Account Based Marketing (ABM) starts by looking at your accounts through a different lens. It’s an ongoing evolution of how you really tap in and engage with your target accounts.
Not only is it an expansion of your Demand Gen team, it’s also an orchestrated collaboration between marketing and sales. In other words, ABM takes a village,
Amber Bogie, Advance ABM Leader at PeakCommunity, and Jennifer Leaver, Senior Marketing Manager at Bazaarvoice, are both award-winning thought leaders in the ABM space.
Amber and Jennifer know first hand what it takes to create a successful ABM strategy. They also know, from their separate experiences as ABM leaders, that no matter where you are in your ABM journey, sometimes you just have to trust the process.
No Alignment, No ABM
It’s a notion drilled into our heads over and over again. But that’s only because it’s true: having alignment between sales and marketing is essential.
When there’s no alignment between sales and marketing, that’s when ABM fails.
At the core of alignment, though, is communication. When we don’t get it right, it trickles down into other areas. Beyond alignment, tailoring messaging to personas is important in serving target accounts.
Great Campaigns = Great Results
The listeners in the live chat want to know: what kind of campaigns are Amber and Jen running to generate successful ABM?
When the pandemic hit, they had to shift their strategy.
They had to make sure they were tailoring the journey, specifically to the stage based needs and the size of the companies that they were targeting.
Based on where they are in the buyer journey, they dolled out specific content that speaks either to:
- The opportunities that they’re currently in,
- Or based on the types of solutions aiming to serve to those companies.
Where were all the people of the companies to target in these campaigns?
At home.
Enter direct mail.
Sending personalized packages was the way to prospect’s hearts during the pandemic.
“The turnout was absolutely phenomenal. My inbox was blowing up every other day from our sales team getting another meetings or getting past a gatekeeper,” Jennifer said.
What’s Working and What’s Not?
Jennifer: For us, engagement data and intent data is huge, not only for us to be able to scale our marketing programs, but also really make sure that we’re offering up those personalized experiences based on where they are in the buyer journey.
Amber: Focus on the sales people that are engaged because they will sell the story for you
Align ABM Strategy With Company Goals
One of the most important things people forget is that whatever ABM strategy you chose, it has to align with the overall goals of the company.
Otherwise, it’s bound to fail.
Want to hear more ABM insights? Check out this week’s show. For more episodes like this one find us on our website, on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.