5 Steps for Account-Based Marketing That Rocks

Are you getting personal enough with your marketing efforts? Speaking to clients and prospects based on their specific industry or business challenges is a strong way to make an impression and gain credibility. Taking the time to zero in on various segments of your prospect list and what motivates them, versus using mass-messaging tactics, can make a big difference in your success rate. Account-based marketing (ABM) is all about delivering timely and relevant content that can pique interest and start a conversation. These five basic steps can help you get started.

1. Segment Your Targets

Who do you want to market to and build a relationship with? Current client and prospect lists is a great place to start, but don’t treat them all the same. Segment them by industry, product type or another data point that makes sense and you start to get a more refined group of people to message to. Think in the same terms when you’re building prospect lists, and you’ll have a better chance of speaking their language from the start.

2. Develop Your Personas

Next, you’ll want to make sure you understand what challenges each of your audiences is facing so you can develop content that shows how you can help — they’re likely not all the same. For example, Yalo recently helped our client, Metalogix, develop an ABM campaign directed at a European audience with compliance deadlines coming up. Having insight about that one issue they were facing allowed us to develop really relevant messaging and time our campaign accordingly.

3. Identify the Best Channels

Timeline and budget are obviously always factors, but think about where you can deliver the most impact — which isn’t always just in your audience’s inbox. Is there a combination of channels you can use to build out a campaign that tells your story over a few weeks in a few places, versus a single hit? Think digital + traditional + in-person opportunities to find the best opportunities to connect.

4. Develop Killer Content

Just like in every other type of marketing, on-point messaging and an interesting hook is essential to getting their attention. For example, in our Metalogix example, data security was the key message so we locked up the mailer we delivered with a real padlock. A hand-written note from sales reps gave it a personal touch. Think about fun and unique ways to deliver your message for a better chance that it will get the attention it deserves. 

5. Run the Numbers. Refine. Rise.

Reviewing your campaign analytics and refining your message, timing or tactics accordingly is the final critical step to campaign success. And it gives you the insight to make the next one even better. Digital elements that can be tracked like a custom URL or a Facebook Pixel can help give you valuable insights beyond shifts in revenue, letting you know if you’re getting engagement from the right people in the first place.