Imagine a bustling city as your industry. Here, each building represents your potential customer. In this case, traditional marketing would cast a wide net, hoping to catch anyone passing by. But what if you could pinpoint the exact individuals you want to reach?
That’s where ABM, Account-Based Marketing, comes in. It’s a B2B marketer’s GPS, in the urban landscape of business; specifically for B2B lead generation. With ABM, you don’t distribute flyers on a crowded street, you ring the doorbells of the people who are sure to accept it. This ensures that your ad reaches the right doors at the right time.
Result? The ABM strategy complements your traditional lead generation efforts and the personalized content strengthens your client relations.
Implementing ABM is a bit of a learning curve though, especially if you’re just starting out. Dive into the blog to learn more about ABM in B2B lead generation.
What is ABM?
“Did you know that the majority of B2B marketers say ABM campaigns are great value for money?”
Lead generation is in general quite tough. Especially in B2B Lead Generation, converting high-value leads into clients is even more difficult. And ABM makes it a little easier. With it, you can achieve a personalized customer experience that will convert more decision-makers and increase your ROI.
In the core, ABM becomes the tool that gives you your targeted accounts and helps you create personalized content. Whether you’re a marketer, a B2B lead-generation enthusiast, or a decision-maker looking to improve your company’s B2B lead-generating services, this blog is for you.
How does ABM benefit you?
The B2B landscape is ever-evolving. This means, as a B2B marketer, you need to constantly work towards finding and crafting the perfect strategy that connects with your top-performing clients. And in B2B Lead Generation, account-based marketing is that strategy.
So how exactly does account-based marketing benefit you?
- Simplify sales and marketing workflow
Have you ever experienced communication breakdowns, conflicts and less-than-expected campaign performance?
ABM is your solution. ABM helps you align your marketing and sales department. And when these departments are aligned, the marketing team creates targeted content and messaging that works on the needs of the sales team.
- Consistent Customer Experience
Your prospects and audience crave consistency. The alignment between your marketing and sales team ensures a sense of transparency and they work together to stay within budget, achieve goals and give out targeted content. So, no matter how long an account stays in your sales pipeline, your team member is capable of picking off wherever the other stopped. Thus creating a consistent customer experience.
- Boosting ROI
As a B2B marketer, you aim to maximise return on investment (ROI). ABM allows you to track ROI for each account in which you invest. This clarity allows you to select and nurture your top-performing accounts over time. In fact, 76% of B2B marketers believe that ABM outperforms all other strategies in terms of ROI. With it, you’ll have the data to propel your plan forward, opening up new avenues for growth.
- Streamlined & Shortened Sales Cycle
In B2B, account-based marketing focuses on your top-performing accounts. This saves your time and resources and creates an efficient and streamlined sales cycle. This is why, in the sales cycle of ABM, B2B marketers allot more time to the stages that truly impact your bottom line, that is, presenting, closing and delighting your targets.
- Personalization
In the world of account-based marketing, it’s quality over quantity. The personalisation stage in your strategy therefore requires more time and effort in engaging and communicating with your leads. But this builds trust, extends client lifecycles, and improves your bottom line. The loyal customer then becomes your evangelist, helping you expand through referrals, word-of-mouth, and testimonials.
Result? Your targeted accounts become your growth partners.
“For example,
A software company might use automation to send a personalized email to their target accounts. The B2B marketer will highlight the features that are most interesting and relevant to the targeted accounts. The email will be tailored to their specific needs, so when you fulfil the expectations of your targeted accounts, you’ll foster trust, and eventually a sale.”
- Maximize Relevance Among High-Value Accounts
Every aspect of an account-based marketing strategy is tailored to show how your services would solve your customer’s challenges. This level of personalisation increases your company’s market relevance.
Result? For them, you become the solution provider, not just another vendor.
Sounds exciting?
Account-Based Marketing in B2B Lead Generation
“72% of B2B marketers who used the Account-Based Marketing approach in 2021, reported an increased ROI when compared to other approaches.”
ABM is about building long-term relationships with your targeted accounts. If you’re a B2B marketer, you know that lead generation is essential for your business. But with so much noise out there, it can be difficult to reach your target audience and generate qualified leads. That’s when B2B marketers use ABM and focus on targeting and engaging those specific accounts.
So, how is B2B ABM different from B2C marketing?
Well, for one, B2B sales cycles are typically longer and more complex than B2C sales cycles. This is because usually multiple people are involved in the decision-making process.
Another difference is that B2B buyers are more likely to do their research before making a purchase. They want to know that they’re investing in the right solution for their business.
Account-Based Marketing Examples
To understand the use and importance of Account-Based Marketing in B2B Lead Generation better, let’s check the example of DocuSign.
DocuSign’s ABM success story proves the value of personalised marketing. They designed 6 websites tailored for those specific industries in their target groups. They gave highly personalised content that greatly increased conversions by driving their ideal contacts to these specialised sites via targeted display ads. This strategy recognised and addressed the distinct pain points and needs of various sectors.
You can do this as well. Here are some actionable examples of how you can implement ABM in your B2B Lead Generation strategy.
- Direct Mail – We all have overflowing inboxes. And that’s why, direct mail will stand out. Since ABM is all about quality over quantity, things such as personalized gifts and marketing materials sent via direct mail will have a higher value. If you can, you must do this, mostly because of the significant revenue potential of your targeted accounts.
- Email Campaigns – Email is still a powerful ABM channel. In ABM, B2B marketers create customised messaging for each client. It’s all about speaking directly to your target accounts’ pain points and objectives.
- Paid Advertising – PPC and paid social media ads, particularly on LinkedIn and Facebook, provide pinpoint accuracy in reaching target accounts. Here, B2B marketers can display advertisements that target a specific group of accounts. Technology like IP targeting and retargeting, & maximising your impact, are usually used by B2B marketers.
- Web Personalization – ABM includes your webpage. Web personalization technology takes over after you’ve driven traffic with personalised SEM and inbound marketing initiatives. It customises the website experience to your target prospects’ individual needs and interests, ensuring a personalised journey. This reverts back to the example of DocuSign we saw earlier.
To conclude, ABM in B2B Lead Generation is a valuable tool for B2B marketers who want to improve their lead generation and sales results. By focusing on a specific set of target accounts, you can create a more personalized and effective marketing and sales experience. If you’re a B2B marketer, we encourage you to learn more about ABM and how it can help you achieve your business goals.