In the year 2020, it is undeniable that Account-Based Marketing Trends is the strategy at the top of every marketer’s mind.
Its popularity has been gaining traction over the last few years and having a popularity uptick similar to the surge that “content marketing” had five years ago. As a result, companies that haven’t yet adopted the strategy are heavily looking into it and this is especially true of B2B organizations.
However, just adopting the practice is not enough. It’s important to understand where the industry is going that is becoming the most popular when implementing.
Single Buyer Vs Committee
B2B brands are becoming increasingly aware that they can no longer focus on a single buyer. They need to create content targeted at a specific buying audience. When looking at a buying committee as a whole, it often comprises of multiple people who all offer different viewpoints. So B2B companies must consider that while moving forward with their ABM strategies.
Align your Sales and Marketing
While several B2B companies have already reported adopting an ABM strategy, it is important to note that several of these companies’ ABM are still in their beginning stages of maturity. The number one thing anyone adopting an ABM needs to remember is that your ABM won’t be successful if your sales and marketing teams don’t align. But don’t be discouraged because an ABM is uniquely designed to force your sales and marketing to do just that. The programs are built on account selection, outreach and nurturing then you must measuring success on overall results. This helps to reduce friction and internal blockages.
However, Marketing provides a service to sales and sales are the customer, so both teams must learn to work together to achieve their common goals. To do so, listen then analyze your data to create a mutually beneficial plan and execute.
Let Your Sales Team Drive Account Selection
Sales is customer facing and therefore have the best view of which accounts are the most important, which are the most likely to convert and which ones they need to focus on. So, let them lead and pick out the accounts that they predict will be the most profitable and also the easiest to work with.
Integrating B2B Influencer
This isn’t a popular trend at the moment but it is one that has been proven to be quite beneficial. What is a B2B influencer? This is a subject matter expert who is visible in the industry and who your customer may already trust and look to for advice and expertise. This makes the B2B influencer and the ABM a powerful combination.
Quantity = Success
Business leaders want to see results and consequently, they are measuring the success of their ABMs by the number of new accounts they’ve engaged, their conversion rates and other such numbers.
Account-Based Marketing is the natural evolution of the B2B marketing strategy and it is a winning program that is seeing significant results. If your organization hasn’t adopted this strategy it may be time for you to give it a try.
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