Account-based marketing (ABM) is gaining traction among B2B firms, with a focus on improving ROI through better sales and marketing alignment. However, ABM can fail due to issues like incorrect account identification, short-term lead generation focus, and misaligned messaging. Successful ABM relies on personalized content, continuous evaluation, and understanding account dynamics to enhance engagement and conversion rates.

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The Next Evolution
of Account-Based
Marketing

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53%
of B2B firms are
more focused on
ABM this year
versus last
ABM isn’t new…so why all the hype?
Businesses are
focused on return
on marketing
investment –
now more than
ever
Opportunity for
better sales &
marketing
alignment
Technology to
support ABM
scale is maturing
Done well, ABM
drives out waste
and improves ROI

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But there are many reasons ABM may fail to live up to
expectations
• Flaws in identifying the right accounts leads
ABM down the wrong path
• Short-term focus on lists and lead gen
results in list burnout
• Misaligned messaging and content that fails
to resonate
• ABM perceived as a risky bet that doesn’t
yield promised results
• Target only accounts that have a propensity
to buy from you
• Ability to monitor changes in acct activity
and engagement over time
• Personalized content that yields increased
conversion rates
• Efficient marketing that spends less to
generate higher ROI
The Promise of ABM The Pitfalls of ABM

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Goal
Lead-Based
Marketing (LBM)
Account-Based
Marketing (ABM)
Primary target People Accounts
Focus Volume Quality
Approach Funnel Land & Expand
Initiative Marketing Sales & Marketing
Timeframe
Campaign-based,
short term
Continuous,
long term
Demand marketing requires
access to multiple buying
team members
LBM identifies individuals with
interest, but falls short when they
can’t be mapped to an account
opportunity
ABM targets buying units, but is
useless without an accurate
understanding of who’s involved in
the purchase
ABM and LBM: Different approaches to the same goal

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Successful ABM is a marriage between Account
Discovery and Account Marketing
Account Discovery
Quality over quantity
“We’re focusing on not only the
lead but really the account as a
whole. It’s a much more laser-
focused approach that
eliminates a lot of waste.”
Justin Gray
CEO
LeadMD
Account Marketing
Not just leads…opportunities
“Marketers need to base plans
on actual insights about actual
accounts and the actual people
in them. That’s a dramatic
change and it will be the hardest
thing in ABM.”
Megan Heuer
VP and Group Director
SiriusDecisions

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The 6 Critical Success Factors of ABM
Personalize content
and promotions
Generate consideration
and demand
Measure, adjust
and evolve
Discovery
Marketing
Identify accounts
most likely to buy
Discover contacts
on the buying team
Create account insights
and prioritization

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Identify accounts
most likely to buy
Discover contacts
on the buying team
Create account insights
and prioritization
TechTarget ABM Exposes known contacts at known
accounts with known activity
300K
Active Prospects with buyer-
supplied, validated demographic
and firmagraphic data, monitored
weekly for purchase activity
100K
accounts actively monitored and
re-ranked weekly across 300 IT
segments
150M
annual inbound IT buyers from
enterprise accounts to 140
TechTarget sites; 90% direct via
Organic Search
Discovery

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TechTarget’s one-stop shop efficiently drives ABM
pipeline
Continuously
updated insight into account
fluctuations, new contacts and your
progress influencing them
Surround
the named acct buying team via
Active Prospects, Leads, Qualified
Sales Opportunities and account-
targeted banners
3-6x
higher CTRs due to activity-based
audience targeting in outbound
promotions delivered by TechTarget
Marketing
Personalize content
and promotions
Generate consideration
and demand
Measure, adjust
and evolve

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• Align marketing & sales success metrics for
ABM. Emphasis on account influence &
engagement versus volume
• Leverage tools to prioritize optimal time to
market your solutions to priority accounts –
when they are in market
• Personalize messaging to emphasize
account pain points
• Influence multiple buying team stakeholders
• Monitor & optimize
4 Key Takeaways to Create a Successful ABM Strategy

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Learn more:
Account Based Marketing and our ABM Solution
InstantABM@techtarget.com

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Thank you.