No matter how great your ad campaigns are, the reality is that most of the eyeballs they capture and leads they generate will not convert. For small to midsize businesses looking to see the greatest possible return on investment (ROI) on their数字营销ob欧宝娱乐app下载地址efforts, account-based marketing offers a way to bypass all those less valuable leads by focusing sales andmarketing effortson best-fit accounts from the very beginning of thesales cycle.
What is account-based marketing?
帐户公司ob欧宝娱乐app下载地址g (ABM)uses research and data to identifyhigh-value accountsand then aligns sales and marketing efforts to convert them to customers.
For example: Imagine that a boutique skin care brand has been selling directly to consumers but wants to scale by getting their products on the shelves at Sephora. To accomplish this, it would tap both itssales and marketing teamsto jointly create a strategy to reach out to the right people at Sephora, educate them about their brand, and ultimately close a deal. This ABM strategy might involve looking at what kinds of skin care products Sephora already sells and position themselves as filling a need that isn’t being met for Sephora’s customers. The brand would then look up Sephora buyers on LinkedIn so that they could target multiple stakeholders with product samples and communication.
帐户公司ob欧宝娱乐app下载地址g vs. lead-based marketing
帐户公司ob欧宝娱乐app下载地址g and lead-based (also known as “inbound”) marketing are fundamentally different approaches to marketing. Lead-based marketing is an inbound strategy that seeks to generate general interest and then converts that inbound interest into sales. Think of it like casting a wide net in the hopes of capturing a few good customers.
ABM, by contrast, is an outbound strategy in which a company targets specific businesses that it wants to turn into accounts. Think of it like seeking a prize fish and using a specific bait to catch it. You will probably catch a fish either way, but if you have limited time or resources, or just want a really specific type of fish, then a different approach might be more successful.
Benefits of account-based marketing
Certain leads are more likely to convert than others, and anABM programallows you to account for those differences. Rather than pouring money into outbound efforts to reach customers who aren’t in your target market, you can focus on selling to those who have the highest likelihood of converting, or who might have the most long-term value. There are several benefits toaccount-based marketing strategies:
- 调整销售and marketing.If you havesales and marketing teams, account-based marketing ensures they’re on the same page, working together to nurture a set of mutually agreed upon,high-value accounts. For smaller businesses without dedicatedsales and marketing teams, sales andmarketing effortsare more streamlined and cohesive.
- Deliver consistentcustomer experiences.Becausesales and marketing teamsare working in tandem,customer experienceswill be consistent and smooth across multiple touchpoints.
How to implement an account-basedmarketing strategy
1. Identifyhigh-value accounts
AnyABM strategybegins with identifying the accounts that represent the greatest potential ROI. What constitutes ahigh-value accountfor your business, however, will depend on your product or service. If you have data fromexisting customers, then you might look at your most valuable transactions—highest yield, greatest strategic importance—and work backward based on that account’s specific characteristics in order to identify similar untapped opportunities. For example, a business that specializes in locally roasted, ethically grown coffee and organic coffee creamer might identify stores that specialize in local or natural products, like Whole Foods or Sprouts, as ahigh-value account.
2. Research key internal players
Figure out who’s who at your target accounts: determine who makes the purchase decision and identify anyone else who might be a stakeholder in the buying process, including who will actually be using your product or service, if applicable. For example, in addition to grocery stores, the above-mentioned coffee company might also sell directly to businesses for use in their break rooms. In that case, they would be selling not only to the person who buys the coffee but also to the people who will be drinking it every day.
3. Define content and personalize messaging
Content and personalized messaging will help both marketing and sales speak directly tohigh-value accounts. For our coffee company, this would involve creating distinct buyer profiles and then designing sales and marketing content for them.
他们可能会为整个F买家概要文件oods that includes contact information for multiple buyers and insight into what other coffee brands they work with. Knowing that Whole Foods prioritizes local products, they would focus first on the stores within a 50- to 100-mile radius of their roastery.
A second buyer profile for corporate offices in the area might include contact information for office managers, and their marketing might tout how popular they’re becoming with millennial coffee drinkers.
4. Execute targeted campaigns
Once you know what you want to communicate to your target accounts, you have to figure out how to reach them. Examples of targeted campaigns include:
- Paid advertisements.Platforms that sell digital ads, like Facebook and LinkedIn, allow for fairly granular targeting. These platforms can help you reach your target customers (e.g., office managers in your city) with tailored ad creative.
- Custom landing pages. You don’t have to send people who click your ads to your homepage—in fact, you probably shouldn’t. Instead, consider designing custom landing pages that speak directly to the customers who see and engage with your ads.
- Webinars.Webinars can nurture relationships by speaking directly tohigh-qualitybuyers’ specific needs and concerns. For buyers early in thesales cycle, a webinar can help show how your product or service can solve a problem or meet a need. You can also use webinars to nurture relationships withexisting customersby showing them how to make the most of their purchases.
- Events.In-person events like sponsored booths at conferences or festivals and VIP dinners can be great opportunities for your sales team to meet face-to-face with stakeholders fromhigh-value accounts.
- Email campaigns. ABM email campaigns should feel more personal than traditional lead-based drip campaigns. Toward the end of thesales cycle, touching base withdecision-makersvia email can be an effective way to reinforce your messaging from other areas (like webinars and events) andclose deals. For example, after sending a basket of coffee and creamer to a local office manager, our coffee company might follow up the next week to ask if they enjoyed the coffee and offer to answer any questions they have about the bulk discount or ordering process.
5. Track campaign performance
Identify which of thesemarketing strategiesis most effective by looking at the close rate andsales cyclelength. Then you can use that data in planning future ABMeffortsthatclose dealswithhigh-qualityleads in even less time.
Final thoughts
Though it may seem like a strategy for businesses with sizeablesales and marketing teams, ABM can be a great option for small to midsize businesses with limited marketing resources. You might consider these questions when determining if ABM could be right for you:
- Are you pouring significant resources intoinbound marketingandlead generationbut getting fewhigh-quality leads?
- Is it more effective for you to sell directly to individual customers or focus on accounts?
- Is your buyer’s journey unnecessarily long and complicated because it involves multiple stakeholders?