Account-Based Marketing: 8 Best Practices

Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is here to stay and has been defined as a revolutionary marketing strategy that aligns the efforts of marketing and sales teams to target specific potential client accounts. Instead of focusing on a broad customer base, this strategy and teams focus on quality, identifying and personalizing communication with the most valuable accounts for any business.

Unlike traditional approaches that center on attracting a broad audience, ABM targets key accounts, aligning marketing and sales resources to create personalized and relevant experiences. This strategy allows companies to not only optimize their resources but also increase the effectiveness of converting high-value clients. In an environment where personalization and alignment between sales and marketing are essential, implementing best practices in ABM is crucial for achieving consistent and measurable results. In this article, we will explore eight best practices that are fundamental for any business looking to strengthen relationships with key accounts, increase return on investment, and improve competitive positioning through Account-Based Marketing.



>> What is Account-Based Marketing? <<



Over the years, it has become evident within the industry that marketing and sales teams often experience failures due to misalignment, poor communication, and uncoordinated approaches.


Content:

- Common errors in commercial teams
- Improvements with ABM implementation in commercial teams
- 8 best practices
- 3 successful implementation examples

Below are some common issues that have been observed and how ABM has improved the customer experience through teamwork and the creation of successful strategies:

Common errors in commercial teams:

Lack of communication: Ineffective communication between marketing and sales teams has led to scenarios where these teams operate in isolation without establishing a transparent understanding of mutual goals and strategies. When communication between marketing and sales is insufficient, it hampers the efficient transmission of vital information, such as specific customer characteristics, the quality of generated leads, and market trends.

Misalignment of objectives: The direct consequence of this misalignment is the difficulty in leveraging the synergies between marketing and sales. For instance, if marketing is generating leads that do not meet the conversion criteria according to sales expectations, a mismatch occurs, which can result in the loss of valuable opportunities.


Generation of low-quality leads: The generation of low-quality leads, as a result of the disconnection between marketing and sales teams, poses a substantial challenge that can directly affect the overall performance of the customer acquisition chain. In some cases, the disconnection lies in the divergent focus of both teams: while the marketing team may focus on the quantity of leads generated, the sales team may be more oriented toward quality and effective conversion.

The obsession with the number of leads at the expense of quality can lead to the attraction of prospects that do not adequately fit the ideal customer profile sought by the sales team.

Lack of post-sale follow-up: The lack of proper post-sale follow-up manifests as a significant challenge in customer relationship management. After closing a sale, the customer relationship should not be considered concluded but should evolve into continuous engagement and ongoing nurturing or loyalty building.

>> ABM Scoring: Lead Scoring for Account-Based Marketing <<

Improvements with ABM implementation in commercial teams:

Focus on strategic accounts: As mentioned earlier, ABM focuses on specific accounts, closely aligning marketing and sales objectives around key strategic accounts. This improves coordination and ensures that both teams work toward the same goals.

Collaboration from the start: This team-based strategy promotes collaboration from the beginning of the sales cycle. Marketing and sales work together to identify key accounts, understand their needs, and customize strategies to effectively approach those clients.


Personalization and relevance: ABM is based on the personalization of strategies designed to address the specific needs of each account, which significantly improves the quality of leads and customer receptiveness.


Continuous post-sale follow-up: Once the focus on strategic accounts is clear, ABM also fosters continuous post-sale follow-up. This ensures a long-term customer experience, which is essential for customer retention and loyalty.

Shared metrics and constant evaluation: One of ABM’s benefits is that it promotes alignment in metrics and the constant evaluation of results. This allows commercial teams to learn and continuously adjust strategies to achieve better outcomes.

As promised, now that we’ve reached this point, here are some of the best practices and steps to implement Account-Based Marketing in your business:


1. Account identification and segmentation:


   Together with your team, identify and segment the accounts that have the greatest potential and alignment with your products or services. Also, consider criteria such as company size, industry, purchase history, and position in the sales cycle, as this will help create a successful strategy.


2. Collaboration between marketing and sales:


   Establish close collaboration between marketing and sales teams to ensure complete alignment. Defining clear roles and responsibilities for each team in the ABM process could work well.


3. Content personalization:


   Create personalized and relevant content for each specific account with the help of Inbound Marketing; these two methodologies could work very effectively together. Ensure that the content is tailored to the specific needs and challenges of each potential client.


4. Channel selection:


   Use a combination of channels, such as email, social media, targeted advertising, and events, to reach your target accounts. Adapting your approach based on the preferred channels of your potential customers is also effective.


5. Use of technology:


   Implement marketing technology tools, such as automation platforms and CRM, to facilitate the execution and monitoring of ABM. Mention should be made of using analytical tools to evaluate the performance of your campaigns and adjust strategies as needed to set objectives.


6. Measurement and analytics:

   Set specific KPIs and measure the performance of your ABM campaigns to assess the effectiveness of the strategy over time, making adjustments based on the results obtained.


7. Continuous feedback:


   Constant feedback between marketing and sales teams to improve the strategy, adjust, and optimize the approach based on the received information helps to regularly evaluate the effectiveness of the ABM program and make adjustments according to market trends and the behavior of your potential customers.


8. Gradual implementation:


   If this is your business’s first time implementing ABM, consider starting with a pilot approach for a limited set of accounts before expanding at scale.



>> How to develop Account-Based Marketing strategies <<

Examples of Successful ABM Implementation:

Adobe:

Adobe, a leading technology and software company, has stood out for its skillful implementation of Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategies, demonstrating the effectiveness of this approach in achieving specific objectives and maximizing business outcomes.

In its successful ABM implementation, Adobe has shown a strong commitment to personalizing strategies to address key accounts. Instead of adopting a generic approach, they have developed highly specific campaigns tailored to the unique needs and characteristics of each priority account. This personalized attention has not only strengthened the connection with key potential customers but has also enhanced the relevance of their messaging and increased the likelihood of capturing the attention of target audiences.

Terminus:

Terminus, a leading company focused on Account-Based Marketing (ABM), has made a name for itself in the business landscape through its innovative and successful approach to implementing ABM strategies. By leveraging its own specialized platform, Terminus has demonstrated how an account-specific approach can deliver tangible results and measurable benefits for its marketing and sales operations.

Using its own platform, Terminus has been able to execute ABM campaigns successfully and highly effectively. This platform is specifically designed to optimize ABM initiatives, allowing Terminus to personalize and adapt marketing strategies to precisely address strategic accounts. The platform's ability to analyze data, identify trends, and facilitate personalized interactions has been a key factor in the success of the implemented campaigns.

CISCO:

The multinational technology company CISCO has excelled by implementing an Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategy designed to effectively target large accounts, which has had a significant impact on its business performance. The adoption of this strategy has proven instrumental for CISCO, not only in managing key business relationships but also in substantially improving results in terms of closing opportunities and strengthening ties with strategic customers.

CISCO's case illustrates how a well-executed ABM strategy can positively impact various aspects of the business, from sales efficiency to the consolidation of strategic relationships. This success story underscores the importance of personalization in managing large accounts and highlights how effective ABM strategy implementation can be a key element in achieving business objectives.

Remember that ABM success can vary depending on the industry, company size, and strategy execution. For more up-to-date and specific data, we recommend consulting industry reports, recent case studies, or contacting us directly.

In summary, ABM has enhanced the customer experience by fostering an integrated and collaborative approach between marketing and sales. By focusing on strategic accounts and personalizing strategies, it addresses past shortcomings, resulting in a more effective and satisfying customer experience.