B2B
Account-based marketing (ABM) services
When you can name the companies that could buy from you, broad campaigns spend most of their money on people who never will. ABM starts from that list and works each account until it is talking to sales.
When ABM makes sense, and when it does not
ABM fits when deals are large, buyers are few and you can name them: a supplier to hospitals, a developer selling office floors to companies, a software firm selling to banks. In those markets, a thousand leads from the wrong companies are worth less than one meeting with the right one.
It does not fit when you sell to thousands of small customers, or when you cannot yet describe your ideal buyer. There, broad campaigns and solid lead handling do more for the money.
It also needs sales on board from the first day. ABM where marketing picks the accounts alone and sales ignores them is expensive advertising with a new name.
How we run an ABM programme
Build the account list
With your sales team, from your best customers, the deals you lost and the market. Each account is on the list for a stated reason.
Map the buying group
For each account, the roles that decide, influence, use and sign. Names where they are public, roles where they are not.
Write for each tier
Top accounts get material written for them. The next tier gets content by industry, the rest by role.
Reach them in several places
LinkedIn ads aimed at the company list, retargeting of their site visits, email and sales outreach in a planned order.
Hand over at the right moment
When an account shows enough interest, sales gets its full history and a concrete reason to call.
Report by account
Where each account stands, and what moved it.
Signs that an account is warming up
Several people visiting
Visits from the same company identified where your tools and consent rules allow it, especially to pricing, case and contact pages.
Engagement with ads
Clicks and video views from target companies, which LinkedIn reports at company level.
Replies and meetings
Answers to outreach, accepted meetings, people from the account at your events or webinars.
Changes at the account
A new hire in a key role, a new site, a funding round or a tender. Each one is a reason to get in touch.
ABM compared with lead generation
| Lead generation | Account-based marketing | |
|---|---|---|
| Starting point | An audience defined by interests or job titles | A named list of companies |
| Success | Number and cost of leads | Engagement and pipeline per target account |
| Content | One message for the whole audience | Messages by account, industry or role |
| Role of sales | Receives the leads | Chooses the accounts and works them with marketing |
What we report
Account coverage
How many target accounts have known contacts in the CRM, and in which roles.
Account engagement
For each account, who engaged with which ads, pages or emails, and when.
Meetings and opportunities
Per account and per tier, with the date each one opened.
Pipeline and revenue
From target accounts, compared with the rest of your business.
Time to first meeting
From the start of the programme to the first real conversation, per account.
Frequently asked questions
How many accounts should be on the list?
As many as your sales team can genuinely work. Top-tier accounts need personal attention, so that list stays short. The wider tiers can be longer because their content is shared. We size the list against your team’s capacity.
Do we need special ABM software?
Not to start. A CRM with clean company records, LinkedIn’s company targeting and good reporting cover most needs. Dedicated ABM platforms help at scale, and we will tell you when you reach that point. Our page on CRM setup covers the foundation.
Does ABM only work on LinkedIn?
No. LinkedIn is the easiest place to target by company, but email, events, direct mail, partner content and sales calls all play a part. In markets where few buyers are active on LinkedIn, the outreach side carries more weight.
How long before ABM shows results?
B2B sales cycles are long, and ABM moves at their pace. Engagement shows in the first weeks, meetings in the following months, revenue when deals close. We report on each stage, so you are not waiting a year to know whether it is working.
Is ABM compatible with the GDPR?
It can be. Targeting business contacts is possible under the GDPR, often on the basis of legitimate interest, with clear information and an easy way to object. Rules for cold email to business addresses differ by country, so we check each country you target before outreach starts.
Last updated · By the Napexy team
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