ABM (Account Based Marketing) is a staple in B2B and tech marketing due to the need for holistic engagement with multiple stakeholders. But a lot of companies are getting it all wrong.
Hot Take
In many organizations, sales-led strategies targeting specific regions, industries, or solutions, shape ABM. This approach, rooted in traditional business development, often prioritizes desired accounts over ready buyers. This disconnect between marketing’s customer-centric view and sales’ business development-focused mindset leads to wasted sales and marketing efforts and overlooked opportunities.
What You Should Be Doing Instead
Analyze traffic and engagement to identify the accounts where your potential customers are coming from.
- Develop account-wide lead scoring to replace individual-focused metrics.
- Craft campaigns tailored to those accounts with identified interest, capitalizing on known industry challenges and characteristics.
- Enhance website experience with personalization by showcasing industry-specific content for users from identified accounts.
We need to shift the narrative from ’who we want to sell to’ to ‘who wants what we’re selling’.
Expected Results
By focusing on verified opportunities, rather than mere hopes or wishes, we anticipate a significant increase in the ROI for both marketing and sales activities.
- Increased engagement and conversions, aligning strategies with buyer interest for optimal efficiency.
- Boosted campaign returns, focusing on established interest rather than sales-defined targets.
- Discovery and engagement of overlooked prospects, extending reach irrespective of size or brand fame, ensuring resource efficiency.
Summary
To optimize ROI, focus on tangible, validated opportunities, not on pursuing pipe dreams. Success requires a shift from sales’ desired targets to accounts actively showing interest. The future of effective ABM lies in adopting a data-driven, customer-centric marketing approach.