Account-based marketing (ABM) is growing in popularity across the B2B marketplace. By creating and serving content that speaks directly to the needs of high-value accounts—and then automatically directing those accounts to that content—companies are seeing significant increases in sales and customer satisfaction. Here, the experts at CompassABM—an online platform that helps organizations affordably launch, build, and maintain successful ABM programs—answers some of the most common questions we get about ABM.
How does ABM differ from other types of content marketing?
A content marketing plan that develops and promotes content based on your organization’s ideal buyer personas is an important part of any marketing effort. ABM doesn’t replace standard content marketing, but it can be an excellent method for delivering targeted content that meets the needs and concerns of specific, high-value prospects and customers.
You might start with some of the content you’ve already developed, or you might write new, customized messages. It all depends on what each ABM target account needs. Either way, the delivery of your ABM content depends on the technical ability to resolve incoming IP addresses and redirect visitors to the content that is meant for them.
How can ABM benefit our company?
A majority of ABM users reported revenue increases that they attributed to its use (according to DemandBase). An ABM campaign also encourages better alignment between marketing and sales, which is a goal of many organizations and can improve results for both departments across the board.
Make the Case for ABM
How long does it take to develop an ABM program?
The answer depends on the size of your organization, the number of accounts you want to reach, and the level of ABM (strategic, lite, or programmatic) that you decide to implement. A programmatic ABM pilot can be deployed in as little as 3 weeks; for lite and strategic pilots, 12 weeks allows adequate time to develop the customized content required to drive larger, more complex campaigns. Allow another 12 weeks for measurable results.
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Who needs to be involved in developing our ABM effort?
The success of your ABM program depends on input from both sales and marketing:
- Sales provides the account details that marketing needs to create customized content. What is your company’s current relationship with the account? Does sales have current account contacts? Which product or service interests the account? What are the account’s biggest challenges and needs? What existing materials have been produced that really help to engage prospects, and which gaps in collateral could be filled?
- Marketing’s role is to leverage the data provided by sales and turn it into a compelling narrative that focuses on how your brand delivers business impact and benefit. They’re also responsible for reviewing existing content assets for use or repurposing during the campaign, as well as creating customized content for banners, digital ads, web pages, and email messages.
How can I make ABM more affordable?
Many ABM software products are expensive—and often more complicated than necessary, especially for companies that want to pilot ABM before making a long-term commitment to the strategy. Organizations can keep costs in check by starting with the least resource-intensive level of ABM. And by using a more affordable technical tool like CompassABM, you can access core functionality (e.g., IP-address resolution, redirection, content personalization, and sales team notifications and reports) and still have budget left over for content development.
Have more questions about ABM?
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