This guide walks you through the full process of building and activating an ABM audience in Propensity, from defining your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) to creating a Buying Circle and preparing for campaign activation.
By the end of this guide, you will understand:
How to define your ICP
How to create or import an Audience
How to refine and review your account list
How Buying Circles fit into the workflow
When to connect your website
What to do before launching plays
Overview: How ABM Works in Propensity
In Propensity, ABM is structured around two core components:
Audience - defines which companies you are targeting
Buying Circle - defines which contacts within those companies should be included
An Audience selects the accounts that match your targeting criteria.
A Buying Circle selects the people within those accounts.
Buying Circles are not required to create an Audience, but they are required when creating plays. If you plan to activate campaigns, you must define a Buying Circle.
Additional tools such as ICP Builder and the ABM Connected Website help improve targeting and signal quality, but they are optional depending on your workflow.
Common Starting Points
If you are new to Propensity:
Start with ICP Builder if you need help defining your targeting
Import from CRM if you already have a curated list of accounts
Upload a CSV if your data is stored outside your CRM
Always define a Buying Circle before creating plays
Step 1: Define Your Ideal Customer Profile (Optional but Recommended)
If you are unsure how to define your targeting criteria, start with the ICP Builder.
The ICP Builder allows you to:
Enter up to 20 website URLs of companies you consider ideal customers
Analyze shared patterns across those companies
Generate suggested ICP attributes such as industry, revenue range, company size, and location
The tool does not automatically create an Audience. Instead, it identifies recommended attributes that you can apply later in the Audience Builder.
Use ICP Builder when:
You are starting from scratch
You want data-driven guidance on how to define your ICP
You have examples of ideal customers but need help translating them into structured filters
You can then use the generated attributes to build a more targeted account list under the Audience Builder tab.
Step 2: Choose How to Source Your Accounts
Once your ICP is defined (or if you already know your targeting criteria), choose how to create your Audience. From the Audience section, you can:
Create a New Account List
Build an Audience directly inside the platform using firmographic filters, intent signals, and other targeting criteria.
Import Accounts from CRM
Upload an existing account list from HubSpot or Salesforce and use it as your Audience.
Import Contacts from CRM
Upload contacts from HubSpot or Salesforce and match them against the platform database to build a target Audience.
Upload a Contact List
Upload a CSV file containing contacts to match against the database.
Note: When editing uploaded audience lists, all filters can be modified except the Page visited filter. Additionally, the Intent Signals filter only works if a Minimum Propensity Score is applied (must be set to at least 1).
Upload an Account List
Upload a CSV file containing account-level data. You may optionally add intent signals.
Note: When editing uploaded audience lists, all filters can be modified except the Page visited filter. Additionally, the Intent Signals filter only works if a Minimum Propensity Score is applied (must be set to at least 1).
Merge Audiences
Combine two or more existing Account Lists into a broader list.
Choose the method that aligns with where your data currently lives and how your accounts are defined.
Explore ICP Builder
Explore trending intent signals based on accounts that fit your ICP. This option helps you compare and identify signals you can apply to audience building.
Use this option when you want guidance on which intent signals to use, based on an ICP-driven starting point.
Retarget Contacts
Target users based on past interactions with your website or ads. Use this option when you want to build audiences using retargeting behavior.
At the moment, you can retarget users based on their current warmth score.
Step 3: Build and Refine Your Audience
If you are creating a new Account List, you can refine it using several filters.
Firmographic Filters
You can narrow your Audience using:
Company revenue ranges
Company size
Industries
Target locations
These filters help define which types of companies should be included.
Intent Signals
You can add intent signals to identify accounts actively researching relevant themes.
You may:
Select intent themes
Search for specific topics
Track competitor-related signals
Intent signals help prioritize accounts that show active interest.
Advanced Filters
Advanced Filters provide additional control over your Audience definition. These may include engagement-based scores, growth indicators, funding-related criteria, inclusion and exclusion rules, and other business attributes.
Use Advanced Filters when you need more granular qualification beyond standard firmographic criteria.
Audience Refresh Schedule
You can choose how often your Audience updates:
Manual refresh only: The list updates only when triggered manually
Automated daily refresh: The Audience updates every day
Automated weekly refresh: The Audience updates once per week
Select a refresh option based on how dynamic your targeting signals are and how frequently you need updated data.
After configuring your filters, click Update List to generate or refresh your Account List.
Step 4: Review and Validate Your Accounts
Once your Audience is created, review the generated account table.
At this stage, you should:
Confirm the accounts align with your ICP
Check for irrelevant companies
Validate that the volume matches your campaign goals
This step ensures your targeting is aligned before moving to activation.
Step 5: Create a Buying Circle
After confirming your Audience, navigate to the Buying Circle tab.
A Buying Circle defines which contacts within your selected accounts should be included in campaigns.
Buying Circles are required when creating plays. If you plan to activate campaigns, ensure your Buying Circle is defined.
You can refine contacts using:
Persona Attributes
Seniority
Departments
Job titles
Job title exclusions
Maximum contacts per account
Required contact information
Work email
Advanced Attributes
Job start date
Location filters (metro, state, country)
Skills
Interests
Lead list Filters
Exclude current leads
Only include previous cohorts
Lead warmth
Lead claim status
Warmth scoring model
These filters help you define which types of contacts should be included within each account.
Audience vs Buying Circle
An Audience defines which companies you are targeting. It is built using firmographic filters, intent signals, and qualification criteria.
A Buying Circle defines which contacts within those companies should be included in your campaigns. Buying Circles refine the targeting from the account level to the individual level and are required when creating plays.
Together, they ensure that campaigns reach the right people at the right companies.
Step 6: Connect Your Website (Optional)
You may connect your website using the ABM Connected Website feature.
Connecting your website enables you to use website visitor data as part of your targeting and engagement strategy.
For setup instructions, refer to How to Set Up the ABM Connected Website. Connecting your website enables website visitor targeting and engagement tracking.
Step 7: Launch Your Campaign
After completing the following:
Audience created and validated
Buying Circle defined
Website connected (if applicable)
You are ready to proceed with creating and activating plays.
Ensure your Audience refresh schedule and Buying Circle criteria align with your campaign goals before launch.