in your product or solution.<\/p>\n With outreach that is customized for a lead, you\u2019re one step ahead in terms of engagement. Now you\u2019ve just got to go in for your killer sales pitch<\/a>, loaded with relevant data and insights to help them overcome any pain points \u2013 and get them to sign.<\/p>\n Okay, so we already kind of said this one, but we mean it: ABM boosts your engagement rates. It\u2019s guaranteed.<\/p>\n In fact, 30% of marketers<\/a> who use an account-based marketing strategy reported engaging twice as frequently with their C-level targets.<\/p>\n Get your prospecting right, and you\u2019ll see a much improved customer acquisition thanks to your personalization and nurturing of key customers and prospects that you know work for you, and higher revenue per deal.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s be honest, we know who would win a hypothetical fight between a personal approach versus a blanket approach.<\/p>\n The personal approach, of course, because everyone loves to feel special.<\/p>\n Taking the time to tailor your ABM campaign to a specific prospect will not only make them feel special but also resonate with them, whether it\u2019s one specific contact or multiple within an account. It shows the prospect that you care (and that you know they\u2019d be a good fit for your product), giving a better and more trustworthy representation of you as a salesperson, and of your company.<\/p>\n A blanket approach, on the other hand, will just make your outreach like any other generic sales email: deletable. ❌<\/p>\n Account-based marketing provides the highest level of ROI among B2B sales and marketing tactics<\/a>, because it decreases any waste and risk that can be involved in other strategies.<\/p>\n We already mentioned in the three main components that tracking is key to any campaign, to optimize the campaign and maximize revenue. To help make sure you\u2019re covering all ground, we\u2019ve put together the main ABM metrics you need to be tracking<\/a>. Check it out.<\/p>\n With ABM boasting pretty amazing success rates, it\u2019s easy to see why it\u2019s so popular with marketers. In fact, more than three-quarters of markets (87%<\/a>) say that account-based marketing outperforms other marketing activities, 86% say it boosts win rates, and 80% say it increases lifetime customer value (LTCV).<\/p>\n With the main aim of ABM being to target (and win) big strategic deals, it can be a real winner for those moving upmarket or adopting a hybrid GTM strategy<\/a>. It can also work well for smaller businesses willing to spend their time and money on a longer and probably more expensive sales cycle, for the potential of a higher ROI.<\/p>\n With benefits like those, you could say ABM is a good idea for most companies. But really, businesses that do<\/i> adopt this strategy require a potentially larger, dedicated marketing and sales team to move forward with it successfully, as well as the relevant data to maintain such a strategy.<\/p>\n When it comes to adopting ABM, take these 6 key steps to create a strong foundation for your business\u2019s go-to-market strategy:<\/p>\n Marketing and sales teams, assemble.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve said it once, and we\u2019ll say it again: the alignment of these two teams is crucial.<\/p>\n Some companies will have the headcount to establish teams that work exclusively on their ABM activities, some will employ a blended approach where certain sales reps and marketers split their time between ABM and regular marketing and sales efforts, and some will outsource it.<\/p>\n Whatever approach you go for, you need a blend of experienced sales reps, well-versed on your prospects\u2019 needs and business objectives, along with a marketing team working on different channels and platforms, as well as marketing ops.<\/p>\n Since ABM is a highly strategic method, it aims to involve individuals who are strategic thinkers, creative, and performance-driven.<\/p>\n Right then. You\u2019ve got your team, now it\u2019s time to determine who your prospects are. In the case of account-based marketing, this will be identifying the highest-value accounts that fit with your ideal customer profile. Think about factors like product fit, sales funnel<\/a> length, strategic value, competitors, and territory.<\/p>\n Not sure where to start with that? Head to our guide to ideal customer profiles<\/a> (including an ICP template).<\/p>\n With the right tools, it\u2019s possible to pinpoint your ideal prospects with unmatched precision. Similarweb Sales Intelligence is just one example of that, and with it, you can sell smarter in a number of ways, including:<\/p>\n What makes ABM so unique is that it gives you the opportunity to specifically nurture the primary decision maker in your target account.<\/p>\n Oh, and that\u2019s just another thing Similarweb Sales Intelligence<\/a> can help you with.<\/p>\n After creating a list of companies that meet your specifications with our extensive filters, you can click on the Contacts tab for direct access to your prospect\u2019s contact information – whether you\u2019re after a singular contact or multiple contacts within an account. And you can download it straight to your Salesforce or Hubspot, or get them all on an Excel spreadsheet.<\/p>\n Yep, all that in a couple of clicks.<\/b><\/p>\n When approaching a specific account, it\u2019s important to put time and effort into creating relevant content that provides value to your prospect.<\/p>\n Now that you understand exactly who you\u2019re targeting, including their goals, pain points, challenges, and needs, you should have a better idea of what your content should focus on.<\/p>\n We\u2019ve already established that a cross-channel approach is fundamental to ABM, but through your research, you\u2019ll find that decision-makers in different positions will favor some channels over others.<\/p>\n For example, high-level executives might be more inclined to engage with email newsletters, which deliver concise and valuable content straight to their inbox. They might also be more likely to interact with LinkedIn ads, compared to ads on any other social media platform. On the other hand, a mid-level manager might have more time to attend webinars or events, where they can get insightful tips to put into practice among their teams.<\/p>\n Whatever channels you choose, you\u2019ve got to keep it relevant.<\/p>\n When you\u2019re ready to launch your campaigns, make sure marketing and sales stakeholders are totally aligned on elements like key messaging in your campaigns, the channels being used, and when sales will begin reaching out to prospects.<\/p>\n Marketing and sales activities supplement one another in an ABM strategy, which means making sure your campaigns are highly coordinated from beginning to end is essential.<\/p>\n Marketing + sales. Name a more iconic duo.<\/p>\n Hot tip: always be monitoring key metrics throughout each of your ABM campaigns. This will help you assess progress and performance, informing both marketing and sales where they can optimize their efforts.<\/p>\n Some of the most important ABM metrics and KPIs for you to focus on include:<\/p>\n Track, adapt, and optimize as you go to improve the relevance of your product or solution in the eyes of your prospect\u2026 and for maximum impact<\/i>.<\/p>\n You can also use the Insights Generator<\/a> and Account Review features to identify key insights about your prospects, which will give your ABM campaigns and sales outreach a major leg up. With detailed and specific insights that provide your prospects value, it\u2019s much easier to capture their attention and keep them engaged throughout the sales funnel.<\/p>\n There are a bunch of B2B account-based marketing tactics to use in your strategy. Here are a few common ones:<\/p>\n\n
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The three components of ABM<\/h2>\n
1) Target strategic accounts<\/h3>\n
2) Execute campaigns across different channels<\/h3>\n
3) Monitor ongoing performance and optimize accordingly<\/h3>\n
Types of account-based marketing content<\/h2>\n
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The benefits of ABM<\/h2>\n
1) Better use of your business\u2019s resources<\/h3>\n
2) Enhanced alignment between marketing and sales<\/b><\/h3>\n
3) Less need for cold calling<\/b><\/h3>\n
4) Increased engagement with your target audiences<\/b><\/h3>\n
5) More meaningful relationships with your clients<\/b><\/h3>\n
6) Simplified tracking performance\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
Who should use account-based marketing?<\/h2>\n
6 steps to building your account-based marketing strategy<\/h2>\n
1) Get your team together\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
2) Work out who you\u2019re targeting\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n
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3) Identify the key decision-makers<\/b><\/h3>\n
![\"sales](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/prospects_list-820x1024.png\")
<\/p>\n4) Figure out your content needs<\/b><\/h3>\n
5) Launch your campaigns<\/h3>\n
6) Monitor and track (then optimize)<\/h3>\n
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![\"online](\"https:\/\/www.similarweb.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/Sales-Intelligence.png\")
<\/p>\nWhat are the top ABM tactics?<\/h2>\n
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Examples of ABM<\/h2>\n