Want to make your ABM strategy stronger? Use videos

ABM is also known as account-based marketing. (ABM) can be described as a highly-targeted method of B2B marketing, which focuses on key accounts rather than segmentation of markets.

ABM in the past was firms generating a short list of target prospective customers and directing a large portion of their marketing and customer success resources to closing deals. But tactics often involved scraping of data, high-cost experiences for smaller groups, as well as cold sales outreach. However, these weren't always efficient.

In the present, ABM is a more than just a Sales-plus-Marketing strategy to attract customers. This is an important change as organizations are moving away from the stereotype which claimed that B2B Sales and Marketing usually have a less antagonistic relationship.

If it is executed properly, it helps Marketing and Sales teams align on key target customers and win new business.

This document explains the basics of ABM is and the best way to utilize video to the account-based marketing campaign, including customized outreach, ABM videos, and more.

What will you learn

1.    What exactly is account-based marketing?
2.    ABM's ABCs ABM: Core elements of a winning ABM strategy
3.    What not to do with your account-based marketing strategies
4.    How do you customize ABM campaigns to your most prestigious clients
5.    Closing concepts

What is the concept behind account-based marketing?

In short, account-based advertising (ABM) refers to a method in which an organization tailors its marketing strategies to reach specific customers rather than taking an overall approach.

In order to succeed with ABM, it's essential to have a deep understanding of your ideal customer. In this way, you'll be able to create targeted ads that are which are more likely to appeal to those who make the decisions at your targeted accounts.

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

In traditional methods of marketing with a focus to generate the most leads possible. When using ABM, the focus is on quality over volume. This means instead of trying reach the maximum number of people possible it's about targeting the key decision makers within specific accounts most likely to make a change.

It's also important to note the fact that ABM is a collaboration initiative. In order to be successful in ABM, Sales and Marketing must be in sync with their activities and objectives.

This is vital for ensuring that everyone is working towards the same end goal of creating leads of high quality that turn into clients.

The day-to-day life of account-based marketers

In a daily basis Here's how marketers who are based on accounts are doing:

• They design and create specific client profile.
• Then, they create personalized campaigns and content specifically designed for the target audience and businesses.
• Together with Sales, ABM teams publish and distribute these materials across various channels (depending on targeted accounts).
• They also track, measure, and optimize the results of campaigns to improve and refine and improve their ABM approach in the course of time.

So...why prioritize account-based marketing?

There are a few key factors that indicate why ABM should be a priority at your company.

First, by adapting your marketing efforts specifically for the specific account, you are able to make custom content and experiences that are much more likely to resonate with the people you want to reach. In turn, you will be able to build stronger relationships with your target accounts as well as close more deals and improve retention.

With ABM, you can focus your efforts on accounts which will convert more frequently and provide a better returns on investment for your business.

Secondly, ABM aligns Sales and Marketing. With traditional marketing techniques, there can be an inconsistency between what Sales would like to achieve and the way that Marketing does. With ABM, both departments work to close deals on particular accounts.

In addition, the buyers of today -- B2B as well as B2C, are more educated and sophisticated than they have ever been. They're unlikely to respond effectively to general communications or generic campaigns. Through ABM you are able to customize the message and strategy for specific individuals and companies. A personalized approach is more likely to be a hit with the current buyers, and will result in close transactions.

Finally, ABM is trackable, arguably more so than conventional marketing and advertising. Because ABM focuses on quality over quantity, you can measure the outcomes of your work and evaluate whether you're making a difference. The transparency of this process is crucial to get buy-in from leadership, refining the way you conduct business, and ultimately gaining more customers over time.

The ABCs of ABM: Core elements of an effective ABM strategy

Through ABM You treat every account as a market for itself.

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

1. Segmentation

The first step in developing the ABM strategy is identifying and segmenting your target accounts. For this, it is necessary to know your ideal customer profile (ICP).

The information in your ICP must include both demographic information (e.g. Job title, company size, location) as well as psychographic data (e.g., pain factors, motives, purchasing influence).

To gather this data, you can conduct first-person research using surveys and interviews with current and former clients. You can supplement your persona with secondary research from reliable information sources, such as industry trade magazines.

If you've got a firm knowledge of your ideal client/company profile, it is time to begin manually developing a list of accounts you want to target. Additionally, you can make use of market intelligence tools to build an inventory of businesses which meet your requirements.

After you've completed your homework It's now time to separate your accounts into distinct individuals. This will help you refine your messages and make sure you're targeting the correct users within each account. In this case, for instance, you may be able to create a persona that targets decision makers, one for influencers, as well as one for the end-users.

2. Individualized messaging and communication

After you've identified your desired persons and accounts The next stage is to design individualized messages and contents for every one of them. Keep in mind that with ABM, you're treating each account as an individual market It's essential to tailor your content accordingly.

If you attempt to apply the same messages and contents for all of your target accounts You won't achieve the results you want. The best approach is to develop custom messages specific to each of the accounts that you have on your list. This is a difficult task as well as a heavy burden for teams, but it's definitely worth it. Personalized messages result in significantly greater rate of response than generic messages.

It's equally 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 spending their time online. Like, for instance, LinkedIn would be a good channel to focus on for senior executives in large companies.

Personalized messages help you build relationships with your target accounts. In today's world, people do business with those they know, like and have confidence in. When you send personalized messages through appropriate channels, you'll be able to establish connections with the accounts you want to target and make them more inclined to purchase from your company when they're ready to make a purchase.

3. Alignment between marketing and sales

Another crucial aspect in a successful ABM strategy is building cross-functional teams. That means forming teams that include individuals from multiple departments within your company, such as Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success. A study recently conducted by Bombora revealed that firms typically have five teams who are dedicated to ABM.

These teams aim to align everyone within the organization around the common goal of winning the interest of the target accounts.

4. Customer lifecycle marketing

A crucial and frequently overlooked component of a successful ABM strategy is the lifecycle of the customer marketing. This is about nurturing your relationships with key contacts who are in your desired accounts. You can do this in several ways like sending them personalized emails, offering them a call on their birthday, or handing the recipient a list of useful resources. What ever you decide to do, be sure you're providing value and remaining top-of-mind.

Most likely, you'll require more than one person at the target account in order to market your product or service the one or two people at the target account. It is likely that you will need to engage various stakeholders within your organization to push the deal forward. This is why creating targeted information that is used throughout the buyer's journey and customer lifecycle is important.

By having a mix from top-of the-funnel (TOFU), middle-of-the-funnel (MOFU) and bottom-of the-funnel (BOFU) information that you can access, you'll have the ability to engage prospects at every stage of the sales process including post-purchase.

5. ABM software

The most crucial aspects of any ABM plan is having the appropriate software. ABM software can help B2B marketers manage and automate their account-based marketing activities. Some of the most well-known platforms are HubSpot Sales, Terminus, Pardot and Marketo.

ABM software can help you to track and assess engagement of your accounts which is a crucial metric to track in every ABM program (as we'll discuss next). You can adjust your ABM plan based on the types of accounts that are in touch with your brand , and how. This will result in increased engagement as time passes, which will result in more successful transactions and more revenue.

ABM software can also help in automating repetitive tasks, in order to let you concentrate on strategically ABM strategies. Automating your processes can help you execute targeted campaigns more effectively by ensuring that all the right contacts receive the right messages at the appropriate date and time. This makes your ABM program more effective and economical over time.

Additionally, ABM software can help you improve your overall return on investment (ROI). You can ultimately drive more revenue for your business through increasing account engagement and campaign effectiveness. This means that the ABM program will have more ROI. This is good for the overall bottom line.

6. Evaluation of performance

Not least of all, you must measure your results. Like any other marketing initiative, it's essential to monitor the success of your ABM campaigns. For this to be done effectively ensure you are able to track and analyze your data to determine what each touchpoint of your campaign performed with each decision-maker within each target account.

You can get a good assessment of whether your ABM strategy is working for your company by tracking important metrics such as:

• Web traffic coming from accounts targeted
• The conversion rate for MQL to SQL
• The number of meetings that are set by Sales
• New opportunities have been opened up
• Deal size
• Customer lifetime value (CLV)

What not to include when you are implementing a marketing plan based on accounts

The article has covered some of the key elements of a successful ABM strategy. Now, we'll unpack some of the ABM errors to avoid when you begin.

Don't employ scary, spammy ABM tactics

Ineffective ABM strategies like purchasing numbers for cold calls as well as cold emails are a surefire way to fall short of account-based marketing. If your cold email isn't personalised or does not provide the value (e.g. by providing useful content or event invitations) It's highly unlikely that your recipients will reply or book an appointment.

Research has proven that cold outreach can work...if done correctly. If you choose to do cold outreach as part of your ABM strategy, encourage your team to follow best methods:

• Identify themselves-- 79 percent of unidentified phone calls are unanswered
• Use "we" statements--Successful cold calls include 65% more "we" statements
• Make the content relevant to every individual recipient. 57 of from C-level purchasers want being contacted via phone

Do notrely too heavily on scraped data

Account-based marketers require data to create their ideal client or company profiles. However, relying on bought or scraped information can cause a lack of knowledge ICPs. Additionally, it could result in your staff contacting potential customers without their permission, which is bad for the image of your brand and could cause prospects to unsubscribe or mark your messages as spam.

We recommend crafting your ICPs by conducting primary research, such as surveys or customer interviews. If necessary, you can supplement your personas by conducting secondary research from reliable sources like industry trade publications or instruments like Sparktoro.

Don't overlook that you are responsible for ROI

The process of calculating the ROI on the return on your ABM investment should be straightforward, especially if you focus on the metrics mentioned above and utilize an ABM software that can help.

Though certain ABM strategies (like events) are more uncertain in terms of ROI measurement There's no reason to be hesitant about choosing these tactics when there's no evidence that they'll move the needle or close deal.

Do not make the error of organizing large, costly event and spending money on merchandise for "brand awareness" without knowing what the implications of these investment decisions are to your primary KPIs and goals.

Do not ignoring bad-fit accounts

Just because an account isn't an ideal fit for your business or product does not mean that you have to ignore it completely. If an account does not produce a sale There could be additional benefits, such as publicity or valuable insights gained by interacting with the account.

It is important not to focus on short-term results and instead keep an eye on the long game of ABM.

How do you customize ABM campaigns for your top-tier clients

While ABM can be extremely effective however, you must remember that not all accounts are made equal. Your top-tier clients--the ones who represent the biggest revenue potential for your business--deserve special attention.

If you're trying to choose the most suitable accounts, you must focus your efforts on a group of top-quality accounts that offer the best growth opportunity.

Your top-tier clients are used to receiving only the best, and your content and experiences should reflect the same quality. It doesn't mean you'll need to break the bank--but it does mean investing the time and effort needed to create quality, high-quality content that attracts the attention of your audience and produce results.

Here are a few options to personalize your ABM ads to your most prestigious clients. (Hint: They include video!)

Account-based marketing videos

Account-based marketing videos present your brand's story with a clear and accessible way--more so than a text-based marketing message. Video is an excellent method to show your service or product in action and give potential customers a better sense of its benefits and capabilities.

What are these like in practice? If you're just beginning to break into a new company, it's useful to introduce the team with a short video. It gives decision makers at the organization a chance put a face to the name, and start building a relationship with the team.

Your video doesn't need to be extravagant. A brief tour of your workplace and some introductions by each team member can suffice. Make sure that it's concise, professional, and highlights how your team is the ideal choice to manage the account.

Screen recordings that are personalized

Enhance engagement as well as sales by creating custom screen recordings. Instead of making a general recording, make the effort to make a customized product demo using your ICP's pain points and company information in the back of your head.

Watching a custom recording is an effective way of delighting your prospect. Through enhancing your end-user's satisfaction, you increase trust and increase the likelihood of them continuing down the funnel.

Video campaigns via email

Utilize account-based marketing video in your email nurture campaigns. Instead of sending another generic "Look at what we could help you!" message, try personalizing your emails with short videos that are that is relevant to the needs of your recipient.

Videos that highlight the pain aspects of your company and explain exactly how your products or services can solve prospective customers' problems will be more effective.

It will allow you to distinguish yourself from your competitors and demonstrate that you're prepared to go that extra mile to deliver quality. High-quality video campaigns by email can help move customers to the next step in the funnel, and help them book meetings with your sales staff.

Virtual occasions

Today's buyers are different--they deal with individuals they know, like and trust. A way to foster camaraderie and trust with your target accounts is by arranging curated virtual activities. An example of this is the virtual VIP workshops or an experience designed for executive.

Avoid creating cookie-cutter experiences for your top clients--take the time to get acquainted with their unique wants and needs so you can create custom-designed virtual events that provide pertinent solutions and connections to networks.

In putting forth the extra effort upfront by putting in the extra effort upfront, you'll have the ability to position yourself as a trusted business partner that is committed to helping businesses succeed in the in the long run.

Churn-reducing programs

ABM isn't over once you've made the sale. Since that your ICPs are your "perfect" customer and you want to keep them engaged, it's best to engage them after purchasing.

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 that their experience was positive. Participate in feedback loops so that you can gain invaluable feedback and learn how they use the product. It is possible to request that they participate in beta testing groups for the latest features, or in consulting roles in conjunction with your Product team.

Making your customers valued customers could reduce the rate of the likelihood of losing customers and boost retention. customer LTV.

Closing concepts

An effective account-based marketing strategy is a meticulously planned and executed strategy over a wide range of teams and dimensions.

When you spend time to get to know your ideal customer and developing specific campaigns as well as custom-made video content, you will be able to establish deeper relationships with them and seal more transactions.

Furthermore, since ABM is trackable it is possible to measure the results of your efforts and map back new customers to your unique, original marketing campaigns.