Do you want to make your ABM strategy more successful? Use videos

ABM is also known as account-based marketing. (ABM) is a targeted strategy for B2B marketing, which focuses on specific accounts instead of markets or segments.

ABM in the past was companies deciding on a limited group of prospective customers and dedicating a significant portion of their marketing and performance resources towards closing deals. But tactics often involved data scraping, expensive, experiential events for small groups, and direct sales calls. These weren't always effective.

In the present, ABM is a more integrated approach for attracting customers. This is an important change as organizations are moving away from the perception of B2B Sales and Marketing usually were in a conflict.

ABM--when executed well--helps both Marketing and Sales teams align on key target customers and win new business.

This article explains what ABM is and the best way to make use of video for your account-based marketing campaigns--including targeted outreach, ABM videos, and more.

What you'll be learning

1.    What exactly is account-based advertising?
2.    ABM's ABCs ABM the fundamental components of a successful ABM strategy
3.    What is not acceptable in your account-based marketing strategy
4.    How can you personalize ABM campaigns to your most prestigious customers
5.    Closing ideas

What exactly is an account-based approach to marketing?

For a quick overview, account-based marketing (ABM) is a technique that allows an organization to tailor its marketing strategies to reach specific customers rather than taking an overall strategy.

In order to succeed with ABM the key is to have a deep understanding of your ideal customers. So, you're able to develop targeted campaigns more likely to resonate with people who are in charge of your target accounts.

"How does account-based marketing differ from traditional marketing?" you ask?

With traditional marketing methods with a focus on creating more leads than is can be. When using ABM, the focus is on the quality of leads over quantity. That means that instead of trying to connect with as many people as possible it's about targeting the key decision makers with specific accounts who are that are more likely to make a change.

It's also important to note it is important to remember that ABM is a team work. For success with ABM, Sales and Marketing need to be aligned in their activities and objectives.

This is vital in order to make sure that everyone is working towards the same end goal of generating quality leads that can be converted into customers.

A day in the diary of account-based marketing

In a daily basis following are the things account-based marketers accomplish:

• They develop and tailor customers' profiling.
• From there, they develop targeted campaigns and specific content designed for the target audience and companies.
• Together with Sales, ABM teams publish and market these promotional material on different channels (depending on targeted accounts).
• Lastly, they track the results, analyze, and improve campaign results to iterate on and further refine their ABM strategies over time.

So...why should you prioritise marketing based on account?

There are several key factors that indicate that ABM should be an important consideration at your company.

First, by adapting your marketing efforts specifically for the specific account, you are able to develop custom experiences and content that are more more likely to resonate with your target audience. This means you'll be able to establish deeper connections with the accounts you want to target, close more deals, and improve retention.

With ABM You can concentrate your attention on accounts that are more likely to convert which means a greater ROI for your business.

The second reason is that ABM aligns Sales and Marketing. In traditional methods of marketing it is possible to have an inconsistency between what Sales would like to achieve and what Marketing is doing. But with ABM, both departments work to close deals on certain customers.

In addition, the buyers of today -- B2B as well as B2C, are more educated and sophisticated than ever. They're unlikely to respond favorably to standard messages or campaigns that are universally applicable. ABM is a way to make sure that you can tailor your message and approach. ABM it is possible to tailor your message and approach specifically to individuals or businesses. The personalized approach is more likely to resonate with the buyers of today and lead to closed transactions.

Lastly, ABM is trackable, arguably more so than traditional marketing and advertising. Since ABM focuses on quality over the quantity of information, it is possible to measure the impact of your actions and determine whether or not it's paying off. The transparency of this process is essential to getting acceptance from the top management, improving your strategy, and gaining many more clients over the course of time.

"The ABCs" of ABM: Core elements of a winning ABM strategy

Through ABM it is possible to treat each account as a market for itself.

For a sustainable growth of your company You need a secure Account-based Marketing (ABM) plan. The following are key factors to consider if you're thinking about developing an ABM strategy for your business.

1. Segmentation

The initial step to develop the ABM strategy is to identify the accounts you want to segment. For this, it is necessary to know the ideal customer profiling (ICP).

Your ICP should include both demographic information (e.g., job title or company name, size of the business, and the location) as well as psychographic data (e.g., pain points, motivations, and buying influence).

To gather this data, you can conduct first-person research using surveys and conversations with past and present clients. You can supplement your persona by conducting secondary research using reliable information sources, such as industry trade magazines.

When you've got a good understanding of your ideal customer/company profile, it is time to begin making a list manually of target accounts. It is also possible to use market intelligence tools to build the list of companies who match your needs.

Once you've done your research Now it's time to divide your accounts into different personas. This can help you improve your messages and make sure you're targeting the correct individuals within your account. In this case, for instance, you may have a persona for decision-makers and influencers as well as one for the end-users.

2. Personalized messages and contact with

After you've identified your desired peopleas and accounts The next step is to develop personalized message and content to every one of them. Be aware that when you use ABM the company treats each account as a market for itself, so it's important to create content that is tailored for each account.

If you decide to utilize the same messages and content for all your accounts on your list but you'll not get what you're looking for. The best approach is to develop custom messages relevant to each account that you have on your list. It can be difficult and heavy lift across teams, but it's worth the effort because personal messages produce significantly higher rate of response than generic messages.

It's also important to ensure that you align your go-to market (GTM) strategy to that of the ABM strategy. This includes personalized messaging and employing the correct combination of channels to connect with your buyers where they're already using the internet. As an example, LinkedIn would be a good channel to focus on if you're targeting senior executives at large enterprises.

Personalized messages can help you establish connections with the accounts you want to target. Nowadays, people do business with those who they like, know, and trust. Through sending out personalized messages to relevant channels, you can establish connections with the accounts you want to target and make them more inclined to do business with you when they're ready to make a purchase.

3. Alignment between marketing and sales

Another important element of a successful ABM strategy is the creation of teams that are cross-functional. That means forming teams made up of people from various departments in your company, such as Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success. A study conducted by Bombora revealed that firms, on average, have five teams dedicated to ABM.

The teams are designed to unite every employee within your company around their common goal, which is to win the business of your target accounts.

4. Customer lifecycle marketing

An important and often overlooked aspect of an effective ABM strategy is customer lifecycle marketing. It's about maintaining your relationships with key contacts at your target accounts. This can be done by a variety of ways including sending customized emails, giving them a call on their birthday, or handing an email with helpful information. What ever you decide to do, be sure you're adding value and staying top of mind.

Chances are, you'll need more than one person in an account that you want to sell your product or service just one person at a target account. It is likely that you will require the involvement of several stakeholders from different organizations to help move a deal forward. This is the reason why creating specific content can be used throughout the buyer's path and throughout the cycle is crucial.

By having a mix of high-of-the-funnel (TOFU), middle-of-the-funnel (MOFU), and bottom-of-the-funnel (BOFU) material accessible, you'll be able to connect with prospects at each stage of the sales process including post-purchase.

5. ABM software

One of the most important aspects of any ABM plan is having the right software in place. ABM software assists B2B marketers to manage and automate their account-based marketing tasks. Popular platforms include HubSpot Sales, Terminus, Pardot Marketo, and Marketo.

ABM software can help you to track and assess engagement of your accounts as a vital metric of every ABM program (as we'll talk about in the next section). You can adjust your ABM strategy accordingly by understanding the types of accounts that are in touch with your brand , and the way they're engaging. This leads to improved account engagement with time. This will result in more successful deals and increased revenue.

ABM software can also help to automate tedious tasks to allow you to focus on more effective ABM techniques. Automation also helps you execute targeted campaigns with greater efficiency in ensuring that the proper contacts are receiving the correct messages in the correct time. This can make your ABM program more efficient and economical over time.

Additionally, ABM software can help increase your return on investment (ROI). It can help you generate higher revenue for your company by improving account engagement and the effectiveness of your campaign. That means your ABM program will be able to generate a higher ROI, which will benefit the bottom line.

6. Performance measurement

Not least of all, you need to measure the results. Like any other marketing campaign, it is essential to track the progress and results of ABM campaigns. In order to do this be aware of and track your data to determine how every touchpoint in your campaign was performed by each person in each account.

It is possible to get a clear assessment of whether the ABM strategy is helping your company by tracking important indicators such as:

• Traffic to websites from specific accounts
• The rate of conversion from MQL to SQL
• The amount of meetings scheduled by Sales
• New opportunities have been opened up
• Deal size
• Customer lifetime value (CLV)

What you are not to do in your account-based marketing strategy

We've discussed some core elements of a successful ABM strategy. We'll now go over some of the ABM mistakes to avoid once you start.

Do not employ scary, spammy ABM strategies

Spammy ABM tactics like buying numbers for cold calls as well as cold email are guaranteed to fail at account-based marketing. If your cold outreach isn't personalised or does not provide the value (e.g. by providing useful material or inviting invitations for events) is it unlikely that readers will respond or even book a meeting.

Studies show that cold outreach may work...if executed correctly. If you choose to do cold outreach as an element the ABM strategy, encourage your employees to use the most effective methods:

• Identify themselves-- 79% of unidentified phone calls are without a response
• Use "we" statements--Successful cold calls include 65% more "we" statements
• Customize your content for each individual recipient. 57 percent of buyers at the C level prefer being contacted via phone

Don'trely to a great deal on scraped data

Account-based marketers must have data in order to create their ideal client or corporate profiles. However, relying on bought or scraped data can result in ill-informed ICPs. Moreover, it can result in your staff contacting prospects without their consent this is detrimental to your brand image and can make prospects opt out or flag your emails as spam.

It is recommended to create your ICPs through primary research like surveys and interviews with customers. If necessary, you can supplement your personas with secondary research that comes from trustworthy sources such as industry trade publications or instruments like Sparktoro.

Do not ignore ROI

The process of calculating the ROI on the return on your ABM investment should be straightforward particularly if you concentrate on the metrics mentioned above and employ an ABM software that can help.

While certain ABM tactics (like events) are more uncertain when measuring ROI It's not a reason for using these strategies if there's absolutely no evidence to suggest they'll help bring about a change or make deals.

Do not make the error of hosting large, expensive event or investing in swag to build "brand recognition" without determining the relationship between these expenditures to your key goal and objectives.

Beware of ignore accounts that aren't fit for you.

Just because an account isn't suitable for your business or product isn't a reason to dismiss it completely. Although an account may not result in a sale There could be additional benefits, such as publicity or valuable insights gained through interactions with the account.

It is important not to be focused on results in the near-term, but instead, focus on the long game of ABM.

How to customize ABM campaigns for your top-tier customers

While ABM is a great option but it's important to remember that every account is not all created equally. The top clients - those who offer the greatest revenue for your business--deserve special attention.

In deciding on the best accounts, you must concentrate your efforts on premium accounts with the highest growth opportunity.

Your top-tier clients are used to receiving only the best, therefore your content and experiences must reflect that high standard. That doesn't necessarily mean you have to blow the bank--but it does mean making the effort to produce quality, high-quality material that is sure to draw interest and yield the desired results.

There are several methods to tailor your ABM ads to your most prestigious clients. (Hint: They include video!)

Account-based marketing videos

Account-based marketing videos tell your brand's story with a clear and accessible way, far more so than a text-based marketing message. Videos are a great way to showcase your service or product at work and offer potential customers a better sense of its benefits and capabilities.

How do they look on the job? When you're first trying to establish a new company, it's helpful to introduce your team through a video. The decision-makers from the business a chance to put a face to a name and begin developing a rapport with your team.

Your video doesn't need to be elaborate. A quick overview of your workplace and some introductions from each team member can suffice. Just make sure it's clear, professional, and highlights what makes your company the best possible choice for the account.

Personalized screen recordings

Improve engagement and increase sales by creating custom screen recordings. Instead of making a general recording, you can take time to make a customized product demo with your ICP's pain points and company information in your mind.

The ability to watch a customized recording is an effective way of delighting your potential customers. By increasing the end user's satisfaction, you increase trust , and boost the chance of them moving further into the funnel.

Video campaigns via email

Make use of account-based marketing videos for your emails to nurture. Rather than sending yet another generic "Look what we can help us!" message, try creating your own emails using a short video relevant to the recipient's needs.

Videos that focus on the pain points of your target company as well as explain exactly the way your product or services solve the problems of potential customers will make a stronger impression.

This will help you distinguish yourself from your competitors and demonstrate that you're prepared to go that extra mile in order to add the best value. Video campaigns that are of high-quality through email could move potential customers further down the funnel and motivate them to schedule appointments with your sales team.

Virtual events

These days, buyers prefer to do business with those they know, like, and trust. One way to build friendship and trust among your customers is by arranging curated virtual events. An example of this is an online VIP experience or an executive experience.

Don't create cookie-cutter experiences for your top clients--take the time to to know their specific needs and pain points so you can design custom virtual events that provide appropriate solutions as well as networking opportunities.

In putting forth more effort early, you'll be able to make yourself known as a reliable business partner that is committed to making their company successful in the over the long haul.

Churn-reducing programs

ABM does not stop once you make the sale. If that your ICPs represent your "perfect" clients, it's wise to continue to communicate with them even after the buying.

It is important to encourage Customer Success to check in with contact with the target customers regularly, either bi-annually or quarterly to make sure the satisfaction of customers. Participate in feedback loops so that you can gain invaluable feedback and learn how the customers use the software. You can even request they be part of Beta testing groups to test future features, or to play a role of consulting for the product team.

Treating your target accounts as important customers will reduce churn and increase retention and customer LTV.

Ideas for closing

Successful account-based marketing involves careful planning and implementation over a wide range of teams and dimensions.

By taking the time to understand the ideal client and creating targeted campaigns and custom video content, you will be able to establish deeper relationships with them and seal more sales.

And since ABM is trackable, you can always measure the impact of your marketing efforts and map back new customers to your unique, original marketing efforts.