Account-based marketing
Win the accounts that actually matter
Only a few hundred accounts can move your pipeline, and broad demand generation pays to reach thousands of companies that can’t. I build ABM programs that focus your marketing, and your sales team if you have one, on the accounts worth winning.
What’s included
- Target account list building: I build and tier your target account list and map the buying committee at each account.
- Fit scoring and account research: I score accounts against your fit rules and research the ones that matter most.
- Intent signals: I track intent signals to prioritize accounts and time outreach.
- Coordinated plays: I coordinate marketing plays, and sales plays when you have a team, so each account hears a consistent message.
- Personalized campaigns: I tailor campaigns and content to each account’s business.
- Reporting: I report pipeline and account engagement against your target.
How I approach it
I build one account list for everyone who touches these accounts, use intent signals to time outreach, and coordinate touches across ads, email, and content so each account sees something relevant to its business. When you have a sales team, I add them to that list and the timing, so they follow up while an account is engaged.
Who this is for
B2B companies with a defined set of target accounts and a marketing team that wants to go after those accounts with more than lead generation. A sales team that works the same accounts speeds up pipeline, and you can start without one.
Where I start
I start with the account list. I score and tier accounts with you using your own fit rules, so everyone who touches these accounts agrees on who matters before any campaign runs.
What you’ll see each month
A report on the accounts: which are engaging, which moved forward, and where sales should act next.
Platforms this runs on
Most of this runs on tools you may already own. Here is what the work needs and what I would pick if you are starting from scratch.
What you need
- A CRM with account-level data, and a marketing automation platform.
- An intent and firmographic data source: to score and prioritize accounts.
- Ad platforms that can target by account.
What I recommend
- HubSpot, Pardot or SharpSpring for accounts and plays.
- 6sense, Demandbase or a comparable intent data source like Clay or Apollo.
- LinkedIn Campaign Manager and Google Search retargeting for account-targeted ads.
Questions I hear
How many accounts should an ABM program target?
Start with 50 to 200 accounts, tiered by fit. That’s enough to see what’s working and small enough to give each account a relevant message. I size the list to your sales capacity and deal size, and we add accounts once the first tier is engaging.
Can ABM run successfully without a platform like 6sense or Demandbase?
Yes. A platform adds intent data and automation, but the program runs on a good account list, coordinated plays, and consistent reporting. I build those on the tools you already have, such as your CRM, LinkedIn Ads, and Google Ads, and I score accounts from first-party engagement and trigger events like news and leadership changes. If your volume grows to the point where a platform’s intent data would pay for itself, I’ll tell you, and the program is set up to add one.
Do I need intent data?
It helps with timing, and you can start without it. A tiered list and coordinated outreach come first. I add intent signals when they’d change who you contact and when.
Can marketing run this without sales?
Yes. Marketing can run the target account list, account-based ads, personalized content, and account-engagement reporting on its own, and you’ll see which accounts are engaging. Pipeline moves faster when sales follows up on those accounts, so when there’s a sales team I set up a shared account list and a regular check-in with them. When there isn’t, I build the follow-up into the marketing plays.
Proof
6sense certified. I ran account-based marketing on 6sense for 3G (transportation management software), where leads grew 25%, and on Terminus for Auditdata (hearing clinic operations software), where qualified leads rose 30%.