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Account-Based Marketing Strategy Playbook Updated 2026
Our Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Strategy Playbook is a planning methodology that highlights our premium tools and templates to help you develop an ABM approach and strategy that supports your company’s goals & objectives. Demand Metric playbooks are step-by-step guides that help you build strategic processes using "Best Practices" and other Demand Metric tools & templates. Stages of playbook include: Align Resources Select Accounts Generate Insights Create Plans Execute Campaigns Measure Results There are 16 premium tools and templates linked inside this playbook to facilitate the process: - ABM Capabilities Assessment - The State of the ABM Tech Stack Report - ABM Roles Matrix - ABM Program Budget Template - Ideal Customer Profile Template - ABM Account Tiers Worksheet - Account Product Mapping Matrix - Account Scoring Template - Buyer Persona Template - Decision Maker Influencer Map - ABM Buying Committee Diagram - ABM Content Plan Worksheet - ABM Key Account Planning Canvas - ABM Platform Evaluation Matrix - ABM Campaign Planning Tool - ABM Program Metrics Dashboard All effective marketers know their job is to get the right message to the right person in the right way at the right time. Account-based marketing is one specific way of doing exactly that in the B2B setting, and as such, it’s hardly a new idea. The coining of the term and associated buzz over the last five years is the result of new technologies that allow marketers to implement the strategy at scale. Many have heard of ABM by other names: target account marketing or strategic account marketing. ABM’s core characteristics include identifying a subset of high-potential accounts and collaborating with sales to personalize engagement with each account’s stakeholders, thereby closing deals on accounts that offer maximum bang for marketing department bucks. Ultimately, it is a strategic B2B marketing approach that aligns sales and marketing efforts to target the right accounts, resulting in more meaningful and profitable customer engagement.
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Account-Based Marketing Strategy Playbook Updated 2026
- 1. ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING Playbook &Toolkit Follow this simple step-by-step guide to develop an account-based marketing approach and strategy.
- 2. Table of ContentsACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING Introduction 04 Framework 03 About 25 Align Resources 08 11 Select Accounts 14 Generate Insights 17 Create Plans 20 Execute Campaigns 23 Measure Results stage stage stage stage stage stage 1 2 3 4 5 6
- 3. Leverage the frameworkbelow to quickly empower your organization’s agile marketing strategy. ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING Framework ABM Capabilities Assessment Buyer Persona Template Decision Maker Influencer Map ABM Program Metrics Dashboard 1 Click the buttons below to access all related training, tools, templates, and other resources. ABM Roles Matrix ABM Program Budget Template Account Scoring Tool Gartner ABM Platform Reviews and Ratings ABM Platform Evaluation Matrix ABM Campaign Planning Tool Owler Google Alerts 2 3 4 5 6 ABM Strategy & Alignment Account Selection Insight Generation Account Planning ABM Campaign Execution Results Measurement ABM Tech Stack Report Ideal Customer Profile Template ABM Buying Committee Diagram ABM Content Plan Worksheet ABM Key Account Planning Canvas ABM Account Tiers Worksheet Account & Product Mapping Matrix
- 4. 4 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING Introduction 2 Select Accounts 3 Generate Insights 4 Create Plans 5 Execute Campaigns 6 Measure Results ABM Defined Alleffective marketers know that their job is to get the right message to the right person in the right way at the right time. Account-based marketing (ABM) is one specific way of doing exactly that in the B2B setting, and as such, it’s hardly a new idea. The coining of the term and associated buzz over the last five years is the result of new technologies that allow marketers to implement the strategy at scale. ABM’s core characteristics include identifying a subset of high-potential accounts and collaborating with sales to personalize engagement with each account’s stakeholders, thereby closing deals on accounts that offer maximum bang for marketing department bucks. Ultimately, it is a strategic B2B marketing approach that aligns sales and marketing efforts to target the right accounts, resulting in more mean- ingful and profitable customer engagement. Many have heard of ABM by other names: target account marketing or strategic account marketing. 1 Align Resources
- 5. 5 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING Introduction 2 Select Accounts 3 Generate Insights 4 Create Plans 5 Execute Campaigns 6 Measure Results The ITSMAdefines three different ABM tiers based on the level of personalization and technology used: Strategic ABM One-to-one accounts “Creating and executing highly-customized marketing plans for individual accounts” ABM Lite One-to-few accounts “Creating and executing lightly-customized programs for clusters of accounts with similar issues and needs” Programmatic ABM One-to-many accounts “Leveraging technology to tailor marketing campaigns for specific named accounts at scale” Market specific accounts at scale Leverages sales knowledge 5-10 “second-tier” target accounts Tailored content and marketing initiatives Customized marketing plants for individual accounts Forge strong relationships with most-valued stakeholders Strategic ABM ABM Lite Programmatic ABM One-to-one accounts One-to-few accounts One-to-many accounts ABM Success Stories: A Tiered Approach 1 Align Resources
- 6. 6 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING ABM Defined Aneffective ABM strategy consists of three broad phases: account plan- ning, engagement, and measurement. Introduction 2 Select Accounts 3 Generate Insights 4 Create Plans 5 Execute Campaigns 6 Measure Results 1 Align Resources Within each phase, there are tasks to complete and milestones to reach. Before defining these steps in further detail, it’s important to highlight that any new marketing strategy will require a crawl, walk, and run approach. Often, an ABM pilot program is the ideal way to introduce the strategy in a company. ACCOUNT PLANNING ENGAGEMENT MEASUREMENT Be sure to check our Ultimate Guide to ABM for more background on account-based marketing. Helpful Resources V I E W R E S O U R C E DOWNLOAD GUIDE Sections of the guide include: ■ What is ABM? ■ Why ABM? ■ ABM Success Stories ■ How To Implement ABM ■ ABM Troubleshooting ■ Action Plan
- 7. 7 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING How toUse this Playbook This document consists of six stages, each with a description, steps, and action items. Action items include using our premium tools and templates. Our inten- tion with this playbook is to guide you through account-based marketing by helping you: Outputs from This Playbook Introduction 2 Select Accounts 3 Generate Insights 4 Create Plans 5 Execute Campaigns 6 Measure Results Align your team Plan for account-based marketing Select target accounts Execute successful ABM campaigns Measure the performance of your program 1 Align Resources Stage 1 - Align Resources Stage 4 - Create Plans ABM Capabilities Assessment, ABM Tech Stack Report, ABM Roles Matrix, ABM Program Budget Template Ideal Customer Profile Template, ABM Account Tiers Worksheet, Account & Product Mapping Matrix, Account Scoring Tool Buyer Persona Template, Decision Maker Influencer Map ABM Buying Committee Diagram, ABM Content Plan Worksheet, ABM Key Account Planning Canvas Engagio’s ABM Market Map, ABM Platform Evaluation Matrix, ABM Campaign Planning Tool ABM Program Metrics Dashboard Stage 2 - Select Accounts Stage 5 - Execute Campaigns Stage 3 - Generate Insights Stage 6 - Measure Results
- 8. Align Resources STAGE 1 STEP1: Evaluate Your ABM Capabilities STEP 2: Audit your Tech Stack STEP 3: Build your ABM Team STEP 4: Determine your ABM Budget ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING In this first stage, you will evaluate your strategic capabilities, align your team, and determine your ABM budget.
- 9. 9 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING Audit yourTech Stack STEP 2 Introduction Align Resources 1 2 Select Accounts 3 Generate Insights 4 Create Plans 5 Execute Campaigns 6 Measure Results Action Item STEP 1 Evaluate Your ABM Capabilities Action Item Download a copy of the ABM Capabilities Assessment to evaluate the effectiveness of your ABM strategy and identify areas of improvement. Download a copy of the ABM Tech Stack Report to better understand the ABM technology adoption curve and the top 7 ABM challenges. If your ABM journey has already started, use our ABM Capabilities Assessment to evaluate eight key capabilities, including: Demandbase and Demand Metric recently completed research to illuminate the marketing technology stack challenges B2B firms face as they execute Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategy. Tech & Data Measurement Collaboration Governance V I E W R E S O U R C E DOWNLOAD RESEARCH Strategy & Alignment Targeting Messages & Content Orchestration TAKE ASSESSMENT
- 10. 10 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING Build yourABM Team STEP 3 Introduction Determine your ABM Budget STEP 4 Align Resources 1 Action Item Action Item Use the ABM Roles Matrix to understand the roles and responsibilities of high-performing ABM teams. Use the ABM Program Budget Template to set and track your overall ABM budget on a monthly and yearly basis. This tool will help you identify and document responsibilities for the following team members: Sections of the budget template include: ■ ABM Lead (Head of Marketing) ■ ABM Campaign Manager ■ Product Marketing ■ Account Development Reps (BDR/SDR) ■ Software ■ Advertising ■ Campaigns ■ Content ■ Training ■ Consulting ■ Sales Leadership & Account Executives ■ Executive Sponsors ■ Operations D OWN LOA D TEMPLATE DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE 2 Select Accounts 3 Generate Insights 4 Create Plans 5 Execute Campaigns 6 Measure Results
- 11. 11 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING Select Accounts STAGE2 STEP 1: Identify your Ideal Customer STEP 2: Categorize Account Entitlements STEP 3: Identify What to Sell STEP 4: Score Target Accounts ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING In Stage 2, you will build an ideal customer profile, determine account entitlements, identify which products or solutions to sell, and evaluate target accounts.
- 12. 12 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING Select Accounts 2 Introduction 3 Generate Insights 4 Create Plans 5 Execute Campaigns 6 Measure Results 1 Align Resources Identify yourIdeal Customer STEP 1 Categorize Account Entitlements STEP 2 Action Item Action Item Use the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) Template to describe the type of company that would benefit the most from your products or solutions. Use our ABM Account Tiers Worksheet to create tiers for the accounts that are included in your ABM program. Sections of the ICP template include: For each tier, make decisions about which marketing tactics and channels you will use to engage them. Use this matrix to communicate to your sales organization which entitlements each tier of account is eligible for. ■ Firmographics ■ Psychographics ■ Behavioural ■ Environmental DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE D OWN LOA D TEMPLATE
- 13. 13 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING Select Accounts 2 Introduction 3 Generate Insights 4 Create Plans 5 Execute Campaigns 6 Measure Results 1 Align Resources Identify Whatto Sell STEP 3 Score Target Accounts STEP 4 Action Item Action Item Use our Account & Product Mapping Matrix to identify which products or solutions you should sell into each target account. Use our Account Scoring Tool to train sales reps on how they can score each of their accounts to identify the key accounts in their customer-base or sales territory. Conduct a white space analysis to identify new sales opportunities that you can sell into your existing target accounts. What criteria can you use to score accounts? D OWN LOA D TEMPLATE ■ Industry ■ Company Size ■ Decision Maker ■ Current Need ■ Opportunity Size ■ Purchase History DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE
- 14. 14 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING Generate Insights STAGE3 STEP 1: Identify Buyers and Create Personas STEP 2: Map Buyer Influence STEP 3: Capture & Socialize Account Insights ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING In Stage 3, you will build buyer personas, evaluate key stakeholders at your target accounts, and capture account insights.
- 15. 15 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING Action ItemAction Item Use our Buyer Persona Template to create profiles of the different personas in your target audience. Use our Decision Maker Influencer Map to evaluate key stakeholders during a complex sale and to identify strat- egies that can influence the deal. Generate Insights 3 Identify Buyers and Create Personas Map Buyer Influence STEP 1 STEP 2 A few important considerations might include: What goes into an influencer map? ■ Will you develop personas based on your existing customers, prospective customers, both, or other? ■ Do you have enough information to create buyer personas or is more research required? ■ Can you identify your customers’ “pain points”? ■ Stakeholder Name ■ Decision Maker Role (executive, technical buyer) ■ Interest – how interested is the stakeholder in the deal? ■ Power – how much power does this person have? ■ Buy-In – what is their level of support? ■ Flexibility – how likely are they to change their mind? D OWN LOA D TEMPLATE DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE Introduction 4 Create Plans 5 Execute Campaigns 6 Measure Results 1 Align Resources 2 Select Accounts
- 16. 16 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING Generate Insights 3 Introduction 4 Create Plans 5 Execute Campaigns 6 Measure Results 1 Align Resources 2 Select Accounts There area variety of solutions that can help you gain account insights. Vendor solutions can be grouped into the following categories: ■ Account Data ■ Contact Data ■ 3rd Party Intent Data ■ Insights ■ Data Platforms For a less mature audience, account insights can be captured by simply setting up news alerts using the following technologies: Capture & Socialize Account Insights STEP 3 SOURCE: GARTNER MAGIC QUADRANT FOR ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING
- 17. 17 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING Create Plans STAGE4 STEP 1: Identify Buying Committees STEP 2: Build a Content Plan STEP 3: Finalize Target Accounts Plans ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING In Stage 4, you will identify buying committees, build content plans, and create one-page action plans for your target accounts.
- 18. 18 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING Create Plans 4 Introduction 5 Execute Campaigns 6 Measure Results 1 Align Resources 2 Select Accounts 3 Generate Insights Identify BuyingCommittees Build a Content Plan STEP 1 STEP 2 Action Item Action Item Use our ABM Buying Committee Diagram to help you build a organizational chart for each of your target accounts. Use our ABM Content Plan Worksheet to identify the content assets that you will use at each stage of the journey. The formatting provided in the template will make it easy for you to identify the following key personas at your target accounts: Identify the right content to use at each of the following stages: ■ Deal Influencer ■ End User ■ Technical Buyer ■ Financial Buyer ■ Prospecting/Needs Analysis ■ Qualification/Discovery ■ Demo/Consideration ■ Proposal/Decision ■ Contract/Implement D OWN LOA D TEMPLATE DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE
- 19. 19 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING Create Plans 4 Introduction 5 Execute Campaigns 6 Measure Results 1 Align Resources 2 Select Accounts 3 Generate Insights Finalize TargetAccounts Plans STEP 3 Action Item Use our ABM Key Account Planning Canvas to create a one-page action plan for each of your target accounts. Sections of this template include: ■ Account Overview ■ Budget ■ Opportunities ■ Revenue Forecast D OWN LOA D TEMPLATE ■ Engagement Plan ■ Pains & Challenges ■ Goals & Priorities ■ Next Steps
- 20. 20 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING Execute Campaigns STAGE5 STEP 1: Review ABM Technology STEP 2: Evaluate ABM Technology STEP 3: Create Campaign Plans ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING In Stage 5, you will review and evaluate ABM technology before creating campaign plans to execute.
- 21. 21 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING Action Item Execute Campaigns 5 ReviewABM Technology Evaluate ABM Technology STEP 1 STEP 2 Action Item Introduction 1 Align Resources 2 Select Accounts 3 Generate Insights 4 Create Plans 6 Measure Results Check out Engagio’s ABM Market Map for a compre- hensive listing of all the categories and vendors in ABM. Sections of the map include: VI EW INF OGRA PHIC Use our ABM Platform Evaluation Matrix to compare vendors against one another based on up-to-date ABM technology requirements. Sections of this vendor evaluation include: ■ Target Account Selection ■ Account-Based Advertising ■ Website Personalization ■ Real-Time Intent Data ■ Identify Anonymous Website Visitors ■ Foundation ■ Data and Insights ■ Interactions ■ Orchestration ■ Measurement DOWNLOAD TEMPLATE ■ Account Engagement Scoring ■ Lead-to-Account Matching ■ Account-Based Lead Nurturing ■ ABM Campaign Orchestration ■ Analytics
- 22. 22 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING Action Item Execute Campaigns 5 CreateCampaign Plans STEP 3 Introduction 1 Align Resources 2 Select Accounts 3 Generate Insights 4 Create Plans 6 Measure Results Use our ABM Campaign Planning Tool to help you plan successful marketing campaigns for each of your target accounts. D OWN LOA D TEMPLATE Document ABM campaign details such as: ■ Objectives & Budget ■ Channels & Messages ■ Success Goals ■ Campaign Theme ■ Project Team ■ Touchpoints ■ Campaign Schedule
- 23. 23 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING Measure Results STAGE6 Now that you have executed your campaign strategy, you can start to measure the results of your Account-Based Marketing program. STEP 1: Measure Results ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING
- 24. 24 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING Use ourABM Program Metrics Dashboard to help you centralize your key ABM campaign metrics. D OWN LOA D TEMPLATE All of the metrics in this template can be customized to suit your organization’s needs. Baseline metrics include: ■ Marketing Qualified Accounts (MQAs) ■ Meetings Booked with Target Accounts ■ Target Account Opportunities ■ Target Accounts Won ■ Target Accounts Expanded ■ Annual Contract Value Measure Results 6 Manage the process end-to-end STEP 1 Action Item Introduction 1 Align Resources 2 Select Accounts 3 Generate Insights 4 Create Plans 5 Execute Campaigns
- 25. About ANA The ANA(Association of National Advertisers) makes a difference for individuals, brands, and the industry by driving growth, advancing the interests of marketers and promoting and protecting the well- being of the marketing community. Founded in 1910, the ANA provides leadership that advances marketing excellence and shapes the future of the industry. The ANA’s member- ship includes more than 1,000 companies with 15,000 brands that collectively spend or support more than $400 billion in marketing and advertising annually. The membership is comprised of more than 750 client-side marketers and 300 associate members, which include leading agencies, law firms, suppliers, consultants, and vendors. Further enriching the ecosystem is the work of the nonprofit ANA Educational Foundation (AEF), which has the mission of enhancing the understanding of advertising and marketing within the academic and marketing communities.
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