Do you want to make the ABM strategy more efficient? Make use of video

Dec 9, 2022

ABM can also be referred to account-based marketing. (ABM) is a targeted method of B2B marketing that focuses on the top clients, and not on market segments.

ABM previously was businesses focusing on a narrow set of prospective customers and committing a large amount of their customers and marketing success resources for closing deals. But the strategies employed typically involved scraping data, high-cost and expensive activities targeted at small-sized groups, along with direct sales calls. They weren't always successful.

Nowadays, ABM is a more than just a Sales-plus-Marketing strategy to attract customers. This is a major difference as businesses are shifting away from the perception which suggested it was the case that B2B Sales and Marketing usually had a negative relationship.

If executed properly, ABM helps both Marketing and Sales teams focus on key target customers and get new business.

This post explains the basics of what ABM is, and the most effective method to use video within your account-based marketing campaigns, including customized outreach, ABM videos, and several more.

What you'll learn

  1.     What is account-based marketing?
  2.     the ABC's of ABM The fundamental elements of a successful ABM strategy
  3.     What should you avoid doing with your account-based marketing strategies
  4.     How to customize ABM programs to cater for the most discerning customers
  5.     Closing concepts

What is the essence of an account-based approach to marketing?

Shortly, account-based advertisement (ABM) is a method that allows the company to customize its strategies for marketing to target particular customers instead of following an overall strategy.

For success with ABM, it's essential to be able to understand your ideal customers. In this way, you'll be able to create targeted ads which are more likely to connect with decision-makers in the accounts you want to target.

"How is account-based marketing different from conventional marketing?" you might ask?

In traditional methods of marketing it is usually on generating the most leads feasible. In ABM, the focus is on quality over the amount. That means that instead of trying reach everyone you can You're focusing on decision-makers who are key and have specific accounts who are that are more likely to convert.

It's also important to note it is important to remember that ABM is a collaborative effort. In order to be successful in ABM, Sales and Marketing must be in sync with their objectives and strategies.

This is vital in order to ensure that everyone is working towards the same end goal of making leads of top quality which will eventually lead to customers.

One day in the diary of account-based marketing

On a regular basis this is what marketers who use accounts achieve:

  • They develop and build the profiles of specific customers.
  • They then create customized campaigns and content specifically to the specific audience as well as companies.
  • In collaboration in conjunction with Sales, ABM teams publish and distribute promotional material through multiple channels (depending on the accounts they are targeting).
  • They also monitor results, analyze the results, and then improve them to iterate on and refine and improve their ABM strategies as time passes.

So...why do you think it's important to prioritize accounts-based marketing?

There are many good reasons ABM should be a priority for your business.

First of all it is by tailoring your marketing strategies specifically to every customer, you'll be able to make custom content and experiences that are more likely to connect with your target audience. In turn, you'll establish stronger connections to the people you're trying to reach and make more sales, as well as increase the probability of staying with them.

With ABM it's possible to pay attention to those accounts with the highest likelihood of conversion, meaning a higher ROI for your company.

The third reason is ABM aligns Sales and Marketing. In traditional approaches to marketing, there's a gap between the goals of Sales as well as what Marketing is able to achieve. But with ABM and ABM, both departments aim towards closing deals on specific customers.

Additionally, buyers of today -- B2B and B2C--are smarter and more educated that they've ever been. They aren't going to react effectively to general messages or campaigns which are widely applicable. ABM is a method of delivering targeted messages. ABM it's feasible to customize your message and approach for businesses or individuals. A customized approach is more likely to attract the buyers of today, which will lead to close sales.

Additionally, ABM is trackable, perhaps more than traditional advertisements and marketing. Since ABM is focused on quality rather than numbers, it is possible examine the impact of your work and decide whether or not it is paying off. The transparency of this approach is crucial to getting the trust of your leaders, enhancing your strategy, and gaining an increasing number of clients in the process.

ABCs of ABM ABM The fundamental components of an efficient ABM strategy

With ABM You treat every account as an individual market.

For a sustainable growth of your company You need the security of an account-based-marketing (ABM) approach. These are the most important factors to consider should you're thinking of implementing an ABM approach for your business.

1. Segmentation

The first stage of establishing the ABM plan is to determine the accounts you want to divide. To do this, it is necessary to know the perfect client's profile (ICP).

The information on your ICP must contain the details of your company's demographics (e.g. Job title, company size and the address) as well as psychographic data (e.g. Motivations, pain points purchasing factors).

In order to gather the information you need You can begin your study by conducting surveys, or having conversations with former and present customers. It is possible to enhance your personal brand with secondary research by with reliable sources of information, such as industry trade magazines.

Once you have a solid grasp of your ideal company/customer profile, you can start by making lists of potential accounts. In addition, you could employ market intelligence tools to build an inventory of businesses who match your needs.

Once you've done your homework, it's now time to divide your accounts into various categories of users. This allows you to refine your message and ensure that you're targeting only the right people in the account. For instance it is possible to create someone who is a decision maker in addition to one targeted at influencers as well as one that is targeted at end-users.

Strategies: Research from the past found that the more specific your accounts are and the better your company is likely to give to your staff. Consider this as you plan your next year's budget in addition to looking for buy-in from your managing team.

Bombora State of ABM 2022 Annual Report

2. Individualized message and outreach

Once you've identified the target individuals and accounts the next step is to create custom messages and posts specific to each. Keep in mind that with ABM it's about considering each account as an individual customer consequently it's important to adapt your message to meet the needs of each.

If you opt to apply the same general messaging and content for all the accounts in your list, you won't get what you want. It's essential to create custom messages specific to all the accounts on your target list. This is a difficult task as well as a burden between teams, however it's worth it because individual messages are more effective over generic messages.

It's equally important to make sure to align your go-to-market (GTM) strategy to that the ABM strategy. The key is personalizing your messaging and using the right mixture of channels that can connect with your clients in the places they spend their time online. As an example, LinkedIn would be a excellent channel to use if you're targeting the top executives of large corporations.

Personalized messages allow you to build relationships with the individuals you are targeting. In the present, people do business with people who they trust, love and trust. By sending personalized messages on relevant channels, it is possible to develop connections with the accounts you want to target and encourage them to purchase from your company whenever they're looking to purchase or purchase something.

3. The alignment between sales and marketing

An additional aspect crucial in the most successful ABM strategy is the creation of teams that are cross-functional. This means creating teams with individuals from multiple areas within the organization such as Sales, Marketing, and Customer success. An analysis conducted by Bombora found that organizations generally the home of five teams that are focused on ABM.

They aim to bring each employee in your business to achieve a common objective that is to gain the attention of your customers you want to target.

4. Customer lifecycle marketing

A crucial and commonly overlooked element in an effective ABM strategy is the entire lifecycle of the marketing to customers. It is about enhancing the relationship that you've established with the key contacts in your targeted accounts. It can be accomplished in various methods, including creating personalized emails, giving them a call on their birthday, or handing the recipient some useful information. However you decide to go about it, you must make sure you're adding value while remaining top-of-mind.

It is likely that you'll need at minimum one person at an account where you'd like to offer your product or service to only one person on an account where you intend to offer it to. It is likely that you will need the participation of several stakeholders from different organizations in order to move the deal ahead. That's why creating specific content that can be utilized at different points of the buying process as well as throughout the customer lifecycle is important.

By combining top-of-the-funnel (TOFU) as well as middle-of the-funnel (MOFU) as well as bottom-of-the-funnel (BOFU) material that you can access as well as the capability to reach out to prospects through every stage of the selling process, as also after the purchase.

5. ABM software

One of the most important aspects of any ABM strategy is the right software. ABM software can help B2B marketers to manage and streamline their accounts-based marketing procedures. Some of the most well-known platforms are HubSpot Sales, Terminus, Pardot Marketo, and Marketo.

ABM software is able to assist you in monitoring and evaluating customer engagement as a vital metric of all ABM program (as we'll be discussing in the coming). It is possible to adjust the parameters of your ABM program based on how your customers are responding to your company's brand and the way they respond. This leads to improved the engagement of your customers with each passing day. This could result in more completed deals and increased income.

ABM software is also useful in automating repetitive tasks, which allows you to focus on strategic ABM strategies. Automation also helps in executing targeted campaigns with greater efficiency by ensuring that the appropriate people receive the correct messages on the right time and date. This makes your ABM system more effective and cost-effective over the course of time.

In the end, ABM software can help increase the return on investment (ROI). It can help you generate higher revenue for your company through increasing the involvement of your customers and campaign effectiveness. It means that your ABM system will be more likely to yield a better return on investment, which is beneficial to the business's bottom account.

6. Evaluation of performance

Last but not least, you must measure the results. Like any other marketing initiative It is crucial to keep track of the effectiveness and effectiveness of ABM campaigns. For this to be done effectively , be aware and keep track of the data which will reveal what each phase of your campaign performed with each person in each account.

You can get a good assessment of whether you ABM strategy will benefit your company through monitoring key metrics such as:

  • The traffic to websites comes from particular accounts
  • The rate of conversion from MQL to SQL
  • The amount of meetings are set by Sales
  • The new opportunities are now available
  • The size of the deal
  • Customer lifetime value (CLV)

What is it that you're not doing in your account-based marketing strategy

We've discussed the most important elements of a successful ABM strategy. In this article, we'll go over the most common ABM mistakes to avoid once you begin.

Do not use spooky, unprofessional ABM strategies

It's a spam. ABM strategies like purchasing data for cold calls and cold email campaigns are a guaranteed way to be unsuccessful with account-based marketing. If your cold email doesn't have a specific purpose or is of no significance (e.g. with useful materials or invitations to events) will it be unlikely clients will respond or schedule meetings.

The study suggests that cold outreach may work...if it is executed correctly. If you choose to use cold outreach as a part of your ABM strategy, be sure you encourage your team to adhere to the best practices:

  • Call them. 79 percent of calls that are not identified go unanswered
  • Use "we" statements--Successful cold calls include 65% more "we" statements
  • Customize your content for every individual customer. 57 % from C-level purchasers prefer to be contacted by phone

Don'trely to an enormous amount of scraped data

Account-based marketers need data to build their ideal clients or company profiles. If they rely on information purchased or scraped data can result in an absence of understanding ICPs. Additionally, it could lead to your team contacting potential clients without permission, which is bad for your brand and could result in prospects unsubscribing or marking your emails as spam.

It is suggested that you create your ICPs through conducting research on your own, such as surveys or customer interviews. If you need, supplement your personas with secondary research conducted by trusted sources such as the trade journals of industry or other tools like Sparktoro.

Don't ignore that you are accountable for the ROI

Calculating the return on investment from your ABM investment is easy particularly if you are focused on these metrics and use an ABM software that can assist.

While certain ABM techniques (like the events) may be more opaque regarding ROI calculations, there's no excuse for employing these methods without proof that they will move the needle or close the gap.

Do not make the error of organizing a costly, huge celebration or buying swag for "brand acknowledgement" and not knowing the relation with these expenses to your key objectives and KPIs.

Don't avoid bad-fit accounts

Although an account may not seem like a great choice for your company or product does not suggest that you must avoid it altogether. Even if the account isn't able to produce a sale There could provide additional benefits such as information or exposure via interactions through these accounts.

It is important to not concentrate on the short-term outcomes and instead, focus on the longer-term game of ABM.

What can you do to tailor ABM strategies for top-tier clients

Even though ABM is extremely effective, however, you must remember that every account is not all created equally. Top clients - that have the most potential to earn income for your business - require particular attention.

If you are deciding which is the top accounts, you should focus your efforts on selecting premium accounts with the greatest opportunity for growth.

The top clients of your company have a habit of getting the best of the best. Therefore, your site and services must reflect that standard. This doesn't mean that you have to spend a fortune however, it's making efforts to make top-quality and engaging material that can capture an attention from your audience and deliver results.

Here are some methods to tailor the look of your ABM ads for your highest-end clients. (Hint They should contain videos!)

Account-based marketing videos

Videos for marketing that are made from accounts are able to convey the story of your company in a relatable and engaging approach, that is better than a written campaign. Videos can be a fantastic way to showcase your service or product as it is and provide prospective customers an understanding of the positives and advantages.

What do these look like when they're used in the real world? If you're just beginning to set up a brand new business, it may be beneficial to introduce your staff through the use of a video. It gives decision makers at the organization the opportunity to introduce themselves as well as establish relationships with your team.

Your video isn't required to be elaborate. A short tour around your workplace and some intros from each member of your team can suffice. Be sure to make it explicit and professional. Additionally, the letter should explain what your team does to be the ideal selection to run the account.

Personalized screen recordings of the screen

Increase engagement and sales by creating personalized screen recordings. Instead of making a standard video that is centered around the customer, spend the time to develop a custom demo using the ICP's needs and company details with the company's name at that back of your mind.

Watching any recording you have made is a great method to impress your potential customers. By increasing the end user's interaction, you establish confidence and improve the chances of them moving further through the funnel.

Video campaigns via email

Utilize account-based marketing videos for your nurture emails. Instead of sending a generic "Look at the things we could offer you!" message, you can personalize your email messages with a captivating video that is specific to the person receiving the message.

Videos that concentrate on the pain aspects of your company and explain details of the way your product or service solves problems for your customers are more likely to have a greater impact on customers.

This will help you distinguish your business from others and show that you're willing to go the extra mile to deliver value. Videos of high-quality sent via email can bring potential buyers further down the sales funnel and help them book meetings with your sales team.

Virtual Events

Today, consumers have to deal with those they know, trust and believe in. An effective way of fostering friendship and confidence among your customers is through carefully planned virtual activities. An example of this is the virtual VIP workshop or experiences for executive.

Don't create cookie-cutter services for your best clients. Instead, you should take the time to research their specific wants and needs so you can develop tailored virtual events that offer relevant solutions and connections to the network.

In putting forth the extra effort upfront and exerting the work and effort, you'll be able to make yourself known as a reliable company that's committed to helping their business succeed over the long haul.

Programs to reduce the amount of chaff

ABM does not stop once you've made the sale. In the event that you ICPs will be your "perfect" client and that you want to keep them interested, it's best to communicate to them throughout the process of purchasing.

Inspire Customer Success to keep in contact with the target customers frequently, whether biannually or quarterly to make sure that their experience was positive. Open feedback loops to gain valuable input and understand how customers interact with the application. They can also request to be part of test groups to evaluate new beta versions of new features or even in advisory tasks for your development team.

In turn, making your customers valuable customers can reduce the rate of churn as well as increase retention and the LTV of your clients.

Concepts for closing

Successful account-based marketing is a meticulously planned and executed strategy in a variety of dimensions and teams.

By taking time to get to know your ideal buyer and creating customized campaigns, along with personalised video content, you can build stronger connections and conclude more sales.

Furthermore, since ABM is tracked, it's possible to evaluate the results of your marketing campaigns and also connect potential customers with the customized, creative marketing campaigns.

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