Want to make your ABM strategy more successful? Make use of video

Account-based marketing (ABM) can be described as a targeted approach to B2B marketing, which focuses on the most important accounts, not segmentation of markets.

ABM of the past involved companies deciding on a limited set of potential customers to target and dedicating a significant portion of their customer and marketing performance resources towards closing sales. However, the tactics used were often scraping of data, high-cost, experiential events for small group, and marketing to salespeople via cold calls. However, these weren't always efficient.

Today, ABM is a more integrated approach for attracting consumers. It is a significant distinction as companies are moving away from the notion 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 with their key customers to help them win new business.

This guide unpacks what ABM is, and how you can utilize video to the account-based marketing campaign, including targeted marketing, ABM videos, and more.

What will you learn

1.    What exactly is account-based marketing?
2.    The ABCs of ABM: Core elements of a successful ABM strategy
3.    What is not acceptable in your account-based marketing strategy
4.    How to customize ABM programs for top-of-the-line clients
5.    Closing concepts

What exactly is an account-based approach to marketing?

For a quick overview, account-based marketing (ABM) is a method that allows an organization to tailor its marketing efforts to target specific accounts rather than pursuing a more generalized strategy.

With ABM, it's essential to be able to comprehend the needs of your ideal customer. In this way, you'll be able to develop targeted campaigns that are more likely to be a hit with those who make the decisions at your targeted accounts.

"How do you distinguish account-based-based marketing from traditional marketing," you might ask?

In traditional methods of marketing with a focus to generate more leads than is possible. With ABM, the focus is more on quality than volume. That means that instead of trying to connect with as many people as possible, you're targeting key decision-makers with specific accounts who are that are more likely to be converted.

It is also crucial to remember that ABM is a team initiative. For success with ABM, Sales and Marketing must be in sync with their actions and goals.

This is vital for ensuring that all employees are working toward the same goal: creating leads of high quality that turn into clients.

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

Every day following are the things account-based marketers are doing:

• They create and target specific customers' profiles.
• Then, they create targeted campaigns and specific content for these target audiences as well as companies.
• Working in conjunction with Sales, ABM teams publish and promote these campaign materials across various channels (depending on the accounts they are targeting).
• They also track the results, analyze, and improve the results of campaigns to improve and refine and improve their ABM approach in the course of time.

So...why should you prioritise marketing based on account?

There are many motives for that ABM should be a priority within your business.

Firstly, by tailoring your marketing efforts specifically for the specific account, you are able to develop custom experiences and content that are more more likely to connect with your audience. In turn, you will be able to build stronger relationships with the accounts you want to target as well as close more deals and increase the likelihood of retention.

Through ABM You can concentrate your efforts on accounts that have a higher likelihood of conversion and provide a better returns on investment for your business.

Second, ABM also aligns Sales and Marketing. In traditional methods of marketing There is some gap between what Marketing wants and the way that Marketing is doing. With ABM, both departments work toward closing deals for certain clients.

Thirdly, today's buyers--B2B as well as B2C, are more educated and sophisticated than ever. They're unlikely to respond well to generic communications or generic campaigns. Through ABM, you can tailor your approach and message to specific companies and individuals. This personalized approach is much more likely to appeal to the buyers of today and lead to close transactions.

Lastly, ABM is trackable, arguably more so than traditional marketing and advertising. Because ABM focuses on quality over quantities, you are able to evaluate the results of your efforts and evaluate whether you're making a difference. Transparency is crucial to get the trust of your leaders, enhancing your approach, and winning many more clients over the course of time.

"The ABCs" of ABM The fundamental elements of an effective ABM strategy

Through ABM, you treat each account as an individual market.

To sustainably scale your business, you need an airtight accounts-based marketing (ABM) plan. These are the essential aspects to be aware of if you're thinking about developing an ABM strategy for your business.

1. Segmentation

The initial step to develop the ABM plan is identifying the accounts you want to segment. For this, it is necessary to clearly understand the perfect customer's profiling (ICP).

The information in your ICP must include details on demographics (e.g. Job title or company name, size of the business, and place of business, etc.)) as well as psychographic details (e.g. Pain points, motivations, and buying influence).

To gather this data, you can conduct primary research through surveys and interviews with current and former clients. You can supplement your persona with secondary research from reliable sources such as trade magazines and industry publications.

If you've got a firm knowledge of your ideal client/company profile, you can start making a list manually of accounts you want to target. It is also possible to make use of market intelligence tools to generate the list of companies that match your criteria.

Once you've done your research, it's time to segment your accounts into distinct individuals. This will help you refine your messaging and ensure you're targeting the right individuals within your account. For example, you might have a persona for decision-makers and influencers as well as one for the end-users.

2. Personalized messaging and contact with

After you've identified your desired accounts and personas Next stage is to design individualized message and content to each one. Keep in mind that with ABM the company treats each account as a market for itself therefore it's crucial to tailor your content accordingly.

If you decide to utilize the same messages and contents for all of your target accounts but you'll not get the desired results. You need to create customized messages specific to each of the accounts on your list. This is a difficult task and heavy lift between teams, however it's definitely worth it. Personalized messages have significantly better responses than generic ones.

It's equally important to ensure that you align your go-to market (GTM) strategy to your ABM strategy. This means personalised messaging and using the right mixture of channels that will reach your customers where they're using the internet. Like, for instance, LinkedIn would be a excellent channel if you're targeting senior executives at large enterprises.

Personalized messages help you build connections with the accounts you want to target. Nowadays, people do business with people who they like, know and are comfortable with. By sending personalized messages on relevant channels, you can build those contacts with your targeted accounts and make them more inclined to do business with you when they're ready to make a purchase.

3. Alignment between marketing and sales

A third important aspect of an effective ABM strategy is the creation of multi-functional teams. That means forming teams with individuals from multiple departments within your company, such as Marketing, Sales, and Customer Success. A study recently conducted by Bombora found that businesses, on average, are home to five teams focused on ABM.

They aim to bring everyone within the organization around their common goal, which is to win the business of your target clients.

4. Customer lifecycle marketing

One crucial, yet often neglected element of a winning ABM strategy is customer lifecycle marketing. This is about nurturing your connections with the key people at your target accounts. This can be done by a variety of ways including sending customized emails, giving them a call for their birthday, or sending over some helpful resources. However you choose to go about it, you must make sure you're providing value and remaining top-of-mind.

It's likely that you'll need multiple people in a target account to sell your product or service to only one person in the target account. It is likely that you will require the involvement of multiple organizational stakeholders to move a deal forward. That's why crafting targeted content that can be utilized throughout the buyer's journey and customer cycle is crucial.

If you have a mix from top-of the-funnel (TOFU) as well as middle-of-the-funnel (MOFU) as well as bottom-of-the-funnel (BOFU) material that you can access, you'll have the ability to engage prospects at every phase of sales -- and post-purchase.

5. ABM software

One of the key factors of any ABM strategy is having the right software in place. ABM software helps B2B marketers automatize and manage their account-based marketing processes. Some of the most well-known platforms are HubSpot Sales, Terminus, Pardot Marketo, and Marketo.

ABM software can help you track and measure account engagement which is a crucial metric to track in any ABM software (as we'll be discussing in the following). It is possible to adjust your ABM strategy accordingly by understanding the types of accounts that are in touch with your company and how. This will result in increased engagement as time passes, which will result in more successful contracts and more revenues.

ABM software is also able to help you automate repetitive tasks to allow you to concentrate on more effective ABM techniques. Automating your processes can help in executing targeted campaigns with more efficiency, in ensuring that the proper contacts are receiving the correct messages in the correct time. This makes your ABM program more effective and affordable over time.

Additionally, ABM software can help to improve the overall return on investment (ROI). You can ultimately drive greater revenue for your business through increasing account engagement and the effectiveness of your campaign. That means you'll be able to ensure that your ABM program will yield a higher ROI, which is good for your financial results.

6. Performance measurement

Last but not least, you must measure your outcomes. Like any other marketing initiative, it's essential to track the progress and results of ABM campaigns. In order to do this ensure you are able to track and analyze the information that will tell you how every touchpoint in your ABM campaign was viewed by every person in each account.

You can get a good sense of whether or not the ABM strategy is working for your company by tracking important metrics such as:

• Traffic to websites from specific accounts
• The rate of conversion from MQL to SQL
• The amount of meetings scheduled by Sales
• A variety of opportunities created
• Size of deal
• Customer lifetime value (CLV)

What is not to include with your account-based marketing strategies

We've covered the essential elements of a successful ABM strategy. We'll now go over some of the ABM mistakes to avoid as you start.

Be careful not to make use of spooky and spammy ABM strategies

It's spammy ABM strategies like purchasing data for cold calls and cold emails are a surefire way to fail at account-based marketing. If your cold-mailing campaign isn't personalized or doesn't demonstrate value (e.g. by providing useful material or inviting invitations for events) is it unlikely that recipients will reply or book a meeting.

Research has proven that cold outreach could work...if done correctly. If you choose to do cold outreach as part the ABM strategy, you should encourage your staff to adhere to the best guidelines:

• Identify themselves-- 79% of unidentified phone calls are without a response
• Use "we" statements--Successful cold calls include 65% more "we" statements
• Personalize the content to each recipient-- 57 of of buyers at the C level want to be contacted by phone

Do notrely too heavily on scraped information

Account-based marketers must have data in order for building their ideal customers or corporate profile. But using purchased or scraped information can result in ill-informed ICPs. Additionally, it could lead to your team contacting potential customers without their permission and can harm your the image of your brand and could result in prospects unsubscribing or flag your emails as spam.

We recommend crafting your ICPs using primary research such as surveys and customer interviews. In the event that you require, enhance your personas with research from reliable sources like the trade journals of industry or other software such as Sparktoro.

Do not forget ROI

Measuring the return on your ABM investment ought to be simple Particularly if you focus on the metrics mentioned above and utilize an ABM software program to assist.

While some ABM tactics (like occasions) can be more nebulous when measuring ROI It's not a reason for selecting these methods if there's no proof they'll make a difference or even close deal.

Do not make the error of hosting expensive, large experiential events or investing in swag to increase "brand recognition" without understanding the relationship between these expenditures to your primary objectives and KPIs.

Do not ignoring bad-fit accounts

Even if an account doesn't seem to be suitable for your business or product isn't a reason to dismiss it entirely. If an account does not result in a sale There could be additional advantages, like exposure or insights through interactions with the account.

The key is not to concentrate on the short-term outcomes but instead, focus on the game that will last for a long time ABM.

How to customize ABM strategies for top-quality customers

Although ABM is a great option however, you must keep in mind that every account is not created equal. Your top-tier clients--the ones who represent the biggest revenue potential for your company--are worthy of special consideration.

When selecting the right accounts, it's important to focus your efforts on a group of premium accounts with the highest potential for growth.

Top-end clients have a tendency to receiving the very best of the best, and your experiences and content must reflect that high standard. That doesn't necessarily mean you'll need to break your budget, but it's investing the time and effort needed to create appealing, quality material that is sure to draw attention and deliver the desired results.

Here are a few ways to customize your ABM campaigns to attract top clients. (Hint That they contain video!)

Account-based marketing videos

Marketing videos that are based on accounts present your brand's story through a personable and interactive way, far more so than a text-based message. Videos are an effective method to show your product or service at work and offer your potential clients a greater understanding of its features and benefits.

How do they look on the job? If you're just beginning to break into a new company, it's useful to introduce the team through a video. This gives the decision-makers at the organization a chance make the name, and start creating a connection with your staff.

The video you create doesn't have to be elaborate. A quick overview of your workspace and introductions by each team member is enough. Make sure that it's concise, professional, and highlights why your team is most suitable for the account.

Screen recordings that are personalized

Enhance engagement as well as sales by creating custom screen recordings. Instead of creating a generic customer-centric recording, make the effort to record a tailored product demo using the ICP's needs and your company's information in mind.

The ability to watch a customized recording is an effective way of delighting your potential customers. Through enhancing your end-user's satisfaction, you increase confidence and improve the chances of them moving further through the funnel.

Video campaigns via email

Utilize account-based marketing video in your nurture emails. Instead of sending another generic "Look what we can help your needs!" message, try making your email more personal by using a short video that is relevant to the needs of your recipient.

Videos that highlight the pain points of your target company and explain precisely the way your product or service solves the problems of potential customers will make a stronger impression.

This can help you stand out from the competition and prove that you're ready to go above and beyond to provide value. High-quality video campaigns via email can move prospects to the next step in the funnel, and help them book appointments with your sales team.

Virtual occasions

The buyers of today are unique. They prefer to do business with those they know, like and trust. One method to increase confidence and camaraderie with your target accounts is through curated virtual occasions. A good example of this would be an online VIP experience or experience for executives.

Avoid creating cookie-cutter events for your most valuable clients. Take time acquainted with their unique needs and pain points so you can develop tailored virtual events that offer appropriate solutions as well as networking opportunities.

By putting in the extra effort upfront by putting in the extra effort upfront, you'll have the ability to position yourself as a trusted partner who's invested in helping their business succeed long term.

Churn-reducing programs

ABM doesn't stop after you've made the sale. If that your ICPs are your "perfect" customers and you want to keep them engaged, it's best to communicate with them even after the buying.

Encourage Customer Success to touch base with your target accounts quarterly or bi-annually to confirm their experience is positive. Open feedback loops to gain valuable input and understand how they use the product. They can also be asked to take part in beta testing groups for new features or consulting-type roles for your Product team.

Treating your accounts' customers as important customers will reduce the likelihood of losing customers and boost retention. the LTV of your customers.

Closing ideas

An effective account-based marketing strategy involves careful planning and implementation over a wide range of teams and dimensions.

If you take time to get to know your ideal buyer and creating specific campaigns as well as custom-made video content, you will be able to develop deeper connections and close more transactions.

And since ABM is trackable, you can always measure the outcomes of your work and connect new customers to your unique, original marketing campaigns.