A new era of B2B account-based marketing

Account-based marketing (ABM) is a strategy which represents one of the best opportunities today’s marketers have to personalise their efforts to improve conversion rates and prospect satisfaction. This type of strategy concentrates on a set of target accounts within a market with personalised campaigns designed to engage each account, based on their needs and specific attributes.

You can start the sales process by selling directly to your best-fit, highest-value accounts and no time is wasted trying to market to leads who aren’t the right fit for your business. Engaging with high-value accounts and tailoring all your communications, content, and campaigns to those specific accounts will give you greater ROI, as well as boosting customer loyalty.  

The benefits of account-based marketing for B2B

INCREASE YOUR ROI

ABM is a highly targeted approach that focuses on engaging high-value accounts, who are more likely to convert. According to the Information Technology Services Marketing Association, 84% of businesses surveyed said that account-based marketing delivers higher ROI than other types of marketing. By focusing your resources on ABM, you can engage and convert these high-value accounts faster. 

INCREASE CUSTOMER LIFESTYLE VALUE (CLV)  

CLV is one of the most influential metrics companies can use to predict revenue potential and make strategic decisions. By focusing on high-value accounts, companies can build stronger relationships with customers, helping to retain them in the long run, increasing their Customer Lifetime Value. 

IMPROVE YOUR BRAND AWARENESS 

ABM can help increase brand awareness among target accounts and build a positive reputation in the industry. Once you’ve attracted those accounts, you should forge strong relationships with them. You can do this by solving problems your prospects face or by adding a personal touch to those accounts. This can help you become top-of-mind for your target accounts and increase the chances of winning new business. 

What the future holds for account-based marketing? 

CLEARER VIEW THROUGH AI AND MACHINE LEARNING 

ABM is highly flexible and as it becomes more sophisticated, companies are likely to introduce it into their businesses and use it alongside AI and machine learning. This will give them a clearer picture to analyse and accurately predict for their high-value target accounts, enabling companies to create even more personalised experiences – a viable strategy in this developing technological world.

GREATER INTEGRATION WITH SALES

Although we can see that ABM is already closely linked with sales teams, in the future, we can expect to see even greater integration between the two. This alignment between sales and marketing teams can work together to identify target accounts, develop a communication strategy and outreach tactics, as well as monitor campaign progress. ABM serves to unite teams, not divide them, and it will continue to do so in the future. 

EXPAND BEYOND TRADITIONAL CHANNELS

While ABM has traditionally focused on email, phone, and direct mail, the future is likely to see more expansion into other channels. Digital experiences are just beginning and B2B marketers will utilise the popularity of social media, mobile apps, and chatbots to engage target accounts, across multiple touch points. More data will be accessible through further developments in AI and analytics, therefore they’ll be able to develop more personalised experiences. 

GREATER USER OF VIDEO

Video is an effective way for developing a successful ABM campaign as it is naturally engaging, simple to recycle, and can be used to interact with accounts at any point of their journey. Videos are also a great way of including personalised messaging into content. 

ELEVATE YOUR CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE

ABM has always been focused on delivering personalised experiences, but in the future, we can expect to see even more emphasis on customer experience. As mentioned ABM will open up opportunities beyond traditional channels, and as it becomes more sophisticated you’ll be able to cater your marketing efforts with greater focus on customer feedback, data analysis, and continuous improvement. 

As things evolve within the ABM landscape, one constant will always govern the way marketing is done – personalisation. Personalisation is often the ingredient to successful marketing campaigns, and obtaining a more personalised approach is only going to become more important as competition remains high and technology moves forward.

Are you building a marketing plan? 

Code Milk is a B2B digital marketing agency that helps businesses achieve digital success. If you would like more advice on account-based marketing, we can help. Contact us!