Are you looking to strengthen your ABM strategy more successful? Make use of videos

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

ABM of the past involved firms generating a short group of prospective customers and catering much of their marketing and customer performance resources towards closing sales. But tactics often involved data scraping, expensive experiences for smaller groups, and direct sales calls. However, these weren't always efficient.

Today, ABM is a more than just a Sales-plus-Marketing strategy to attract customers. It is a significant difference as businesses are shifting away from the stereotype that B2B Sales and Marketing usually had a more antagonistic relationship.

When executed correctly, ABM helps both Marketing and Sales teams align with their key customers to win new business.

This guide unpacks what ABM is, and how you can make use of video for your marketing programs based on accounts, such as personalized communications, ABM videos, and more.

What will you learn

1.    What exactly is account-based advertising?
2.    ABM's ABCs ABM the fundamental components of a successful ABM strategy
3.    What should you avoid doing in your account-based marketing strategy
4.    How do you customize ABM campaigns to your most prestigious customers
5.    Closing ideas

What is account-based marketing?

In short, account-based advertising (ABM) is a method where an organisation tailors its marketing efforts to target particular accounts instead of taking the general method.

When it comes to ABM It is essential to gain a thorough understanding of your ideal customer. So, you're able to design targeted marketing campaigns 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 conventional marketing?" you may ask?

With traditional marketing methods the emphasis is usually on creating the most leads possible. With ABM, the focus is on the quality of leads over quantity. That means that instead of trying to reach all the people you can You're focusing on key decision makers with specific accounts who are most likely to make a change.

It is also crucial to remember it is important to remember that ABM is a collaborative effort. To be successful with ABM, Sales and Marketing need to be aligned in their goals and actions.

It is crucial for ensuring that all employees are working toward the same objective: producing leads that are of good quality and turn into clients.

A day in the daily life of marketers who use accounts

On a day-to-day basis following are the things account-based marketers accomplish:

• They create and target specific client profiling.
• Then, they create targeted campaigns and specific content designed for the target audience and companies.
• Together together with Sales, ABM teams publish and distribute these material on different channels (depending on accounts that are targeted).
• Lastly, they track to measure and then optimize outcomes of their campaigns in order to refine and further refine their ABM strategies as time passes.

So...why prioritize account-based marketing?

There are a few key motives for why ABM should be a priority for your organization.

In the first place, by tailoring your marketing strategy specifically to each account, you can create custom content and experiences which will be significantly more likely to connect with your audience. As a result, you will be able to build stronger relationships with your targeted accounts as well as close more deals and boost the likelihood of retention.

Through ABM it is possible to focus your efforts on accounts that have a higher likelihood of conversion, meaning a higher ROI for your company.

The second reason is that ABM is a way to align Sales and Marketing. In traditional methods of marketing There is a disconnect between what Sales wants and what Marketing does. However, with ABM and ABM, both departments aim toward closing deals for specific customers.

Thirdly, today's buyers--B2B as well as B2C, are more educated and sophisticated than they have ever been. They aren't going to react favorably to standard messages or one-size-fits-all campaigns. ABM is a way to make sure that you can tailor your message and approach. ABM, you can tailor your approach and message to specific companies and individuals. A personalized approach is more likely to resonate with the buyers of today and lead to closing contracts.

Finally, ABM is trackable, perhaps more than conventional marketing and advertising. Because ABM is focused on quality rather than quantities, you are able to evaluate the results of your efforts and evaluate whether it's paying off. Transparency is crucial to get acceptance from the top management, improving the way you conduct business, and ultimately gaining more customers over time.

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

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

For a sustainable growth of your company it is essential to have an airtight accounts-based marketing (ABM) plan. The following are key aspects to be aware of when you're considering developing an ABM plan for your company.

1. Segmentation

The first step in developing an ABM strategy is to identify the accounts you want to segment. To do this, you must clearly understand your perfect customer's persona (ICP).

Your ICP should include details on demographics (e.g. the job title or company name, size of the business, and the location) and psychographic information (e.g. Pain points, motivations, buying influences).

In order to gather these data to gather this information, conduct primary research through surveys and interviews with former and current clients. You can supplement your persona with additional research from trustworthy sources like industry trade publications.

When you've got a good understanding of your ideal customer/company profile, you are able to start by creating a list of potential accounts. Additionally, you can use market intelligence tools to generate the list of companies which meet your requirements.

After you've completed your homework Now it's time to divide the accounts you have into various personas. This can help you improve your messages and make sure you're targeting only the appropriate individuals within your account. For example, you might have a persona for decision-makers, one for influencers, as well as one for the end-users.

2. Individualized messaging and outreach

Once you've identified your target persons and accounts, the next step is to develop personalized messages and contents for each one. Be aware that when you use ABM it's a matter of treating every account as its own market therefore it's crucial to create content that is tailored for each account.

If you try to use the same messages and contents for all of your target accounts but you'll not get what you're looking for. It is essential to design custom messages relevant to each account in your list. This is a difficult task and a lot of work between teams, however it's well worth the effort--personalized messages produce significantly higher responses than generic ones.

It's equally important to be sure to align your go-to-market (GTM) strategy to that of the ABM strategy. This includes personalized messaging as well as employing the correct mix of channels to reach your customers where they're spending their time online. As an example, LinkedIn would be a great channel to target for senior executives at large enterprises.

Personalized messages can help you establish relationships with your target accounts. Nowadays, people do business with the people whom they trust, love and have confidence in. By sending personalized messages on relevant channels, you can develop connections with the accounts you want to target which will make them more likely to work with them when they're ready make a purchase.

3. Marketing and sales are aligned

A third important aspect in a successful ABM strategy is the creation of teams that are cross-functional. That means forming teams made up of members from different departments within your business, like Sales, Marketing, and Customer Success. A study recently conducted by Bombora revealed that firms, on average, have five teams who are dedicated to ABM.

The teams are designed to unite every employee within your company around one goal: winning the customers of your targeted customers.

4. Customer lifecycle marketing

One crucial, yet often neglected component of a successful ABM strategy is the customer's lifecycle marketing. This involves fostering your connections with the key people in your targeted accounts. This can be done in several ways, such as sending personalized emails, giving the person a phone call on their birthdays, or passing an email with helpful information. What ever you decide to do, be sure you're adding value and remaining top-of-mind.

Chances are, you'll need at least one individual in a target account to sell your product or service to just one person at an account that you want to sell it to. You'll most likely have to involve various stakeholders within your organization to push the deal to the next level. This is the reason why creating specific information that is used at different points of the buyer's journey and customer lifetime.

With a mixture from top-of the-funnel (TOFU) as well as middle-of-the-funnel (MOFU) and bottom-of the-funnel (BOFU) information accessible, you'll be able to reach out to prospects at every phase of sales as well as after purchase.

5. ABM software

The most crucial factors of any ABM plan is having an appropriate program in place. ABM software helps B2B marketers to manage and automate their account-based marketing activities. Popular platforms include HubSpot Sales, Terminus, Pardot and Marketo.

ABM software will help you monitor and evaluate engagement with your customers as a vital metric of every ABM software (as we'll be discussing in the following). It is possible to adjust your ABM plan based on how your customers are responding to your brand and how. This leads to improved account engagement as time passes, which will result in more successful deals and increased revenue.

ABM software is also able to help you automate repetitive tasks in order to let you concentrate on strategically ABM strategies. Automation also helps in executing targeted campaigns more effectively in ensuring that the correct contacts get the appropriate messages at the right moment. This will make your ABM program more efficient and affordable over time.

Finally, ABM software can help to improve the overall ROI (ROI). You can ultimately drive higher revenue for your company by improving account engagement and the effectiveness of your campaign. That means your ABM program will be able to generate more ROI. This can be beneficial to the overall bottom line.

6. Evaluation of performance

Last but not least, you must measure your results. Similar to any other type of marketing strategy, it's crucial to track the progress of your ABM campaigns. For this to be done effectively ensure you are able to track and analyze your data to determine how every touchpoint in your ABM campaign was viewed by every individual decision maker within the target account.

You can get a good sense of whether or not you ABM strategy is working for your business through monitoring key measures like:

• Web traffic coming from accounts targeted
• The rate of conversion from MQL to SQL
• The number of meetings set by Sales
• The number of new opportunities that have been created
• Size of the deal
• Customer lifetime value (CLV)

What you are not to include with your account-based marketing strategies

The article has covered some of the key components of a successful ABM strategy. Now, we'll unpack the most common ABM mistakes to avoid once you get started.

Do not make use of spooky and spammy ABM strategies

It's spammy ABM methods like purchasing information for cold calls or cold emails are a surefire way to fail at account-based marketing. If your cold email isn't tailored or has no value (e.g., providing helpful information or invitations to events) is it unlikely that customers will be able to respond or schedule an appointment.

The research shows that cold outreach can work...if executed correctly. If you decide to implement cold outreach as part the ABM strategy, make sure you encourage your team to follow best methods:

• Identify themselves-- 79% of unidentified phone calls are unanswered
• Use "we" statements--Successful cold calls include 65% more "we" statements
• Customize your content for each individual recipient. 57% of C-level buyers want to be contacted by phone

Don'trely too heavily on scraped information

Account-based marketers need data to build their ideal customer or company profiles. However, relying on bought or scraped information can cause a lack of knowledge ICPs. Moreover, it can result in your staff contacting prospective customers without consent this is detrimental to your branding and may cause prospects to unsubscribe or flag your emails as spam.

It is recommended to create your ICPs by conducting primary research, such as surveys and interviews with customers. If necessary, you can supplement your personas with secondary research from reliable sources like industry trade publications or tools like Sparktoro.

Don't ignore the ROI

Measuring the return on your ABM investment should be straightforward Particularly if you focus on the metrics mentioned above and utilize an ABM software that can help.

While certain ABM techniques (like occasions) may be less clear in terms of ROI measurement It's not a reason for selecting these methods if there's no evidence that they'll make a difference or even close deal.

Don't make the mistake of hosting large, expensive experiential events or spending money on swag for "brand awareness" without determining what the implications of these investment decisions are to your key KPIs and goals.

Do not avoid bad-fit accounts

Just because an account isn't a good fit for your product or service does not mean that you have to ignore it entirely. Even if an account doesn't produce a sale There could be additional benefits, such as exposure or insights by interacting with the account.

The trick is to not focus on short-term results and instead keep an eye at the longer-term game of ABM.

How to customize ABM strategies for top-quality customers

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

If you're trying to choose the most suitable accounts, you must focus your efforts to select high-value accounts offering the greatest potential for growth.

The top clients of your business are used to getting the best of the best, so your content and experiences have to reflect this quality. This doesn't mean that you have to blow your budget, but it's investing the time and effort needed to create quality, high-quality content that attracts interest and yield outcomes.

Here are some options to personalize your ABM campaigns to attract top customers. (Hint: They include video!)

Account-based marketing videos

Marketing videos that are based on accounts present your brand's story through a personable and interactive way--more so than a written marketing campaign. Videos are an effective method to show the product or service you offer in action and give prospective customers an 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 helpful to introduce your team by presenting a brief video. This gives the decision-makers at the business a chance to make a name and begin developing a rapport with your staff.

The content of your video doesn't have to be extravagant. A brief tour of your workspace and introductions of each member of your team is enough. Just make sure it's clear professional and professional. Also, it should highlight what makes your company the ideal choice for your account.

Screen recordings that are personalized

Increase both engagement and sales by creating personalized screen recordings. Instead of creating a generic customer-centric recording, make the effort to create a custom demo with your ICP's pain points as well as your company's details keeping in mind.

Watching a custom recording is an effective way of delighting your prospect. By increasing the end user's satisfaction, you increase confidence and improve the chances of them moving further down the funnel.

Video campaigns via email

Make use of account-based marketing videos for your email nurture campaigns. Instead of sending another generic "Look at what we can help us!" message, try making your email more personal by using a short video relevant to the recipient's needs.

Videos that focus on the pain points of your target company and explain exactly what your product or services solve the problems of potential customers will make a stronger impression.

This can help you make yourself stand out and show that you're willing to go above and beyond to deliver the best value. High-quality video campaigns via email can move prospects farther down the sales funnel and encourage them to book time with your sales team.

Virtual Events

These days, buyers deal with individuals they know, like and believe in. One way to build friendship and trust with the accounts you want to target is to host curated activities. An example of this is the virtual VIP workshops or an executive experience.

Avoid creating cookie-cutter experiences for your top clients--take time to know their specific requirements and issues so that you can design custom virtual events that offer pertinent solutions and connections to networks.

If you put in the extra effort upfront and putting forth the effort, you'll position yourself as a trusted company that's committed to helping businesses succeed in the long term.

Programms for reducing the number of times you have to eat

ABM doesn't stop after you've made the sale. Considering that your ICPs are your "perfect" clients and you want to keep them engaged, it's best to engage them after buying.

Inspire Customer Success to keep in touch base with your target accounts quarterly or bi-annually to confirm the satisfaction of customers. Use feedback loops for feedback to get invaluable feedback and learn how the customers use the software. You can even request they be part of Beta testing groups to test new features or consulting-type roles with the Product team.

Making your customers valuable customers can decrease churn and increase retention and the LTV of your customers.

Closing concepts

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

By taking time to get to know your ideal buyer and creating specific campaigns as well as custom-made videos, you'll be able to build deeper relationships and close more sales.

Since ABM can be tracked, you can always measure the outcomes of your work and connect new customers to the custom-designed, innovative marketing campaigns.