talk to me: implementing effective abm€¦ · core support for every abm level see how the...

Create a personal connection to your best clients and prospects with account-based marketing.

Talk to Me: Implementing Effective ABM

Your challenges are clear: • Put the right prospects in touch with the right high-value information to grab

their interest.

• Keep them engaged from problem awareness to product evaluation.

• Form a connection that will ultimately convert those prospects to loyal, long-term customers.

ABM: Cutting Through the NoiseThe internet today is noisy. Too many competing messages distract and divert site visitors away from the information that they need—and that you want them to digest.

At the same time, B2B buyers today do most of their research and learning about products and solutions online without the direct involvement of sales people. Marketing teams must produce content that is highly relevant and that captures the attention of buyers at each stage of their journey.

—CEB1 57% of the purchase decision is made before engaging with a sales rep.

Account-based marketing (ABM) is increasingly popular, specifically for its ability to foster just such a connection.

What ABM approach is right for your B2B organization? This eBook takes a look at ABM and its potential for today’s B2B companies.

Prioritizing Quality over Quantity Learn what ABM is and how it differs from traditional inbound marketing approaches.

Which ABM Approach Is Right for You? Explore three ABM strategies and determine which is a good fit for your company.

Core Support for Every ABM Level See how the CompassABM technology solution enables the core account targeting, identification, and personalization that drives ABM.

Get Help Implementing ABM Prepare for your next steps.

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Prioritizing Quality over Quantity



What’s your top priority? As a marketing leader, you’re likely working to drive optimal ROI for the marketing budget, foster marketing and sales alignment, and prove the value of marketing to the executive team.

However, ask 10 of your marketing team members and you’ll likely get 10 different answers. They might focus on tactics such as:

Whatever their immediate task, you can bet that most tactical marketing activities have one end goal: producing more leads for sales. Yet the number of leads shouldn’t be your focus. Rather, the quality of leads is what matters.

MarketingSherpa reports that 73% of B2B leads are not sales ready.2

However, marketers may not be getting feedback on those leads from sales. Refactored’s 2018 Sales Enablement Benchmark Survey revealed that about a third of marketers aren’t aware of how many of the leads they generate are acceptable to sales. That misalignment results in wasted effort on the part of both teams. Maybe ignorance is bliss, but it isn’t good business.

Content CreationGet more responses for the upcoming campaign.

Managing MetricsOptimize the digital ad spend to create more site traffic.

Promotions and SocialDrive booth traffic to next week’s event.



http://www.refactoredmedia.com/Refactored/media/assets/files/Reports/Refactored-Report-Sales-Enablement-Benchmark-Survey-2018.pdf


Enter ABMInstead of continuing to work at odds and producing more low-value, low-quality leads, marketing and sales teams are finding greater success by collaborating on strategies that result in significant sales to highly prized customers. Using sophisticated technology solutions, teams are refining and perfecting the ABM methods that ITSMA first debuted in B2B marketing more than two decades ago.3

Unlike broad inbound content marketing campaigns that attempt to capture attention and draw in potential customers from a general pool, ABM applies focused, outbound sales and marketing resources to highly desired, targeted accounts.

That focus on high-value accounts improves overall ROI and more directly supports the goals of your sales people and executives. A strong alignment between marketing and sales improves that focus and ensures that the leads that do go to sales are deeper in the buyer journey.

Create a ConnectionThe idea isn’t new. For nearly three decades, the concept of account management has involved sales reps forming personal connections with their biggest and best customers. Account managers are in touch with their clients’ pains and needs; marketing supports the relationship by developing messaging, events, training, and other materials to help clients solve those specific, pressing problems.

Today’s ABM rejuvenates that business relationship concept, to market—and sell—directly to your ideal clients. These focused efforts are time-consuming and require a significant amount of bandwidth. But the results are undeniably impressive.


Which approach to ABM is right for your company? Read on to find out.



75%Aberdeen research states that

of customers report a preference for the type of personalized sales offers that ABM provides.5

ABM fosters ongoing alignment of sales and marketing—another goal for many B2B organizations. DemandBase says that

70% of ABM users enjoy complete or nearly complete alignment.4

ABM’s targeted efforts are easier to track than larger, more amorphous inbound campaigns

The reported benefits are significant:

Making ROI easier to prove —a benefit for both sales and marketing teams.

Invest Wisely for Strong ROIAlthough the concept has been around for decades, the practice of ABM requires significant investments in planning, content production, and ongoing maintenance. And companies simply can’t skimp on the account research and sales and marketing resources that enable a successful ABM effort.

However, most ABM software suites are extremely expensive, and that upfront cost can be hard to justify. Often, the cost of a content customization tool immediately exceeds the allocated budget, leaving little or nothing for the execution of an effective ABM engagement strategy.

The truth is, you don’t have to jump into a full one-to-one ABM strategy (or enterprise tool set) right out of the gate. A pilot program can help you demonstrate a path to success and lay the groundwork for a more extensive program.

We feel ABM customization tools should support your pilot ABM strategy, not derail it. We put a heavy focus on strategy, content development, team coordination, and the actual execution of a program to drive engagement with you best prospects—not on overly expensive technology.

Fortunately, today’s technologies—such as the personalization capabilities in Kentico EMS—make ABM easier than it has been in the past.

60% 43%DemandBase notes that

of ABM users reported revenue increases

attributed to its usesaw a positive impact across

the entire sales funnel.4

Of those who used ABM for three years or more,

Many B2B organizations—

71%, to be exact—are already using ABM, according to DemandBase.4



Which ABM Approach Is Right for You?



Strategic ABM (one-to-one)Single-account ABM involves the creation of customized content for each targeted account.

Many businesses use this approach only for “dream” accounts: Landing just one of these big fish would justify all your ABM efforts. However, you’ll need in-depth research into each account, and you’ll need to develop highly personalized content, including but not limited to relevant case studies, white papers, support documentation, testimonials, demos, landing pages, banners, nurture campaigns, and ads.

Lite ABM (one-to-few)The several-accounts approach spreads customized content across a few accounts and so requires less effort than a single-account strategy.

Use this option for “marquee” accounts; converting a couple of these prospects will produce a positive ROI. You’ll save time and money by reusing content that applies to more than one account—for example, messaging around common pains—and you don’t need quite the in-depth insight that single-account ABM demands.

Programmatic ABM (one-to-many)Delivering lightly personalized content to many accounts is the least expensive and time-intensive ABM strategy.

For example, you might create industry- or location-specific content sets that require only broad knowledge of targeted accounts and can be delivered to scores of visitors. For companies that want at least some of the benefits of ABM without the massive price tag of many strategic ABM programs, this strategy offers a good starting point.

Which ABM Approach Is Right for You?

Each ABM category has different demands and benefits. You can implement one or more of these approaches—or a combination—depending on your needs.

Strategic ABM (one-to-one)

Programmatic ABM (one-to-many)

Build Momentum and ROI

Lite ABM (one-to-few)

Carefully consider your ABM options.ABM can be resource-intensive. Hopefully, you already have highly focused personas. But you still need to identify and profile target accounts and stakeholders, categorize their priority for your sales team, and create personalized content to support those stakeholders through the entire buying journey.

Fortunately, ABM needn’t be an all or nothing approach. Plenty of B2B companies use a mixture of ABM and inbound marketing. Some companies are more comfortable dipping a toe in the ABM pool to test results and refine their approach before investing in a full-fledged ABM approach. Others simply want to spread a wider net.

There are multiple options for implementing ABM. Most marketing and ABM pros categorize ABM according to the number of accounts that are targeted by a customized content set, using terms coined by ITSMA:6



Core Support for Every ABM Level



CompassABM: Core Support for Every ABM Level

Establish a Connection—Faster By now, you’ve probably noticed one thing that every level of ABM has in common: personalization. However you implement ABM and on whatever scale, you need the ability to deliver personalized content to a target audience.

CompassABM for Kentico is a subscription-based software solution that does the heavy lifting for you.

Kentico EMS already enables you to track an anonymous user to the point that the user completes a form on your site. From that point, you can personalize the user’s website experience.

Simply specify the accounts you want to target, and CompassABM watches for their digital footprint, notifying you when the account visits your site.

At the same time and in concert with Kentico EMS, CompassABM serves up the personalized content you specify: banners, landing pages, text, graphics, and more. And CompassABM enables you to deliver custom experiences to increase relevancy and improve engagement.

Compass ABM speeds the process, helping you identify account names and industry information before form conversion. As a result, you can deliver content and site personalization from the user’s first visit.

Programmatic ABM (one-to-many)

• Target numerous accounts through a similar customized message.

• Recognize the presence of numerous accounts as they come to your site.

• Support industry-based personalization, defining custom industry groups by SIC or NCIAS code.

• Ensure a consistent baseline experience by defining specific pages and content across all companies that are managed in the system.

ABM Lite (one-to-few)

• Attract and engage named accounts.

• Speak more directly to a slightly smaller set of higher-value accounts that share a common pain.

• Categorize target accounts, to deliver a greater level of personalization.

• Enable the creation of specific pages to address the defined company, industry, and pain.

Strategic ABM (one-to-one)

• Enable highly personalized communication.

• Keep your products and brand top of mind with consistent, customized digital marketing.

• Support detailed personalization and unique page creation.

• Deliver a fully customized experience to targeted accounts.



Get Help Implementing ABM




List DevelopmentWe’ll help you develop your target account list and the top-level data that plug into CompassABM.

• Evaluate list sources• Develop primary target messaging points• Segment lists according to appropriate ABM level• Complete account tagging in CRM• Research and append contact data (name, email, phone,

address, domain)• Acquire IP list data for use in marketing/remarketing on LinkedIn,

Choozle, Google

Custom Web Copy CreationWe’ll coordinate with both sales and marketing to review your current website for available messaging, collateral, and imagery. With this insight, we’ll create customized web copy to deliver a personalized online experience for your targeted accounts.

• Complete a web copy gap analysis/needs matrix • Create customized page copy, based on research and depending

on ABM level• Select appropriate banner and page images • Provide updated industry page copy, as needed• Gather account logos, as needed

CompassABM for Kentico provides a toolset and optional services that can take your account-based marketing efforts from pilot to pro—affordably and in sync with your existing Kentico deployment.

Call us for more information about the following services.

Buy-in The initial stage of an ABM pilot involves garnering buy-in from your marketing, sales, and executive teams. We can help you with this preparatory step by providing materials, site visits, and presentations.

• Communicate ABM benefits to each team• Explain CompassABM programs to stakeholders • Demonstrate CompassABM results• Develop a complete pilot budget• Estimate expected ROI

StrategyOur digital marketing and Kentico experts can help you develop the best ABM strategy for your business, including evaluation of business models, price points, sales channels, and more. We’ll also help you achieve the necessary alignment of sales and marketing—a vital part of successful ABM programs.

• Determine the right ABM level for your company and project• Research target accounts• Interview stakeholders• Provide gap analysis of assets per buyer stage and personas• Plan website and ad customization



Custom Web Component DesignWant to deliver fully customized landing pages as part of a strategic or lite ABM program? We can design pages that integrate graphics, text, video, and more to grab the attention of your ideal customers.

Asset CreationLet our experts help create customized content that connects with your target accounts. Choose from a variety of copy, crafted by award-winning marketing experts.

• Develop collateral (white papers, case studies, ebooks, podcasts, videos)• Create digital ads• Write copy for nurture programs (email, social media)

ExecutionShort on time or resources? We’ll help you populate and deploy CompassABM to your Kentico-based website.

• Populate CompassABM database with provided data• Develop ABM best practices with sales and marketing• Execute account plan with variable tactics

Digital PromotionReady to take your ABM program to the next level? We’ll help you implement a digital campaign to generate return visits from your target accounts.

• Develop targeted ads for use on Choozle or AdRoll• Manage the disbursement, rotation, testing, and adjustment of your ads

Measurement and AdjustmentA vital part of any marketing effort is measurement, evaluation, and adjustment of your program to continually optimize results.

• Build measurement criteria• Conduct account reviews• Evaluate tactical results and adjust tactics as needed• Adjust participating accounts at each level


Not on Kentico? Not a problem. We can assist with ABM planning and execution. We can also support programs delivered in concert with other ABM platforms.

Sources1. CEB Marketing Leadership Council®, The Digital Evolution in B2B Marketing.

2. MarketingSherpa, 2012 B2B Marketing Benchmark Report.

3. ITSMA, “The Rise of Account-Based Marketing—Timeline.”

4. Demandbase, Account-Based Marketing Adoption Benchmark Report.

5. The Aberdeen Group, cited in Marketo, “What Is Account-Based Marketing (ABM) and Is It Right for You?”

6. ITSMA, “Defining the Three Types of Account-Based Marketing.”



CompassABM + KenticoThe Complete Solution for Managing ABM Customer ExperienceKentico allows you to easily manage website content, provide great customer experience, and deliver personalized content across digital campaigns. CompassABM enhances Kentico—and your ABM program—by empowering marketers to deliver highly personalized content, in real time, for truly customer-centric marketing.

Kentico provides marketers with a fully integrated set of online marketing tools that can be leveraged by CompassABM as you deliver your ABM program, including:

Learn more about Kentico

• Content Personalization

• A/B and MVT testing

• Lead Scoring

• Segmentation

• Contact Management

• Analytics

• Email Marketing

• Marketing Automation

• Campaign Management


www.kentico.com


For more information, visit www.compassabm.com.

About Compass ABMCompassABM is an online platform and integrated service offering that helps companies launch, build, and maintain a successful account-based marketing (ABM) program. CompassABM helps to launch your ABM journey by providing tools to target, attract, identify, and engage high-value accounts while alerting your ABM team to program activity.

CompassABM is a product of Refactored, a full-service B2B digital agency. The experts at Refactored help brands navigate the complexities of modern marketing by aligning people, process, and technology. Our goals are to showcase your brand’s unique value and generate results that matter to your business. We help you find your voice, tell your story, and outperform your competition. Through engaging online and offline experiences that align with your customers’ needs, we help you educate stakeholders and motivate them to positive action. Refactored serves national and international corporate clients from our home offices in Colorado. Let us show you how to demonstrate your compelling purpose—and strengthen your brand from the inside out. Connect with us at www.compassabm.com and www.refactoredmedia.com.

[email protected]

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