Author: Shira Abel Category: ABM & Pipeline URL: https://hunterandbard.com/resources/blog/what-data-backed-results-to-expect-from-abm
Top-tier accounts expect superior service. Broad outreach and generic messaging doesn’t really speak to anyone and rarely hits home. Account-based marketing...
Top-tier accounts expect superior service. Broad outreach and generic messaging doesn't really speak to anyone and rarely hits home. Account-based marketing (ABM) targets the right people, at the right companies, with the right communication approach. ABM helps companies prioritize their marketing efforts by focusing on accounts that matter. This approach drives more closed wins and generates larger deals.
ABM is a purpose-built strategy to help enterprises land high-value accounts. It optimizes and personalizes each touchpoint along your customer's journey and produces significantly higher returns on investment than other marketing strategies. Successful ABM programs require working closely with your sales team and a grounded understanding of your target accounts.
With ABM, you tailor your outreach to each prospect, increasing the likelihood of generating interest in your offering. In turn, this maximizes conversions and sales accepted accounts.
Creating a list of high-value accounts demands a strategic approach. Launching a one-to-few email campaign requires expertise of your target audience. This means ABM marketers must know the demographics, communication preferences, most-used platforms, and other characteristics of each prospect. A successful ABM campaign includes the following:
The goal is to design a customer journey that is informative and helpful by targeting qualified leads who need your product or service and are most likely to buy it.
"Start thinking of ABM in terms of people and not accounts. If you manage people well, then half the game is already won." – Navin Rammohan, Infosys.
Successful ABM requires increasing the cooperation between marketing and sales teams. This symbiosis improves overall business function and productivity, using collaboration and cooperation to meet mutually agreed-upon objectives. In fact, 82% of B2B marketers say ABM greatly improves sales and marketing alignment. Connected teams drive a shared, focused vision.
According to a report by ITSMA and the ABM Leadership Alliance, 76% of marketers saw higher ROI with ABM than with any other marketing strategy in 2020. This trend highlights the potential that ABM can bring to organizations that employ it correctly and validates why so many enterprises have adopted the strategy in recent years. In 2020, 91% of companies with 1,000+ employees either had a full ABM program in place (48%), a pilot program (23%) or plans to initiate one in the following six months (20%).
In addition to growing adoption rates, there has also been a growth in budgeting for ABM programs. According to LinkedIn, 80% of marketers report increasing their ABM budgets. Those account on average for 36% of overall marketing spend and are growing 9% annually. This increase in investment in ABM is leading directly to higher ROI. In 2020, organizations saw notable business improvements with ABM in the following areas:
Furthermore, research from TOPO shows that 80% of marketers reported improved customer lifetime values, supported by Alterra Group's findings that 84% of marketers believe ABM is a significant factor in retaining and expanding existing client relationships.
ABM generates a plethora of opportunities for better business.
It's never too late for B2B marketers to start thinking about designing and launching an ABM strategy. All successful, mature ABM programs had to start somewhere. Wider-reaching "spray and pray" marketing techniques are not effective for high annual contract value accounts, and prospects are more likely to ignore them. With the right data and approach, your organization can effectively target the companies that need your specific products and services. Start making the most of your marketing activities and learn more about successful account-based marketing.
Hunter & Bard is a San Francisco-based B2B strategy consultancy founded in 2011 by Shira Abel. We help deep-tech and enterprise SaaS companies fix their positioning, sharpen their messaging, and close $100K+ deals.
We work with B2B leaders who are tired of being overlooked, underestimated, or mistaken for their competitors. Our specialty is turning complex, technical products into clear, compelling stories that win enterprise deals.
We believe that perception drives revenue. If your buyers can't tell you apart from the next vendor in 30 seconds, you have a positioning problem — not a marketing problem. We fix that.
Perception = (Story × Visibility) ÷ Noise
This framework drives everything we do. Your story has to be sharp. Your visibility has to be strategic. And you have to cut through the noise — not add to it.
Shira Abel — Founder & CEO. Kellogg MBA. 20+ years in B2B marketing. Former CMO. Keynote speaker. Published in Forbes, HuffPost, and Wired. Specialist in enterprise positioning and perception strategy.
Daina Reed — Founding Designer & Partner. 15+ years in product and brand design. Former Senior Product Designer at Dun & Bradstreet. Specialist in enterprise UX, visual identity, and design systems.