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ABM for Beginners: How to Get Started with Account-Based Marketing

Introduction


Account Based Marketing (ABM) is a strategic approach to B2B marketing that focuses on creating personalized marketing campaigns to target high-value accounts as opposed to casting a wide net to attract a broader audience. ABM is gaining popularity among B2B companies as it offers a more targeted and personalized approach for reaching key accounts, increasing customer retention and loyalty, and driving revenue growth.


What is ABM?


ABM is a B2B marketing strategy that aims to target high-value accounts and decision-makers. In traditional marketing strategies, companies would cast a wide net in hopes of attracting the right buyers. However, ABM offers a more personalized approach that can be tailored to the specific needs and interests of a targeted account. This approach involves identifying the key decision-makers within an organization, understanding their pain points, and crafting a message that speaks directly to their needs.


Why is ABM important?


The benefits of ABM are many. One of the main advantages of ABM is that it offers a more targeted approach to B2B marketing, which leads to higher conversion rates and a better return on investment. Additionally, ABM helps to strengthen customer relationships and increase retention rates. ABM allows companies to speak to their prospects and customers in a more personalized way, leading to deeper engagement and stronger brand loyalty.



  • ABM helps to increase revenue growth

  • ABM helps to improve sales and marketing alignment

  • ABM increases ROI


Overall, ABM is an important strategy for B2B companies looking to build stronger relationships with their key accounts and drive revenue growth.


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Understanding Your Target Accounts


Account-based marketing (ABM) is a marketing strategy that focuses on targeting specific and high-value accounts with personalized marketing and sales campaigns. To effectively carry out ABM, it is crucial to understand your target accounts and their needs.


Determining the Ideal Companies to Target with ABM:


The first step in understanding your target accounts is to determine the ideal companies to target. This involves analyzing your current customer base and identifying common characteristics, such as industry, size, and revenue. Once you have a clear understanding of your ideal customer profile, you can use this information to create a list of target accounts.


When creating your list of target accounts, it's important to consider factors such as:



  • The company's industry and niche

  • The company's size and revenue

  • The company's growth trends

  • The company's current pain points and challenges

  • The company's decision-making process and key stakeholders


By focusing on these factors, you can create a comprehensive list of target accounts that are most likely to benefit from your solutions and offerings. This, in turn, will improve the effectiveness of your ABM campaigns and increase the chances of generating quality leads and closing deals.


Creating Targeted Content


In an Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategy, creating targeted content is essential to speak directly to your target accounts. It is about developing content that resonates with your audience and gives them a personalized experience. This approach can help your ABM efforts to be more effective and lead to stronger engagement and conversions.

Outline:


The following are the steps to effectively create targeted content for ABM:



  • Know your audience: You need to know and understand your target accounts so that you can create content that resonates with them. Research their industry, pain points, and what their goals are.

  • Create buyer personas: Understanding your audience's needs, preferences, and behaviors helps you develop messaging that speaks to them.

  • Develop a content strategy: Plan what types of content you want to create and the messages you want to convey. This should align with your buyer personas and your target account's pain points.

  • Personalize content for each account: By personalizing content for each account, you can make your messaging more relevant and personalized to each target. This helps to build stronger relationships and drive conversions.

  • Collaborate with sales: Work with your sales team to understand their conversations with target accounts. This can help you create content that addresses any concerns or questions they may have and speaks to their needs.

  • Measure success: Track the performance of your content and adjust accordingly. Look at engagement rates, conversions, and overall ROI.


Ultimately, creating targeted content is about addressing your target accounts' needs and making them feel seen and heard. By following these steps and continuously improving your content strategy, your ABM approach can be more effective in driving revenue growth.

Personalizing Your Outreach


In account-based marketing, sending personalized messages and outreach is critical to capturing the attention of your target accounts. Here are some tips for crafting personalized messages and outreach for each account:


Understand Your Target Accounts



  • Research the account's industry, pain points, and goals

  • Identify the key decision-makers and their roles

  • Find common ground or connections between your company and the account


Craft Your Messaging



  • Use the account's language and focus on their pain points and goals

  • Show how your company can solve their specific challenges

  • Personalize the messaging to each decision-maker's role and responsibilities

  • Avoid generic or salesy language


Choose the Right Channels



  • Consider the account's preferred channels and communication styles

  • Use a mix of channels, such as email, phone, and social media

  • Coordinate outreach across multiple channels for a cohesive message


By personalizing your outreach, you can increase the effectiveness of your account-based marketing campaigns and build stronger relationships with your target accounts.


Choosing the Right Channels: Exploring Various Channels for ABM Outreach


When it comes to ABM outreach, choosing the right channels is crucial for success. Different channels work better for different audiences, industries, and goals. In this section, we'll explore various channels you can use for your ABM outreach and help you determine which ones will work best for your business.


1. Email


Email is a powerful channel for ABM outreach, allowing you to deliver customized messages to your target accounts. Personalization is key in ABM, and email allows you to tailor your message to the recipient's needs, pain points, and interests.



  • Pros: High level of personalization, cost-effective, easy to automate, easy to measure engagement

  • Cons: Low response rates, high bounce and unsubscribe rates, messages can get lost in cluttered inboxes


2. Social Media


Social media is a valuable channel for ABM outreach, enabling you to reach your target accounts where they spend time online. Platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook offer targeting options that allow you to focus on specific industries, job titles, and locations.



  • Pros: High visibility, targeting options, easy to share and engage with content, great for building relationships

  • Cons: Can be time-consuming, requires a good content strategy, limited ability to personalize messages


3. Direct Mail


Direct mail is a unique channel that can help you stand out from the digital clutter and grab your target accounts' attention. By sending physical mail, you can make a memorable impression and show your commitment to a personalized approach.



  • Pros: High impact, tactile, personalized, can be combined with digital channels for a multi-touch approach

  • Cons: Higher cost, limited reach, difficult to measure ROI


4. Events/Webinars


Events and webinars are excellent channels for ABM outreach, providing the opportunity to engage with your target accounts face-to-face or virtually. Events can range from small and intimate to large industry conferences, depending on your goals and resources.



  • Pros: High level of engagement, excellent for relationship building, great for demonstrating thought leadership

  • Cons: Higher cost, limited reach, requires a significant amount of planning and execution


5. Phone


Phone calls can be an effective channel for ABM outreach, allowing you to have a real-time conversation with your target accounts. Phone calls can help you build relationships, qualify leads, and gather valuable feedback.



  • Pros: High level of personalization, real-time feedback, can help build relationships

  • Cons: Limited reach, can be time-consuming, can be difficult to reach decision-makers


By exploring these various channels, you can determine which ones will work best for your ABM outreach strategy. Don't be afraid to experiment with different channels to find the right mix for your target accounts and goals.


Measuring Success


Measuring the success of your Account-Based Marketing (ABM) efforts is crucial to understanding the performance of your campaigns and improving future strategies. Here are some steps to help you identify key performance indicators (KPIs) and measure the success of your ABM program:


1. Identify your goals


Before you start measuring success, you need to establish clear goals for your ABM program. These goals will guide your efforts and help you determine what metrics to track.


2. Determine your KPIs


Once you have established your goals, it's time to decide on your KPIs. KPIs should align with your goals and reflect the success of your campaign. Examples of ABM KPIs include:



  • Account engagement

  • Revenue generated from target accounts

  • Conversion rates

  • Customer retention and expansion


3. Set benchmarks


Set benchmarks based on historical data or industry standards to help you determine where your ABM program currently stands and what growth looks like for your KPIs.


4. Track progress regularly


Track your data regularly to ensure you are on track to meet your goals and KPIs. This allows you to make adjustments to your strategies as needed in real-time.


5. Analyze and improve


Use the data you have collected to analyze the performance of your ABM program and make data-driven decisions for improvement. Consider partnering with a data and audience intelligence solutions provider like ExactBuyer to refine your audience targeting and generate more successful ABM campaigns.


Getting Started with ABM Tools


If you're just starting out with account-based marketing (ABM), you might be wondering what tools you need to implement a successful strategy. ABM is a targeted approach to marketing that involves identifying and prioritizing high-value accounts, and tailoring your marketing efforts to meet the unique needs of those accounts. Here's an overview of the types of ABM software and tools you may want to consider:


Overview of ABM software


ABM software can help you automate and scale your account-based marketing efforts. There are a variety of ABM software solutions available, but they typically fall into one of three categories:



  • Account selection: These tools help you identify and prioritize high-value accounts based on firmographic, technographic, and behavioral data.

  • Account engagement: Once you've identified your target accounts, these tools can help you engage them across multiple channels, including email, social media, and advertising.

  • Account measurement: ABM software can also help you measure the effectiveness of your ABM efforts, by tracking engagement rates, opportunity creation, and revenue generated from target accounts.


Tools to help you get started with implementation


Here are some specific tools and resources that can help you get started with implementing an ABM strategy:



  • LinkedIn Sales Navigator: This tool can help you identify and engage key decision-makers within your target accounts, by providing access to in-depth company and contact data.

  • Terminus: This ABM platform provides a range of account-based targeting and engagement tools, including account-based advertising, website personalization, and sales intelligence.

  • HubSpot ABM: HubSpot offers an ABM toolset that includes account-based ads, email nurturing, and reporting and analytics.


By leveraging these ABM software and tools, you can create a targeted and personalized marketing approach that delivers better results for your business.


Interested in exact buyer's real time contact, company data and audience intelligence? Contact us at https://www.exactbuyer.com/contact to learn more and get started.


Conclusion


Account-Based Marketing is an effective strategy to target high-value accounts and improve sales and revenue. By providing personalized experiences and building strong relationships, ABM can help businesses achieve their targets and grow.


Summarizing the importance of ABM



  • ABM helps businesses identify and engage with high-value accounts.

  • ABM improves the efficiency and effectiveness of marketing and sales efforts.

  • ABM increases revenue and helps businesses achieve their targets.

  • ABM provides personalized experiences that can build strong relationships with prospects and customers.


Overall, ABM is an effective way to grow your business by targeting the right accounts with personalized experiences that improve engagement and drive revenue.


Call-to-action to get started


If you're interested in getting started with Account-Based Marketing, ExactBuyer can help. Our real-time contact and company data, audience intelligence solutions, and AI-powered search capabilities can help you identify and engage with high-value accounts. Contact us here to learn more about our solutions and how we can help you achieve your ABM goals.


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