How to Create a Winning ABM Campaign

It’s easy to see why account-based marketing (ABM) is so popular. Imagine you had to choose between an untargeted B2B campaign that would reach 100,000 random people, or a highly-targeted one that would reach 100 senior executives in your most valuable accounts. Which one would you choose?

With the first option, you might end up with over 100 solid leads. But you’d also have:

• A mountain of unqualified leads
• A large group of people who ignore, or are annoyed by, an irrelevant ad
• A neglected group of highly valuable leads who weren’t in the 100,000
  

It makes sense that most B2B marketers would focus on relevance instead of reach, and specific targeting over spray-and-pray. 

ABM takes strategic audience segmentation one step further. Account-based marketing means targeting a small number of your potentially most valuable accounts with highly customized marketing material, working closely with the sales department to earn attention and nurture relationships. 

If you’re just getting started with ABM, take a moment to review the fundamentals in this article: What Is Account Based Marketing? If you’re ready to level up your established ABM strategy, read on.

Essential Traits of a Winning ABM Campaign

There’s not just one right way to run an ABM campaign, of course. At the base level, ABM can be:

• 1:1 – Salespeople focus on 1-5 of the most valuable accounts
• 1:few – Up to 30 mid-value accounts targeted with custom messaging and personalized attention
• 1:many – 30+ lower-value accounts targeted in segments
  

Regardless of which strategy or mix you employ, there are a few characteristics that remain constant.

1. A targeted and account-centric approach

It makes perfect sense that account-based marketing would hinge on selecting the right accounts to base your marketing strategy on. Your marketing and sales teams should work together to identify and prioritize your highest-value prospects. The most potentially valuable can be singled out for 1:1 ABM, while a second tier could receive a less intensive, but still customized approach.

Once you determine target accounts, it’s important to tailor your content and engagement strategies to their specific needs, pain points and even browsing habits. If the COO at your target account is most active on LinkedIn, sending them targeted ads on another platform won’t be a winning strategy. The goal should be to reach individuals in the buying committee and nurture genuine relationships.

2. Sales and marketing alignment

Even though ABM has “marketing” in the name, it’s really a hybrid strategy created between sales and marketing. It’s important to define terms, share objectives and create goals together. 

Ideally, each department should inform the other. Sales can offer insights gained through their prospecting in order to make marketing messages more relevant. Marketing can equip sales with personalized materials, including images, downloadable assets and even customized emails.

It’s important to keep the lines of communication open between the two departments. Exchange insights, feedback and data to continually refine your coordinated approach.

3. Data-driven strategy

The depth and breadth of data available to marketers is what makes modern ABM possible. In-depth research and thorough account profiling lay the foundation for effective campaigns. Data from social media activity, browsing habits and more can help you better understand buyer behavior, pain points and preferences. The more relevant data you have, the more relevant your content will be to your most valuable accounts.

4. Multichannel and omnichannel engagement

Successful ABM campaigns orchestrate consistent and coordinated touchpoints across various channels. Multichannel engagement means meeting buyers where they are, whether that be email, social media, personalized events or direct outreach. Omnichannel engagement means having a unified strategy that ensures no matter where someone encounters your brand, they will see the same highly relevant messaging.

Maintaining this consistency in messaging and branding makes sure your targeted buyers get a cohesive brand experience. This helps increase recognition and trust to build relationships faster.

ABM Campaigns on LinkedIn

LinkedIn has a variety of tools to help you identify your most valuable accounts and reach them with targeted messaging. 

Targeting and advertising tools

When you identify your most valuable accounts, you can use Company Targeting to match your list to Pages on LinkedIn. From there, you can build target audiences for specific campaigns.

You can reach individuals within your target accounts with Sponsored Content and Sponsored Messaging ads that feel unique and personal to each one.  

LinkedIn also offers integrations with a wide array of ABM tools to help automate and streamline your processes. Plus, our ecosystem of marketing partners includes several that specialize in enhancing ABM strategies.

Building relationships and networking

ABM isn’t just about serving up targeted content. It’s also about building relationships, offering value, and starting conversations. LinkedIn is the ideal platform to directly engage with key decision-makers. Comments, likes and shares of their content, along with sharing helpful advice from your team, helps establish credibility and prove your usefulness. 

Running a LinkedIn Event is a good way to provide value, spark conversations and network with your target prospects. Virtual events can augment in-person events or stand on their own.

Content strategy

Another key component of ABM is brand-building. People need to know your brand exists, what solutions you offer, and that you are a leader in your industry. Marketers can showcase brand 

expertise by publishing thought-provoking content, both on the brand’s Page and as executive-bylined long-form posts. Thought-provoking questions, trend analysis and industry insights shared on LinkedIn can help capture attention and establish credibility. 

You can also link from LinkedIn to long-form content on your site, such as case studies, testimonials, and original research. But you don’t have to link away from LinkedIn to offer gated content. Document Ads make it easy for your audience to preview the asset, fill out a lead gen form and receive the full asset, all in their LinkedIn Feed.

Reach the accounts that count

In a crowded marketplace with convoluted customer journeys, ABM can be a powerful way to break through the clutter and connect with your most valued accounts. It’s quality over quantity: Successful ABM campaigns focus on understanding and engaging with specific companies instead of trying to reach everyone at once.

ABM works best with these elements in place: 

• Sales and marketing alignment
• Data-driven decision making
• Omnichannel messaging
• Personalized content
• Person-to-person relationship building 
  

LinkedIn makes it easier to practice ABM, whether you’re targeting a few highly-valuable companies or taking a broader approach. The data available, the tools to deliver messages and the ability to interact with potential buyers all make LinkedIn the preferred platform for ABM.

Check out Account Targeting on LinkedIn to get started with your ABM strategy.