As a B2B marketer, Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is a buzzword I often hear from clients interested in pursuing an ABM strategy or marketing program.
I feel like it’s slightly over-romanticized because some think ABM is a silver bullet solution where you can go after your highest value customers or clients and, with some simple tweaks to your marketing program, increase your sales and shorten your sales cycles.
While there are some truths to this thinking, as demonstrated in numerous statistics around the web, at the heart of it, ABM is really a synergy between your marketing program and your sales team.
And, what that synergy does is it unifies the vision around what target you’re going after and what type of messaging and content is relevant to your target. Then it’s about deciding how to leverage that messaging and content and continue sharing insights between both teams to optimize your ABM program over time. The role of marketing is essentially to help get your brand top of mind (and keep it there) and get your foot in the door with prospects. It’s then on your sales team to build up trust and bring it home.
Marketing’s Role in Empowering Sales
When it comes to implementing a successful ABM strategy, there are several ways that marketing can support sales.
Targeted Advertising
Utilizing platforms like LinkedIn for highly targeted ads can increase visibility among key decision-makers within target accounts.
Content Creation
Developing tailored content, including blogs, case studies, infographics, and one-pagers, equips the sales team with valuable resources to address the specific needs and pain points of each account.
Lead Nurturing
Through strategic email marketing campaigns, marketing can help nurture leads by keeping prospects engaged and informed, gradually moving them down the sales funnel.
Expectations on Sales Teams
And what about the sales team? They also have a lift when it comes to driving the success of ABM strategies.
Maintain Regular Communication
Keeping in touch with leads and prospects through personalized outreach is crucial for building and maintaining relationships.
Leverage Networking Opportunities
Attendance at industry events, conferences, and other networking opportunities can help sales professionals connect with potential clients and reinforce existing relationships.
Engage in Relationship-Building Activities
Organizing or participating in activities that foster closer relationships with clients, such as golf outings or other social events, can be instrumental in advancing the sales process.
When Should You Do ABM?
The crucial question is: When is the ideal time to implement ABM?
That’s the big question because ABM doesn’t apply to all cases and scenarios, so recognizing the right time to adopt an ABM strategy is key.
The above factors are where a focused, account-specific approach could yield significant benefits. This becomes even more true in scenarios where multiple or all of these conditions are applicable.
Setting Realistic ABM Expectations
While ABM can enhance sales outcomes and potentially shorten sales cycles due to its targeted nature, managing expectations is important.
The primary aim of ABM is to establish and nurture relationships with key accounts and essentially get your foot in the door with your target audience to create a foundation for future sales opportunities.
Success in ABM is measured not just by immediate sales increases but by the quality of relationships built and the long-term opportunities these relationships unlock.
Are you ready to harness the power of ABM to forge stronger relationships and achieve a more targeted, efficient, and impactful marketing and sales strategy for your business? Then request a proposal today!
