4 account-based marketing tactics to ensure success

In this article, I'll explain four essential tactics of a successful account-based marketing strategy to target and win high-value accounts.

Let's define account-based marketing

Account-based marketing (ABM) is a targeted, strategic approach to marketing that focuses on a select group of high-value accounts. It is a B2B marketing strategy that aims to create personalised and relevant messaging and content to build relationships with key decision-makers in an organisation. ABM is based on the idea that businesses are more likely to succeed if they focus on a small number of target accounts that are most likely to convert. By focusing on a small number of accounts, ABM enables marketers to create highly personalised and relevant messaging and content tailored to each target account's specific needs and pain points.

1. Identifying and targeting high-value accounts

Identifying and then targeting specific, high-value accounts that align with your ideal customer profile is crucial within an ABM strategy. By tailoring your marketing efforts to these accounts and preparing your data carefully, you can increase your chances of success and see a higher return on investment. To make sure you identify and target the correct accounts, follow these steps:

1. Ideal customer profile (ICP): Define the characteristics of your ideal customer, including industry, company size, location, pain points, and goals. This will help you identify the types of accounts most likely to benefit from your products or services.
2. Research: Once you have your ICP, research potential accounts that match your criteria. Use tools such as LinkedIn, Crunchbase, and Owler to gather information about the companies and key decision-makers at those companies.
3. Prioritise: After researching potential accounts, prioritise them based on factors such as fit with your ICP, potential revenue, and the likelihood of closing.
4. Targeted account list: Once you have a prioritised list of potential accounts, create a targeted account list that includes the most promising prospects. Additionally, it's essential to work closely with your sales teams to gain insights into your target accounts' specific needs and pain points and to ensure that your marketing efforts are aligned with the sales process. We'll look more into the collaboration with sales in point four.

2. Create personalised content and messaging

Personalised content and messaging can help you stand out from the competition and build stronger relationships with your target accounts. Doing this involves several steps:

1. Segment: Based on your gathered information, segment your target accounts into groups with similar characteristics.
2. Create content: Once your target accounts are segmented, create customised content and messaging that addresses the specific pain points, goals, and buying journeys of each segment. This could include whitepapers, case studies, webinars, email campaigns, and social media posts.
3. Personalise: Personalise the content and messaging to each specific company and decision maker at that company. You can include the company name, industry, and other relevant information in the content and messaging.

3. Build a strong, multi-channel approach

A successful account-based marketing strategy involves reaching target accounts through multiple channels, such as email, social media, events, and webinars. By using a variety of channels to engage with target accounts, you increase the chances of getting their attention and building solid relationships. Implementing a robust, multi-channel approach is crucial to an effective ABM strategy. Do this by following these steps:

1. Identify channels: Research the most effective channels for reaching your target accounts. It can include email, social media, events, webinars, paid ads, PR, etc.
2. Create a multi-channel strategy: Create a multi-channel approach that includes various channels identified before. This will help you engage with your target accounts across different touchpoints and increase the chances of getting their attention.
3. Personalise: As we said before: personalise your approach to each target account, taking into account the specific pain points, goals, and buying journey of each account.
4. Marketing automation: Use marketing automation software to create, send and track personalised messages and campaigns across multiple channels.
5. Measure and optimise: Continuously measure the performance of your ABM campaigns and make adjustments as necessary. Use analytics tools to track key metrics, such as open, click-through, and conversion rates, and optimise your campaigns accordingly.

4. Collaborate with sales

With ABM, it's crucial to collaborate with your sales teams. By working closely together, you can gain valuable insights into your target accounts' needs and pain points and align your marketing efforts with the sales process. It will help increase the chances of closing deals and achieving better results. Here are some steps to take for effective collaboration with your sales teams:

1. Roles and responsibilities: Establish clear roles and responsibilities for the marketing and sales teams to ensure everyone is on the same page and knows what is expected of them.
2. Align activities: Align sales and marketing activities to ensure that marketing efforts support the sales process and that the sales team is aware of upcoming campaigns and events.
3. Common language: Use a common language and metrics to measure success and evaluate performance. This will help ensure that the sales and marketing teams work towards the same goals.
4. Communicate: Communicate regularly with the sales team to ensure everyone is on the same page and that any issues or concerns are addressed promptly.
5. Share feedback: Share feedback and results from target accounts with the sales team to help them understand what is working well and what areas need improvement.

To summarise

To succeed with account-based marketing and experience all the benefits this approach offers, it is essential to implement the four tactics discussed in this article. Omitting any of these tactics will hinder your overall success. Take the opportunity to explore how ABM can enhance your marketing strategy and benefit your organisation. Schedule your meeting now, and we'll talk about the implementation of ABM, its potential advantages, and best practices from previous successful projects. 

Curious to learn more about account-based marketing? Take a look at our in-depth ABM guide, where we explain more about the benefits of this strategy and the tactics you should use to be successful and download the ABM tactics guide below.