By Inga Gérard, MSc, Director Marketing, CEO & Founder, IG Scientific Marketing
I hear this more and more often when talking to B2B companies: Do you do account-based marketing (ABM)? Have you worked on targeted B2B campaigns?
Yes, actually, I do. I’ve been working in B2B marketing for over 20 years, and yes, we’ve used ABM since what feels like forever. Only recently has it been given its proper name. And please don’t shout now – I know there’s a lot more to account-based marketing, many layers, than I will cover here.
Some ABM strategies have only become possible through digital marketing, which didn’t exist in the good old days. Things like targeted landing pages or banner ads, for example. But I’ll come back to that later.
What is account-based marketing, really?
Let me start with a bit of history to explain why ABM feels like something that has always existed to me. The concept started taking shape in the 1990s, when companies began to realise the need for more personalised marketing. This shift was influenced by the book The One to One Future by Don Peppers and Martha Rogers, published in 1993, which emphasised the move away from mass marketing towards more individualised approaches.
The actual term account-based marketing was created in 2004 by ITSMA. But many B2B companies had already been doing similar work long before that. ABM gained momentum thanks to the rise of demand generation, inbound marketing, and the availability of tools that support this kind of approach.
Let me try to define it in simple terms:
ABM is about aligning your sales and marketing teams to focus on selected key accounts with personalised campaigns. Content is tailored to each account’s needs throughout the entire sales cycle. The aim is to target high-value prospects that can drive business growth.
This means your marketing and sales support becomes truly customer-focused. It is very different from a general campaign with broad reach, like when we announce an event or share a press release. (LINK You can read more about knowing your audience here: Know your audience.)
Personalisation is essential. Your customers are individuals, not just numbers in a target list. Their buyer experience, their pain points, their decision process – all of it must be considered.
A typical ABM strategy starts with identifying which accounts you want to target. You base this on different factors, such as potential value, buying behaviour, and other relevant data. Once you’ve selected your accounts, you can begin outreach with a detailed campaign that includes highly personalised content.
For smaller markets or small companies, this work can still be done manually. But once you’re dealing with large amounts of data, using AI-based analytics tools can help streamline your ABM process.
There are really two levels of ABM: a simple, practical version many teams can handle themselves, and a more complex, data-driven approach that often requires professional training and specialised tools. Thus, this is a strategy that keeps evolving.
How to build your ABM strategy
As always, there are a few key points to keep in mind. And in marketing, good planning makes all the difference. Here’s how you can develop your strategy:
1. Choose your target
Decide on your approach. Will you go for a one-to-one ABM strategy focused on a few strategic accounts, or will you define a small group of similar companies?
2. Coordinate your teams and get buy-in from sales and marketing
ABM is a great way to close the gap between sales and marketing. This is also one of the most important success factors. Get your key people involved early on: sales, marketing, business development, and others depending on your company structure. Use workshops or brainstorming sessions to align goals and create a collaborative atmosphere.
3. Define your ideal clients
Use your CRM data and other reports to identify high-value accounts. Build your buyer personas and map their customer journeys based on patterns in company size, technologies they use, and other relevant insights.
4. Choose the right ABM channels
Find the best ways to reach your accounts. This might include email, account-based advertising, live events, tele-prospecting, or even direct mail. Think about what your audience prefers and also what your budget allows.
5. Use attribution reporting to measure results
Set up tracking and reporting tools so you can see how your campaign is performing. Use this data to continuously improve your targeted B2B campaigns.
Key findings from the 2022 ABM Benchmark Study
The 2022 ABM Benchmark Study by Momentum ITSMA and the ABM Leadership Alliance showed some strong results:
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- 90 percent of companies said they saw better engagement with decision-makers
- 84 percent reported significant pipeline growth
- 72 percent said ABM gave them a better return on investment than other strategie
- 75 percent found that ABM improved collaboration between sales and marketing
If you’re already using ABM or thinking about starting, these results are a strong argument in its favour. ABM is not something you can simply plug in and expect results overnight. It requires real strategy and cross-team collaboration. But the impact is worth the work.
What you could consider next?
- Invest in tools and training
Make sure your team has what they need to do ABM well. Many CRM systems like HubSpot or Salesforce already include strong ABM tools (such as Target Account Dashboard, Advanced Reporting, Buying Role Tagging, Company Scoring, or Engagement Studio).
- Improve sales and marketing alignment
A shared mission and clear communication between both teams is the core of any good ABM plan.
- Track and improve your performance
Keep measuring what is working. Make changes based on real data. This is how you get better results over time.
Even if some ABM work can be done manually, especially in small teams, the right tools and training can boost your efficiency and results. Choose tools that match your existing systems and offer the features you actually need.
Sources:
The Untold and Fascinating History of Account-Based Marketing – Spiceworks
The History of Account Based Marketing
The evolution of Account-Based Marketing – DemandWorks
https://thecmo.com/marketing-strategy/account-based-marketing-strategy/
The ABM Leadership Alliance and Momentum ITSMA Release Sixth Annual ABM Benchmark Report 1
Elevating ABM: Building Blocks for Long-Term Growth – Momentum ITSMA 2
Momentum ITSMA’s annual ABM Benchmarking study shows no signs of slow down for Account-Based Marketing 3