Want to make your ABM strategy more successful? Utilize videos

ABM is also known as account-based marketing. (ABM) is a targeted approach to B2B marketing, which focuses on key accounts rather than markets or segments.

ABM in the past was companies deciding on a limited group of prospective customers and directing a large portion of their marketing and customer success resources to closing deals. The tactics were usually based on scraping data, costly and expensive events that were geared towards small groups, as well as marketing to salespeople via cold calls. However, these weren't always efficient.

Today, ABM is a more integrated approach for attracting consumers. This is an important change as organizations are moving away from the perception which claimed that B2B Sales and Marketing usually have a less antagonistic relationship.

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

This document explains the basics of ABM is and the best way to utilize video to your account-based marketing campaigns--including personalized communications, ABM videos, and other things.

What will you learn

1.    What exactly is account-based marketing?
2.    ABM's ABCs ABM The fundamental elements of a successful ABM strategy
3.    What should you avoid doing in your account-based marketing strategy
4.    How do you customize ABM campaigns for your top-tier clients
5.    Closing concepts

What is account-based marketing?

For a quick overview, account-based marketing (ABM) is a method where an organisation tailors its marketing strategies to reach specific accounts rather than pursuing an overall strategy.

With ABM, it's essential to have a deep understanding of your ideal customer. So, you're able to develop targeted campaigns that are more likely to be a hit with those who make the decisions at your targeted accounts.

"How is account-based marketing different from traditional marketing?" you might ask?

In traditional methods of marketing the emphasis is usually on generating as many leads as can be. In ABM, the focus is on the quality of leads over volume. This means instead of trying reach all the people you can, you're targeting key decision-makers with specific accounts who are most likely to convert.

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

It is crucial in order to make sure that all employees are working toward the same end goal of generating quality leads that turn into clients.

The day-to-day diary of account-based marketing

Every day, here's what account-based marketers accomplish:

• They develop and tailor customer profiling.
• From there, they develop specific campaigns and contents for these target audiences as well as companies.
• Working in conjunction together with Sales, ABM teams publish and market these promotional materials on various channels (depending on targeted accounts).
• They also track the results, analyze, and improve the results of campaigns to improve and further refine their ABM strategy as time passes.

So...why do you think it is important to prioritise account-based marketing?

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

Firstly, by tailoring your marketing strategy specifically to every account, you will be able to create custom content and experiences which are much more likely to resonate with your audience. In turn, you can build deeper relationships with the accounts you want to target and close more sales and boost the likelihood of retention.

Through ABM You can concentrate your efforts on accounts that are more likely to convert which means a greater ROI for your business.

The second reason is that ABM aligns Sales and Marketing. When using traditional methods for marketing it is possible to have some gap between what Marketing wants and what Marketing does. But with ABM the two departments are working to close deals on certain clients.

In addition, the buyers of today -- B2B as well as B2C, are more educated and sophisticated than ever. They're unlikely to respond effectively to general messages or campaigns that are universally applicable. With ABM, you can tailor the message and strategy to specific companies and individuals. A personalized approach is more likely to be a hit with the current buyers, and will result in close contracts.

Lastly, ABM is trackable, arguably more so than traditional advertising and marketing. Since ABM is focused on quality rather than quantity, you can measure the results of your efforts and assess whether you're making a difference. The transparency of this process is essential to getting the trust of your leaders, enhancing your strategy, and gaining increasing numbers of customers in the process.

The ABCs of ABM: Core elements of a successful ABM strategy

Through ABM You treat every account as a market for itself.

In order to sustainably grow your business, you need an airtight account-based marketing (ABM) plan. The following are key aspects to be aware of when you're considering developing an ABM strategy for your business.

1. Segmentation

The first step in developing an ABM plan is identifying and segmenting your target accounts. In order to do this, you need to know the desired customer's ideal profiling (ICP).

The information in your ICP must include both demographic information (e.g. the job title as well as company size and location) and psychographic information (e.g., pain factors, motives, purchasing influence).

For obtaining this information to gather this information, conduct initial research by conducting surveys or interviews with former and current clients. You can supplement your persona with secondary research from reliable sources such as trade magazines and industry publications.

Once you have a solid knowledge of your ideal client/company profile, it is time to begin making a list manually of potential accounts. Additionally, you can make use of market intelligence tools to build an inventory of businesses that match your criteria.

Once you've done your research, it's time to segment your accounts into different personas. This will allow you to refine your messaging and ensure you're targeting the right 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. Personalized messaging and communication

Once you've identified the target persons and accounts The next stage is to design individualized messaging and content for every one of them. Remember, with ABM the company treats each account as an individual market therefore it's crucial to create content that is tailored for each account.

If you try to use the same messages and information for all your target accounts, you won't get the desired results. The best approach is to develop custom messages relevant to each account that you have on your list. This is a difficult task and a lot of work for teams, but it's definitely worth it. Personalized messages result in significantly greater response rates than generic messages.

It's also important to ensure that you align your go-to market (GTM) strategy to your ABM strategy. This includes personalized messaging and making use of the appropriate mix of channels to reach your customers where they're spending their time online. As an example, LinkedIn would be a good channel to focus on if you're targeting senior executives at large enterprises.

Personalized messages allow you to build connections with the accounts you want to target. Nowadays, people do business with people who they like, know, and trust. When you send personalized messages through relevant channels, it is possible to establish contacts with your targeted accounts which will make them more likely to work with your company when they're ready to buy something.

3. The alignment between sales and marketing

A third important aspect of a successful ABM strategy is the creation of cross-functional teams. That means forming teams with people from various departments in your company, such as Sales, Marketing, or Customer Success. A study conducted by Bombora discovered that companies, on average, are home to five teams focused on ABM.

They aim to bring all employees within your organization to their common goal, which is to win the interest of the target customers.

4. Customer lifecycle marketing

One crucial, yet often neglected component of a successful ABM strategy is the customer's lifecycle marketing. This is about nurturing the relationships you have with your key contacts in your targeted accounts. It can be accomplished through a number of methods like sending them personalized emails, offering them a call on their birthday, or sending over some helpful resources. Whatever you do, make sure you're adding value and keeping them in mind.

Most likely, you'll require more than one person on a target account to sell your service or product to the one or two people at the target account. Most likely, you'll have to involve several stakeholders from different organizations to help move a deal forward. That's why crafting targeted content that can be utilized at various points in the buyer's journey as well as throughout the customer lifetime.

With a mixture of top-of-the-funnel (TOFU) as well as middle-of-the-funnel (MOFU) as well as bottom-of-the-funnel (BOFU) information that you can access, you'll have the ability to connect with prospects at each phase of sales -- and post-purchase.

5. ABM software

One of the key aspects of any ABM strategy is having the appropriate software. ABM software helps B2B marketers to manage and automate their account-based marketing processes. 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 any ABM program (as we'll be discussing in the following). Adjust your ABM strategy based on which accounts are engaging with your company and the way they're engaging. This leads to improved account engagement as time passes, which could result in more completed contracts and more revenues.

ABM software is also able to help you automate repetitive tasks to allow you to concentrate on more strategic ABM strategies. Automating your processes can help you execute targeted campaigns with more efficiency, in ensuring that the right contacts receive the right messages at the right time. This will make your ABM program more effective and affordable over time.

Additionally, ABM software can help to improve the overall ROI (ROI). This will ultimately result in greater revenue for your business by increasing the engagement of your customers as well as campaign efficiency. That means you'll be able to ensure that your ABM program will yield greater ROI which is good for your overall bottom line.

6. Evaluation of performance

The last thing to mention is that you must measure your results. Like any other marketing campaign, it is essential to keep track of the performance in your ABM campaigns. In order to do this ensure you are able to track and analyze the information that will tell you what each touchpoint of your campaign performed with each individual decision maker within the target account.

You'll be able to gain a solid sense of whether or not the ABM strategy is working for your business through monitoring key indicators such as:

• Web traffic coming from accounts targeted
• The conversion rate from MQL to SQL
• The amount of meetings scheduled by Sales
• New opportunities have been opened up
• Size of the deal
• Customer lifetime value (CLV)

What is not to do in your account-based marketing strategy

The article has covered some of the key components of a successful ABM strategy. In this article, we'll go over some of the ABM mistakes to avoid once you start.

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

Spammy ABM strategies like purchasing data for cold calls and cold emails are a surefire way to be unsuccessful in account-based advertising. If your cold outreach isn't personalized or doesn't demonstrate worth (e.g. offering useful material or inviting invitations for events) It's highly unlikely that your recipients will reply or book a meeting.

Studies show that cold outreach could work...if executed correctly. If you opt to conduct cold outreach as an element the ABM strategy, encourage your employees to use the most effective practices:

• They must identify themselves. 79 percent of unidentified calls go unanswered
• Use "we" statements--Successful cold calls include 65% more "we" statements
• Personalize the content to each recipient-- 57 percent of C-level buyers would prefer to receive a call

Don'trely too heavily on scraped information

Account-based marketers require data to create their ideal client or company profiles. However, relying on bought or scraped information can cause a lack of knowledge ICPs. Furthermore, it may cause your company to contact prospects without their consent this is detrimental to your the image of your brand and could cause prospects to unsubscribe or flag your emails as spam.

We recommend crafting your ICPs through primary research like surveys and interviews with customers. If necessary, you can supplement your personas with research that comes from trustworthy sources such as industry trade publications or instruments like Sparktoro.

Do not ignore that you are responsible for ROI

Measuring the return on your ABM investment should be straightforward, especially if you focus on these metrics and use an ABM software program to assist.

While some ABM techniques (like occasions) are more uncertain regarding ROI calculations, there's no excuse for using these strategies if there's no evidence that they'll make a difference or even close deals.

Do not make the error of hosting expensive, large event or investing in swag for "brand awareness" without knowing what the implications of these investment decisions are to your main objectives and KPIs.

Do not avoid bad-fit accounts

Just because an account isn't an ideal fit for your product or service does not mean that you have to ignore it completely. If an account does not produce a sale There could be additional benefits, such as publicity or valuable insights gained from interactions with these accounts.

It is important not to focus on short-term results and instead keep an eye on the long game of ABM.

How to customize ABM strategies for top-quality customers

While ABM can be very effective however, you must remember that there aren't all accounts all created equally. The top clients - those who represent the biggest revenue potential for your business--deserve special attention.

In deciding on the best accounts, it's important to concentrate your efforts to select high-value accounts offering the greatest growth opportunity.

Your top-tier clients are used to receiving the very best of the best, so your experiences and content have to reflect this standard. It doesn't mean you have to blow your budget, but it's making the effort to produce high-quality, engaging content that attracts interest and yield the desired results.

Here are some ways to customize your ABM campaigns for your top-tier customers. (Hint that they include videos!)

Account-based marketing videos

Account-based marketing videos tell your brand's story with a clear and accessible way, far more so than a text-based marketing message. Videos are a great way to showcase your product or service as it is and provide prospective customers an understanding of its benefits and capabilities.

How do they look in practice? When you're first trying to get into an company, it's useful to introduce the team by presenting a brief video. The decision-makers from the company a chance to put a face to the name, and start creating a connection with your team.

The content of your video doesn't have to be fancy--a quick tour of your workplace and some introductions from each team member can suffice. Be sure to make it clear, professional, and highlights why your team is most suitable for your account.

Personalized screen recordings

Improve engagement and increase sales by creating custom screen recordings. Instead of creating a generic customer-centric recording, make the effort to record a tailored product demo with your ICP's pain points and your company's information in your mind.

A custom-made recording can be an easy way to delight your potential customers. In enhancing the user's satisfaction, you increase trust , and boost the chance that they will move further into the funnel.

Video campaigns via email

Utilize account-based marketing video in your email nurture campaigns. Rather than sending yet another generic "Look at what we could help your needs!" message, try personalizing your emails with short videos that are specific to the person receiving the message.

Videos that highlight the pain aspects of your company and provide exactly how your products or services can solve prospective customers' problems will resonate more deeply.

It will allow you to distinguish yourself from your competitors and prove that you're ready to go that extra mile to provide the best value. Videos that are high-quality and delivered through email could move potential customers farther down the sales funnel and motivate them to schedule time with your sales team.

Virtual occasions

These days, buyers prefer to do business with those they know, like and believe in. One way to build friendship and trust among your customers is by arranging curated virtual occasions. A good example of this would be the virtual VIP workshops or an executive experience.

Do not create generic services for your best clients. Instead, take time to know their specific requirements and issues so that you can create custom-designed virtual events that provide pertinent solutions and connections to networks.

If you put in the extra effort upfront by putting in the extra effort upfront, you'll have the ability to establish yourself as a trustworthy business partner that is committed to helping businesses succeed in the over the long haul.

Programms for reducing the number of times you have to eat

ABM isn't over once you make the sale. Since that your ICPs will be your "perfect" customers, it's wise to continue to communicate with them even after the purchasing.

Inspire Customer Success to keep in touch base with your target accounts every quarter or bi-annually, to ensure the satisfaction of customers. Open feedback loops to gain valuable input and understand how the customers use the software. It is possible to request that they take part in Beta testing groups to test new features or consulting-type roles with your Product team.

Making your customers important customers will reduce churn and increase retention and customer LTV.

Closing concepts

A successful account-based marketing approach requires careful planning and execution in a variety of dimensions and teams.

If you take the time to understand your ideal buyer and creating customized campaigns, as well as personalized video content, you can build deeper relationships and close more transactions.

Furthermore, since ABM can be tracked, you can always measure the results of your efforts and connect new customers to your custom, creative marketing efforts.