Account based marketing is a booming business these days. Vendors, bloggers, and market research firms are fueling a renewal in account based marketing’s popularity. Throughout the years, account based marketing has joined with inbound marketing tactics to create an automated system of marketing that is beneficial to clients at every stage of their journey.
Today, marketers understand messages cannot just be thrown into the online world for an audience to find them. We need to target our clients and potential customers with messages tailored to them to ensure campaigns are efficient. This is where account based marketing is the most useful in today's marketing practices. More and more B2B businesses have found success by targeting a list of accounts and creating customized messaging and campaigns. Instead of focusing on a wide funnel, account based marketing treats each individual account as a market of one.
Account based marketing (ABM) is a business marketing strategy that concentrates resources on a set of targeted accounts within markets. By using personalized campaigns designed to engage each account, messages can be delivered based on specific attributes and needs for each account.
There are various ABM tiers your company can incorporate. True one-to-one ABM requires a high investment in resources, which usually can be applied only to a small percentage of a company’s target accounts. This may not be the most effective practice for your business’s needs and sales team capacity. By mixing tiers based on customer accounts, you are able to achieve the depth of customization with your company’s critical accounts that will help to meet your revenue, reputational, or relationship goals.
ABM is focused on customizing the experience of the clients and making them feel like they are getting exactly what they need. By scheduling face-to-face meetings, your sales team is able to build relationships that go beyond a digital connection. Offering specialized offers, free evaluations, and consultations are great incentives to drive a boost in meetings.
Investigate the accounts you’re meeting with using your company's CRM. Your CRM should hold any useful information, such as the last connected date, locations, deal stages, and relevant contacts within the company. By doing research on client needs, you are able to run a personalized meeting and better explain the services you are offering. Using case studies from previous clients is an effective way to display effectiveness and drive a sale.
Additionally, using an ERP allows your sales team to directly communicate with your operations, financial, and management teams, ensure correct expectations are set, and provide the ability to check on stock real time. By utilizing a CRM like HubSpot and an ERP system like NetSuite, your sales team is able to move a buyer along the pipeline in an efficient manner.
When a website’s design is flexible enough to change to the name of the account, the prospects will get the personalized experience you’re aiming for.
Prospects always appreciate having access to content that provides answers to pressing questions about their industry. A resource center acts as a comprehensive database of industry-related information. You can organize a resource center by topic, format, or any other criteria to make it easier for users to find the content they need. Your online resource center should also offer a way for your users to filter their search by keywords, date of publication, and popularity.
To drive your account-based-marketing initiative, develop a resource center that is aimed directly to your target accounts. The resources offered could be categorized in several different ways. Categorizing allows you to drive target accounts to the content most relevant to them:
Maintaining your CRMs contact list is a great way to ensure that you are connecting with the best contacts. Having a database allows account based models to seed data bases and build workflows. By properly tracking information, such as title in the company and contact information, your sales team’s jobs are made easier.
Customized emails allow you to speak directly to a prospect's challenges and provide a strong solution. By automating your emails with CRM programs, you are able to effectively and efficiently manage your contacts and ensure consistent information. Additionally, CRM’s allow sales teams to customize email templates and nurture campaigns. Being able to share preset campaigns and communication increases effectiveness and communication between teams.
Nurture campaigns should include:
The right mix of inbound marketing and ABM allows your company to reach target customers and ensure optimal growth. By using technology, such as PRM’s, CRM’s and ERP’s, your company is able to communicate via cloud and push buyers along the buyer's journey with ease.
Partnering with an agency like ManoByte is a great way to ensure all of your technology is working to optimize your growth. ManoByte has specialists trained in strategizing and implementing various inbound tactics using technology platforms. Additionally, our team can design, write, and help manage all of your company's communications with potential clients. Our Business Growth Consultants are ready to answer any questions you may have about leveraging technology to grow your business.