Account-based marketing: Cherry picking that works

Account-based marketing: Cherry picking that works

Marketers have been targeting key accounts for years, but now have the power to address them on a broader scale due to CRM technologies allowing for greater automation and scale.

That broader targeting known as account-based marketing (ABM) is one of the most prominent trends in marketing, and it makes use of software solutions including predictive analytics, sales and marketing intelligence, ad serving and retargeting. In a process that’s the opposite of mass marketing, the solutions help attract, engage and convert each customer, and then measure progress by sales activity.

The methodology can be very effective; a recent Demandbase report found 71 percent of B2B organizations in the U.S. are interested in trying it or are already using it, while 96 percent of adopters say it’s already made a positive impact. The greatest benefits cited are respectively increased engagement with target accounts, better sales and marketing alignment, more qualified prospects, better understanding of program performance and more pipeline opportunities, the study found.

The process typically starts when marketers and salespeople agree on a list of key prospects based on data-driven reports. That list is then prioritized using predictive analytics that can help determine probable best customers. The list can be segmented further by factors like industry, location, annual revenues or where the customer is in the sales funnel.

“Most companies build an initial list of target accounts, then expand from there,” explains the Demandbase report. “We have customers that strategically target 200 accounts, and also we have customers that target 8,000. There’s no right answer to how big or small your list should be.”

Once your list is established, you can customize different marketing programs toward different audiences through personalized ad campaigns, custom website content, appealing website forms and other methodology.

“Companies practicing ABM also need to think about how that content is actually distributed to their target accounts,” adds Bertrand Hazard on Chiefmartec.com. “Content-delivery tools such as ad serving and retargeting software are being shaped around the account-level to facilitate this.”

Dial800 can help you incorporate call-tracking methodology and analysis into your account-based marketing strategy. Contact us at 1-800-304-6196.

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