Account-based marketing ideas can do a lot for a business, and if you’re wondering if the strategy really works, the proof is in the pudding. A Demand Metric study showed that 60% of companies employing ABM tactics saw at least a 10% increase in revenue in the first year, with some companies reporting as much as a 208% increase! Clearly, it’s worthwhile, but how do you get started?
This guide will give you a brief overview of how account-based marketing works before diving into some of the account-based marketing ideas you might be able to kickstart your own ABM campaign. Armed with all this info, it won’t be long before you’re off to the races! So let’s get started.
What we’ll cover in this guide
- The benefits of account-based marketing
- Account-based marketing best practices
- Unique account-based marketing ideas you can use
- The perfect complement to your account-based marketing campaigns
How does account-based marketing work?
Account-based marketing differs from other kinds of marketing by tailoring your marketing efforts to target specific accounts, companies, or even individuals. This means creating significantly more customized campaigns so you can speak more directly with the exact people or companies you’re interested in reaching.
The goal is to use highly specified and customized campaigns to speak directly to your key targets, which if done well can help you create strong bonds right off the bat. By cultivating and maintaining those relationships you can hopefully see better, more long-lasting results.
Interested in learning more about the ins and outs of account-based marketing campaigns? Check out our full deep dive in the ultimate account-based marketing guide.
The benefits of ABM over traditional marketing
There are tons of benefits to account-based marketing programs, but let’s examine a few of the more major ones.
- Increased loyalty among your customers: Because your relationship will begin with a much more intentional and curated experience, some reps report a 58% improvement in retaining customers. That means less churn and more longevity, which can in turn lead to more stable revenue streams.
- Increased productivity and efficiency: Account-based marketing campaigns are all about the long game, not cheap wins. By spending more time upfront in the sales journey, you have the potential to save time and money down the road. You’ll only be targeting those who will truly be interested.
- More straightforward paths to ROI: ABM tactics let you narrow in on costs and profits more easily. Having this level of clarity can make it significantly easier to determine how to allocate resources in the future, assess your strategies, and determine a plan of attack for future, similar-sized accounts.
Account-based marketing best practices
Any company can apply the principles of account-based marketing, but there are some basic principles to keep in mind. Let’s review a few key account-based marketing best practices below:
- Align your sales and marketing teams: Coordination between your teams is going to be crucial to your success, so it’s important to take the time to make sure there’s open communication between them.
- Research your targets as much as possible: One of the best account-based marketing tips is to do your research beforehand! You should try to get an understanding of your ideal customer profile and what legitimate issues you can realistically help them solve.
- Customize your content: All your efforts won’t be worth much if you don’t bother to customize your content for the targets you’re seeking. Focus on your targets and speak directly to their interests, needs, and concerns through custom landing pages and microsites or even in-person experiences!
Now that we’ve given you a refresh on ABM practices (and you can find even more info in our comprehensive guide), let’s dig into some great ideas to get you up and running!
Unique account-based marketing ideas you can use to get started
Get your creative juices flowing with these thought-starters!
Create a VIP experience for key decision-makers
Your deal closing rate can increase up to 67% with ABM techniques, so why not go all out for the decision-makers at your key targets? What that means is putting even more effort into customization. You could give decision-makers special access to learning materials, extended free trials, or even exclusive events.
By prioritizing the experience of particular points of contact and stakeholders related to your target accounts, you’re going to have a much easier time landing deals. Everyone likes feeling special, so hammer home the exclusivity of your offer.
Offer customized content hubs for target accounts
You have all of this targeted content, but you don’t want it to be too spread out. Creating separate, password-protected portals for all your custom content for each target can not only help stay organized but also create a more curated experience for your target.
These portals let them save one spot to access all the relevant content, resources, and tools tailored to their needs in one spot. When you give them easy access to all materials, you’re telling them you care about their experience with you. It’s a great touch, and something microsites are perfect for!
Make your sales process interactive
Making interactive content isn’t just a way to entertain target audiences, it’s a way to open a dialogue. Encouraging engagement—whether via case studies, joint webinars, or even interactive quizzes and games—also encourages targets to share and comment on their experience.
This opens up a back-and-forth. When that happens, it gives you the opportunity to answer questions and start developing a real relationship. So many salespeople are waiting for their clients to take interest in their offers, but by making it easier for prospects to open up to you, you’re giving yourself a great advantage.
Predict anything you can with analytics
ABM strategies often mean you’re collecting a ton of important data, so one of the best things you can do is put it to use to predict the future. Well, not the whole future, but you can forecast buyer behavior much more readily with data in hand.
Your customization here will give you a much more thorough understanding of your targets, making it easier to see what actions they may take and why. And if you’re hosting any of your content on a Zoomforth microsite, you’ll have access to even more analytics!
Zoomforth is the perfect complement to your account-based marketing campaigns
With these ideas in mind, you’re ready to start creating your next account-based marketing campaign. And, while you’re at it, why not invest in the perfect ABM tool?
Zoomforth offers more than just analytics, it also has easy-to-understand dashboards and tons of easy ways to customize every page. That’s because we’re a leader in the world of custom content experiences and microsite creation, and we’ve got what you need to get your ABM campaign off the ground.
Create, build, publish, and track the success of your ABM sites with our easy-to-use platform. Don’t wait—request a demo today!
