5 Tips on How to Create a Successful Account-Based Marketing Strategy

Almost every aspect of marketing has been affected by the move to the remote working environment, but arguably none more so than Account-Based Marketing, otherwise known as ABM.

Marketers have to apply new strategies to make ABM work in the remote world. This has been an increasingly positive aspect for many organizations.

Account-based marketing, also known as ABM, first stepped into the marketing scene several years ago. It has been integrated across the B2B landscape in that short period because of its favorable success rates.

In fact, according to a study made by ITSMA, 87% of B2B marketers agree that ABM can deliver higher ROIs than different marketing efforts. Now, the question is, how can you leverage the successful ABM strategy that everyone has jumped on the bandwagon?

Well, let’s first walk you through some of the basics:

What is Account-Based Marketing?

At its core, it’s the strategic approach in marketing that’s concentrated on clearly defined target accounts. Usually, these accounts are pre-arranged internally across marketing and in sales and senior leadership teams as one of the most critical aspects of their business.

To successfully execute this, you have to build personalized outreach strategies for every one of these accounts.

How to Create a Successful Account-Based Marketing Strategy

What are the ways for ABM to do better in a remote economy? Adapting these tactics will ensure continued success in the remote world:

1. Define your micro-target

Although it may take up a lot of your time, there’s an enormous payoff for marketers in the long run since you tailor your messaging for every group. Don’t hesitate to split bigger ABM accounts into relatively smaller groups.

It would be best if you also worked on identifying specific pain points of various micro audiences in your ABM pool. It’s also worth noting that the top product benefit of one micro-group wouldn’t be the same as the benefit called out for the next group. Segmenting audiences lets marketers deliver the message that makes the most impact for that specific segment.

Let’s say that your target group is healthcare professionals. It makes more sense to split pharmacists into a separate group, as your language to reach this specific group might be different. 

It would be best to ensure that prospects feel like your message is specifically tailored to them and that you value their time. This messaging is one of the secret sauces to make your ABM strategy work.

2. Set your campaign goals

What do you want to achieve when it comes to your ABM campaign? Most ABM goals include quality account generation, revenue expansion within these accounts, and more. 

At Integrate UK, we always tell clients that to help them stay on track, they must define what success looks like for your campaign from the onset, such as quality engagement and an overall increase in awareness from key accounts.

3. Personalize the account’s experience

Because of the nature of ABM, programs need to deliver high conversion rates. One of the most effective strategies to do this is personalizing landing pages. You can develop account-specific landing pages that let you display custom copies, images, offers, and forms that depend on the person or account that visits the landing page.

Another personalization strategy that you might want to include is to show the visitor’s name on the landing page. However, it would be best to exercise caution, as some of your prospects may find this overly intrusive.

4. Slice and Dice Your Data

Now, if you’re generating original data used to create reports and other content, this can be another potential goldmine for your ABM activities.

When coming up with a large-scale report, think about how much data needs to be segmented and then repurpose it to tailor it to the target account. You should take the primary report or asset and then repackage the that’s into specific business sizes, industries, maturity levels, etc.

Not only that this works particularly well for your ABM activities, but it can also give you more bang for your buck.

5. Make sure that your marketing and sales are aligned

Your sales and marketing teams should work hand in hand to look for the best-fit targets and opportunities. In the same way, both should be supporting the campaign throughout the entire customer cycle.

Sales and marketing in ABM should have a clear list of goals, activities, and target accounts needed for a campaign to progress. Regular meetings need to be held for both departments to make sure their responsibilities are clear and deliver the best results.

Over to You

So there you have it. ABM lets marketers focus more on quality over quantity. It means focusing on the overall account health and leads over the number gained leads. By having the right technology, a targeted account list, and good metrics, you’ll be setting your path toward success.

While creating an impactful ABM strategy takes time and targeted efforts, the revenue you’ll be getting and the overall efficiency improvements are well worth all the work and effort you’ve put through. When it comes to creating a successful account-based marketing strategy, it’s all about planning and execution.

Jared Freen
 

Jared is a dynamic and driven journalist with a passion for uncovering the truth and sharing untold stories. With over a decade of experience reporting from the front lines of some of the world's most volatile regions, Jared has a reputation for fearlessly pursuing the facts, no matter how challenging or dangerous the situation.