Many businesses look for a quick fix or a one-size-fits-all solution to their marketing challenges. While we understand the desire for immediate results, we also know that sustainable growth comes from a well-thought-out, foundational strategy. This is especially true for account-based marketing (ABM) campaigns, which require a more complex, thoughtful approach but have been shown to drive 21% to 50% greater returns than non-ABM marketing efforts according to a 2024 Forrester study. We think you’ll agree that the opportunity to earn an ROI like that is worth the effort.

What is account-based marketing?

Account-based marketing is a strategic, personalized approach to B2B marketing where marketing and sales teams work in lockstep to target specific customer accounts with tailored campaigns. Instead of casting a wide net and hoping to catch leads, ABM focuses resources on a defined set of target accounts/customers that have the highest potential to drive revenue for your business.

In essence, ABM flips the traditional marketing funnel. Instead of a wide top leading to a narrow bottom, ABM starts with a narrow, targeted list of accounts that you want to convert into customers.

Why ABM for B2B marketing?

The benefits of implementing an ABM strategy, particularly for B2B organizations, are significant:

  • Higher ROI: By focusing on accounts with the greatest potential, you reduce wasted marketing spend and improve your return on investment.
  • Improved sales and marketing alignment: ABM inherently requires close collaboration between sales and marketing. This alignment leads to more efficient processes and a unified approach to engaging key accounts.
  • Personalized customer experience: Tailored messaging and content resonate more deeply with the customers you’re targeting, leading to stronger relationships and increased engagement.
  • Shorter sales cycles: Focusing on pre-qualified, high-value accounts can significantly reduce the time it takes to close deals.
  • Predictability: You have more control over the pipeline because you're focusing on a defined set of accounts.
  • Increased customer lifetime value: You build loyalty and increase the likelihood of repeat business and upsells by nurturing relationships with key accounts.

Developing an ABM framework

To effectively execute any ABM strategy, you must first define a tiering framework. This framework should categorize your efforts based on the crucial relationship between the level of personalization and the number of accounts targeted — what's commonly known as the "To" ratio.

  1. Tier 1 (One-to-One / Strategic ABM): This is the most intensive and highly personalized approach, reserved for a very small number of the highest-value, most strategic accounts (typically 5-20). Campaigns use custom messaging and content tailored specifically to the individual account's unique challenges and priorities.
  2. Tier 2 (One-to-Few / ABM Lite): This approach targets small clusters or segments of accounts (e.g., 20-100) that share similar characteristics, like industry, common pain points, or technology stack. Campaigns are personalized to the segment, making them scalable while still being highly relevant.
  3. Tier 3 (One-to-Many / Programmatic ABM): This is the broadest and most scalable approach, targeting a large number of accounts using technology, automation, and data. Personalization is programmatic (e.g., dynamic content, targeted ads) and based on account-level data to create relevant experiences at scale. 

Before you decide on an approach for your ABM efforts, also consider these three questions: 

  1. Does your ABM campaign have a business objective?
  2. Does your campaign tie back to an account segment?
  3. Have you examined data to inform your approach and benchmark your progress?

If you answered “yes” to all three, you’re ready to put account-based marketing to work.

Starting your ABM journey

You don't need to overhaul your entire marketing strategy overnight to try ABM. Here are some foundational steps to get started:

  1. Align sales and marketing: Establish regular, clear communication channels between your sales and marketing teams. Define shared goals, metrics, and processes. Both teams need to understand their roles in the ABM journey and work as one unit.
  2. Define your ideal customer profile (ICP) and target accounts: Work closely with your sales team to identify the characteristics of companies that are most valuable to your business. Use data from your CRM to identify your most successful current and past customers. Consider factors like industry, company size, revenue, and specific pain points. Once your ICP is clear, collaboratively select a small, manageable list of five to 10 target accounts to start with. A focused approach is crucial in the beginning as it enables the sales and marketing teams to quickly align, test their strategy, and build momentum by securing a few high-quality wins rather than spreading their efforts too thin.
  3. Identify key stakeholders within target accounts: Research the decision-makers, influencers, and end users within each of your target accounts. Understand their roles, responsibilities, and individual pain points. Utilize tools like LinkedIn Sales Navigator or ZoomInfo for this in-depth research.
  4. Develop personalized content and messaging: This is where the "account based" part of ABM truly shines. Create content (e.g., a blog post that addresses a unique challenge, a mini-case study for a specific industry, emails, ad copy) that directly addresses the specific challenges and goals of your target accounts and their key stakeholders. This isn't about simply adding a company name; it's about demonstrating a deep understanding of their business.
  5. Choose your marketing channels: For this initial phase, start with channels you're already familiar with and can manage effectively because you’ll be creating highly targeted, specific content for each one. This might include:
    • Personalized email outreach
    • LinkedIn ads that leverage the platform’s robust targeting capabilities to reach specific accounts.
    • Personalized landing pages that show tailored content or offers when target account visitors land on your site.
    • Direct mail 

Scaling your ABM efforts

Once you've seen initial success and ironed out your processes, you can gradually move into the next phase. This involves:

  • Expanding your target account list: Incrementally increase the number of accounts you're targeting as your team becomes more proficient.
  • Leveraging ABM technology and data partners: Invest in specialized ABM platforms (e.g., DemandBase, 6Sense) that can automate personalization, provide deeper insights, and track account-level engagement across multiple channels. Supplement with intent and engagement data partners (e.g., ZoomInfo, Bombora). Consider platforms that integrate with your CRM (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) for seamless data flow.
  • Implementing multi-channel orchestration: Coordinate your personalized campaigns across a wider array of channels, including display advertising, events (webinars, roundtables), and retargeting. In addition to exploring the capabilities of your ABM platform of choice, consider other personalization tools like Pathfactory (a content experience platform) or Sendoso (a trigger-based direct mail program).
  • Measuring success and optimizing continuously: Regularly analyze your ABM campaign performance using key metrics like account engagement, pipeline velocity, win rate, and revenue generated. Use these insights to refine your strategies and improve future campaigns. Don't just track clicks; track how your efforts are influencing the sales cycle and, ultimately, revenue.
  • Integrating sales enablement: Provide your sales team with the personalized content and insights they need to have more meaningful conversations with target accounts.

The marathon of ABM success

Account-based marketing is not a one-time project; it's an ongoing strategy that requires commitment, collaboration, and continuous optimization. Starting with a strong foundation, focusing on personalized experiences, and adapting as you learn will help your organization move from walking to running with ABM, leading to significant and sustainable growth.

Ready to start your ABM journey or optimize your current strategy? Contact the experts at Two Rivers Marketing today for a personalized consultation.

Ashley Netzer, Director of Customer Experience and Data, also contributed to this blog.