How-To Guide
Whether you're just starting to explore Account-Based Marketing (ABM) or have years of experience under your belt, our ABM Campaign Guide is designed to equip you with knowledge and strategies to effectively build an ABM campaign. With this comprehensive guide, you can successfully build a highly targeted audience of in-market accounts and develop a tailored ABM campaign playbook that aligns with your growth goals.
Build an Audience of In-Market Accounts
In B2B marketing, we may wear many hats, but ultimately we're tasked with three critical objectives:
- Know your customers
- Meet target accounts where they are with the right messaging at the right time
- Drive brand awareness and sales to increase revenue
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Building a target account list incorporating third-party data can give you valuable, unique insights about your target audience. By using intent data to find and prioritize your customers based on their level of interest, you ensure that you're approaching the right accounts at the right time. The process begins by understanding which market segments you are addressing and defining the characteristics of each segment in a way that is relevant to your business. |
Let's begin by outlining the key attributes that will help you identify your in-market accounts.
Firmographic Details
Firmographic data is a type of information that categorizes organizations based on various factors, such as geographic area, number of clients, type of organization, industry, and technologies used. This data is utilized to segment organizations into meaningful categories.
To begin, answer key questions about firmographic details, such as company revenue ranges, industries you want to target, and the locations of your target customers.
- Company revenue ranges:
- Less than $1M
- $1-$10M
- $10-$50M
- $50-$100M
- $100-$200M
- $200M-$1B
- More than $1B
- Industries you want to target
- Geographical locations of your target customers (countries)
- Metro areas of your target customers
Keywords
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To narrow down the results, include keywords or phrases that match your audience's name or description. Selecting high-quality, relevant keywords can help you reach the right accounts. Similar to how you would approach a search ad campaign, identify the terms that best describe the businesses you are targeting. Remember to focus on the most relevant and accurate terms to optimize your campaign's effectiveness.
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Intent Data
Today's B2B buying committees can consist of numerous roles across a business, but they share one thing in common, they are all researching to evaluate a new vendor.
While capturing and using first-party data (data collected from your own digital properties) is crucial, incorporating a layer of third-party intent data can provide you with enhanced insights.
B2B intent data refers to the digital trail left by potential buyers as they conduct research on the web for their next purchase. It informs you when buyers are actively researching online for a solution, as well as the products and services they are interested in (known as purchase intent), based on the web content they consume.
Add intent data topics and the competitors you want to track.
- Intent signals
- Competitors to track
With intent data, you can:
What is an intent topic?An intent topic describes the nature of the online content. Is an intent topic the same as a keyword?No. Keywords consider the presence of the word. Intent topics consider the context of the content regardless of the presence of the word/phrase. |
Craft an Omnichannel Playbook Aligned to Your Growth Goals
Once you have identified your target audience, determining the most effective marketing and sales plays is the next step.
To effectively engage your prospects, it is important to craft strategies and messaging that address their specific needs and guide them through their research journey. Successful companies don't simply push their solutions onto prospects; instead, they demonstrate how their solution can solve the particular problem the prospects are facing.
By understanding the topics your prospects are researching, you can provide consultative content that intelligently guides buying committees toward your solution.
In addition, it is crucial to define clear goals for your Account Based Marketing (ABM) Playbook. Do you want to build a pipeline, accelerate an existing pipeline, generate cross-selling opportunities, or increase brand awareness? The goals you set will impact the types of plays, frequency, and content you need to implement.
Programmatic Display AdsToday, B2B marketers have more control over and get better ROI from their advertising dollars than ever before. Display advertising involves using visual ads like banners, images, or videos to promote your brands on various websites and digital platforms. Unlike search advertising, which relies on user intent expressed through search queries, display ads can appear on publisher websites, social media platforms, and mobile apps.
LinkedIn Ads and Facebook AdsAlso, offer targeted advertising through social media. On both platforms, you can upload your audiences and match account lists and then refine your targeting by adding criteria such as job title, seniority, location, and more. |
How to Use Sequential Messaging in Your Ad CampaignsShow your prospect a unique sequence of marketing messages that resonate with them and nudge them to convert. Use storytelling through ads over targeting devices. The marketing assets must be shown in a purposeful order. How to Create Converting B2B AdsLearn the tips and best practices on how you can create impactful programmatic ads that convert, so you can focus more of your efforts on attracting the right people and creating a predictable stream of warm leads to hand off to sales.
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Email Marketing
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Email marketing and account based marketing (ABM) go hand in hand, allowing you to reach contacts with provable intent with personalized communications directly to their inbox. You can provide consultative content that intelligently guides buying personas toward your solution. These emails should be tailored to address their specific pain points and challenges.
How to Make Cold Email Marketing EffectiveCold emails allow you to approach prospects who are interested in your solution with highly targeted messaging. No matter how critical your message to your prospect, it has to make it into their inbox and be opened to be effective. Don’t let your cold email get marked as spam or filtered out by email service providers. |
Direct MailDirect mail is a tangible experience and can complement online campaigns. It can enhance digital practices and achieve higher response rates aligned with other marketing plays. Use direct mail to warm up clients and create brand awareness before reaching out to them by phone. Content SyndicationContent syndication is a distribution strategy that involves sharing and amplifying content in external channels to increase brand visibility, attract new prospects, and drive more traffic to your websites or landing pages. Landing PagesWhen an account clicks on your ads, the landing page provides an opportunity for your prospect to consume relevant content, case studies, and testimonials that resonate with the account's specific needs. And invite them to take action.
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Content
When it comes to ABM content types, several effective types can be used at various stages of the ABM process to engage, educate, and persuade the target accounts. Remember, the key to successful account-based marketing is to deliver valuable and personalized content that speaks directly to the needs and pain points of the target accounts. By utilizing these different content types, you can effectively engage with your target accounts and drive meaningful results.
Webinars
Today, B2B marketers have more control over and get better ROI from their advertising dollars than ever before. Display advertising involves using visual ads like banners, images, or videos to promote your brands on various websites and digital platforms. Unlike search advertising, which relies on user intent expressed through search queries, display ads can appear on publisher websites, social media platforms, and mobile apps.
Videos
Create personalized videos that address specific pain points and challenges. Share these videos in your syndicated content, email outreach, or social media.
Case Studies and Success Stories
Sharing case studies and success stories that highlight how your offering has helped similar accounts can build credibility and trust. Focus on the outcomes achieved and the value provided.
Industry-Specific Content
Creating content that is tailored to the specific industry of the target accounts can demonstrate your expertise and understanding of their unique challenges. This can include industry reports, whitepapers, and thought leadership articles.
Lead Distribution
You want your sales teams to engage with your potential customers with proactive and personalized touches. Reaching out through various channels such as email, phone calls, social media invitations and messages, or even in-person meetings. The goal is to build relationships, and trust and ultimately close deals by demonstrating the value of your offering.
The Role of Social Media Outreach in ABM
Your ABM strategy relies heavily on specific touchpoints for success. ABM campaigns reach highly targeted audiences and social media outreach can help develop trust and build relationships, by delivering messaging that resonates with your target audience.
Create Your Playbook
Start by selecting the play types you want to execute, determining the channels to cover, developing messaging, creating content, and setting the pace for each marketing and sales interaction. This will help you create a clear plan outlining the tactics required to engage and convert potential customers.
Marketing Channels
Content
Sales Touches
Limited by budget? You’re ready to start harnessing the benefits of an ABM campaign, but you’re worried about tight budgets and ensuring your marketing spend is on target. No sweat. We compiled this guide to help you visualize the expected cost of an ABM campaign and the typical ROI for account-based marketing efforts per channel. |
ABM Playbooks
Intent data unlocks invaluable growth opportunities. Maximize your data by tying it directly to your ABM campaigns with the right ABM playbook. Here are Propensity’s top ABM playbooks:
Competitor Conquest
Helps you engage accounts actively researching your competition so you ensure your company is included in the evaluation cycle.
Guided Experience
Helps your audience find solutions to problems that keep them up at night. Build trust and lead your customers on a path to the right solution.
Industry Specific
Helps you set your business apart by highlighting your value to a niche audience. Build authority, create brand awareness, and grow your vertical presence.