ABM 101 – Making it work that delivers against the Hype

Account-Based Marketing, “ABM”, has become a three-letter acronym that has increasingly been heralded as the “panacea” to better return on investment (ROI) on sales-driven campaigns. This is not necessarily the case in reality. In this article, we uncover the 101 to successfully kick-start ABM that delivers 360° marketing success for all stakeholders and value to the target audience. First, let’s define what ABM is

“Account-based marketing (ABM) is a go-to-market strategy targeting certain accounts with a synchronised, continuous set of marketing and sales activities. ABM activities engage those accounts and individuals through all stages of the buying journey.” (1)

The first thing to state is that whilst ABM overall can be a highly effective marketing strategy “tool,” it is imperative that before getting off the starting line, is an overall “Campaign” level strategy and plan needs to be in place

So, what does that mean? Here are our five steps to ABM’s success from the Fuse Pipeline.

No1. Go beyond the defined “Theory” of ABM and ensure that it forms an integrated part of the organisation’s overall business, marketing and audience engagement strategy. ABM works best when all the right stakeholders are at the table and have “skin in the game “.

No2. Assume that you don’t know everything about the target audience you want to engage. Success in ABM is all about “enrichment” of your existing customer data with an Intelligent Data-driven provider (such as Fuse Pipeline). What you and the Business Intelligence team may not know about the buying behaviours (2) and personal profile (3) could be the difference between success and failure.

No 3. Success is not all about identifying sales opportunities. Therefore, setting the right Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) is key to framing success and delivering success beyond the short term. All of which can deliver priceless value to the organisation in terms of better customer account intelligence, new buying influencers and providing the best customer buying experience. All of these drive customer advocacy.

No 4. “Content is King”. This statement has never been more accurate, especially in the context of the increased “Hype” around ABM. A “Campaign” level strategy must include a “Content” strategy when combined with Points 2 and 3 above, increasing audience engagement and breakthrough in terms of your message and call to action(Solutions – Fuse Pipeline).

No 5. Use ABM strategically to drive long-term audience nurture (4) and engagement on your digital channels, such as your corporate website, as part of an integrated “always-on “campaign outside of social media activity.

That’s the Fuse Pipeline 5 steps to ABM long-term success beyond the Hype.