Account-Based Marketing (ABM)
Account-based marketing (ABM) focuses marketing resources on a defined set of high-value target accounts rather than broad demand generation. Rather than casting a wide net to generate leads that sales then qualifies, ABM aligns marketing and sales to identify, engage, and convert specific accounts with personalised, multi-channel campaigns. ABM typically delivers higher deal values and shorter sales cycles — but requires more resource per account.
ABM Tiers
- 1:1 ABM (Strategic): Fully customised campaigns for individual accounts. Used for the highest-value prospects (enterprise deals). Highly resource-intensive.
- 1:few ABM (Named accounts): Customised campaigns for clusters of 5-15 similar accounts. Balances personalisation and efficiency.
- 1:many ABM (Programmatic): Technology-driven ABM at scale — personalised content and ads to a list of hundreds of accounts using automation
ABM Execution
Account selection: identify target accounts by firmographic fit, buying signals, and strategic value. Intent data (Bombora, 6sense) identifies accounts researching relevant topics. Account intelligence: understand the account's business, challenges, key stakeholders, and buying committee. Multi-channel engagement: coordinated ads (targeting by company/role), email, direct mail, events, sales outreach — all carrying consistent personalised messaging.