Account-based marketing (ABM) is one of the most effective tools businesses can use to target, engage and build relationships with prospective clients and customers. This highly focused and strategic marketing approach makes it possible for companies to target individual accounts in specific business niches—and engage them with content and messages tailored to their unique business needs. And while inbound marketing can cast a wider net to attract leads, accounts won via ABM’s 1:1, 1:few approach can also deliver strong ROI.
If your company is already employing ABM, you’re probably eager to learn about how this marketing approach might change as new technologies and customer behaviors come to the forefront, and how your enterprise should refine its ABM practices accordingly. That’s where Snap Agency shines. Our team of digital growth specialists has been helping B2B organizations thrive through ABM for over three years. Today, we’ll be walking you through how ABM is poised to evolve in the coming quarters and a few account-based marketing tactics your business can use to get a headstart on these changes.
What Is the Future of Account-Based Marketing?
While ABM is a relatively new industry term (circa 2014), B2B businesses have been using account-based marketing to identify and secure valuable accounts for decades. After all, the basic premise of ABM is very simple: Deliver the right messages to the right people at the right times. The focus and efficacy of ABM make it an attractive avenue for almost every kind of business, which is why it’s likely to become even more popular in 2018.
However, now that more and more businesses are embracing this innovative marketing approach, we’re seeing a huge influx of subpar account-based marketing campaigns. Desirable accounts across almost every B2B market are being bombarded with “spammy” marketing in 2018, which is why your business needs to be more strategic about when and how it targets potential leads. Otherwise, your clever, data-driven marketing messages run the risk of being lost amidst the tide of dull emails and advertisements.
It’s also important to note that ABM will continue to evolve as marketers get better and better at gathering and utilizing account data. Upcoming smart appliances and other IoT devices will give marketing teams more reliable insights on user behaviors and preferences, providing actionable insights on targeted accounts to fuel their ABM initiatives. But you’ll only be able to access and use this data if you invest in the right technology and tactics. Consequently, utilizing ABM software or a strategic digital growth partner will be more important than ever in 2018 and beyond.
Aligning Your ABM for Future Success
Now that you have a better understanding of how ABM is changing, let’s discuss a few strategies you can leverage to improve your account-based marketing efforts.
1. Aligning Your Sales & Marketing Teams
One of the greatest challenges of ABM is developing a comprehensive understanding of the accounts your company wants to target. Since you’re crafting highly personalized content to appeal to these specific prospects, it’s imperative to understand their unique pain points and business goals. That’s why it’s so important to ensure that your marketing and sales teams are collaborating on your ABM campaigns. Each of these parties holds a wealth of actionable insights on the accounts your business wants to win. By working together, your sales and marketing experts can quickly identify high-value accounts and close deals, fostering greater business growth and profitability.
Aligning sales with marketing is no easy task for businesses. In many cases, these two teams butt heads due to a lack of clear communication and unified strategy. Luckily, there are many account-based marketing tactics you can employ to align your marketing and sales teams.
2. Personalizing Your Online Presence
Since ABM is all about creating highly personalized messages to drive sales opportunities, it’s important to ensure that your online channels provide tailored user experiences for potential leads that speak to their specific interests and business challenges. One excellent way to achieve this is through personalized landing pages. Account-specific landing pages can utilize unique forms, copy, visual assets and promotions to maximize their conversion impact.
Personalized emails are another powerful tool your team can employ to win business opportunities. It’s pretty easy to create a few email templates that focus on the specific challenges and goals of target-account contacts. If you keep these messages concise and provide useful and relevant information, they’re very likely to pull in favorable responses, bringing you one step closer to winning a new customer or client.
3. Finding a Strategic ABM Partner
If your business is having trouble with employing ABM effectively, or if you’re starting the process of implementing into your organization, then consider partnering with a reputable digital growth consultancy. For example, Snap’s digital marketing professionals can provide your enterprise with data-driven account-based marketing tools and tactics to position you for resounding success. Whether your team needs help with SEO, web design, content marketing or social media marketing, our team has you covered.
Perfect Your ABM With Snap Agency
Don’t hesitate to call or message Snap Agency today if you’d like to learn more about the future of account-based marketing and how you can prepare your business for upcoming industry changes. You can also reach out for more information on our award-winning digital growth solutions and how they can take your company beyond ROI. We’re always here to help.