12 account based marketing strategy tactics

Are you implementing account-based marketing (ABM) for your B2B company?

Do you ever wonder what else can I do to get my prospects to notice my product?

According to Hubspot, only 67% of the brands are really implementing ABM.

In this post, I am going to share with you 12 Account-Based Marketing Tactics that you can implement today.

What is ABM?

B2B marketing can seem like an endless chain of unsuccessful cold calls and time-wasting tire-kickers. Many businesses focus on advertising and lead generation, but those generic campaigns fall short of closing a deal.

Sales and marketing need to be aligned so that each outreach effort is fine-tuned for the right prospects. That’s where Account-based Marketing (ABM) comes in.

It enables you to forge powerful, personalized relationships with prospects rather than relying on algorithms.

1. Use Contact Targeting from LinkedIn Matched Audience

LinkedIn is a favorite platform for many B2B marketers, and for good reason —  it’s an excellent way to find qualified leads. It is expensive compared to Facebook and Google but it is because of its precise targeting.

One of LinkedIn’s most powerful features is Matched Audiences. This allows you to pair your existing contacts with LinkedIn profiles so that you can send targeted content.

If you have a lot of contacts, such as a previous customer list, event guest list, etc., it would take you weeks to find them all on LinkedIn. Matched Audiences makes it easy to import your contacts and target them with an ad campaign.

This tactic is perfect for retargeting churned customers, nurturing pre-qualified leads, and attracting decision-makers.

2. Use LinkedIn Company Targeting Advertising

You may know which companies you want to target, but do you know whom to contact at each company?

Connecting with the right person is the bread-and-butter of ABM. Thankfully, it’s quite easy to do with LinkedIn’s Company Targeting

You simply upload your list of companies into LinkedIn. The platform will match company pages to your list, then create an ad audience with all the decision-makers for matched companies. Below are the recommended list size.

If you don’t have a list of your specific prospects but only know the Company Name, this strategy is for you.

It helps you reach the right contacts even if they’re not mentioned on the company site. Plus, it prevents you from reaching out to the wrong person and hurting your chances of closing.

3. Run Retargeting Campaigns using Adroll

Retargeting isn’t just for churned customers. It’s the perfect way to remind leads about your offer by showing them relevant ads after they’ve already engaged with your brand.

Most retargeting campaigns aim to recapture the attention of your website visitors. You can configure an audience of qualified leads (e.g. decision-makers in certain industries), then retarget them if they leave your website without booking a call.

Retargeting can be done on various social networks, email, and ads. This is a great way to nurture interested prospects before your team has a chance to talk to them.

4. LinkedIn Outreach

One of LinkedIn’s best features is the ability to message people and start forming a valuable relationship. Many professionals regard LinkedIn as a networking opportunity, so why not make cold outreach part of your strategy?

We’ve had a lot of successes using this method as a B2B Lead Generation strategy, if done right, it can be an automated process for you.

Here’s how to do it right.

• Identify prospects who are decision-makers at their company. Don’t go by title alone — scope their profile to see what they do.

• Send them a connection request with a personalized message. Tap into a shared interest or skill, and briefly state the value you can provide. DO NOT use the canned message (“I’d like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn”).
• Follow up with a friendly message. Don’t sell too soon: begin by providing value and getting to know them.
• Engage in conversation until you both understand what each other offers. Then, make your pitch or suggest a discovery call.>

Sample LinkedIn Connection Messages:

BAD: Hi, I’d like to connect with you.

GOOD: Hi [Name], I see that you’re a fellow [university] alum and entrepreneur! I’d love to reminisce about [university] and see how we can help each other grow our businesses.

BAD: I saw your profile and would like to connect.

GOOD: Hi [Name], I really appreciated your recent post about [topic]. I’ve love to pick your brain about it and perhaps help you out if I can!

5. Use Account Based Marketing Ad Platforms to Develop New Highly Relevant Prospects

Let’s face it, most advertising platforms are geared toward B2C marketing, and it’s getting harder and harder to attract leads through content marketing or cold outreach alone.

The solution?

Account based marketing-focused ad platforms such as Terminus or Rollworks. These providers use data and smart algorithms to show your ads to decision-makers.

You don’t have to worry as much about generating sufficient leads to close enough deals. Instead, you’re sending highly targeted messages meant to spur engagement. Unlike in regular advertising, you can easily divert your ad spend to the leads who engage.

This strategy is ideal for companies that need to optimize their ad budget and don’t have an established list of prospects.

6. Use Middle of the Funnel Content as a Lead Magnet for your ads

Many ads focus on the top of the sales funnel: they’re meant to attract new prospects or retarget lost ones.

But in B2B marketing, you need to give leads something of value or you’ll never earn their trust — and therefore time. Treat them as though they are already engaged and use your middle-of-funnel content to build interest.

For example, you can repurpose the lead magnets you created for email list-building into ad CTAs.

Use your ad space to promote:

• white papers
• guides
• checklists
• templates
• PowerPoint presentations
• and other valuable content

Try this tactic if your standard ads aren’t working or if you need to demonstrate your expertise before you can start a conversation.

7. Create a 4 Drip Email Sequence Campaign to Nurture the Leads

Email nurture sequences are your friend. They can deliver personalized content right into a prospect’s inbox, priming them for an eventual sales conversation.

Don’t wait to re-engage a new lead until your sales team gets around to them. With the power of marketing automation, you can send your sequence as soon as they download some high-value piece of content.

We recommend four emails that “drip” to the prospect over the span of a couple of weeks. This keeps them engaged without overwhelming them. At the end of the sequence, give them a next step, e.g. to book a discovery call.

8. Use a CRM with Lead Scoring Capabilities

Not all prospects are qualified to do business with you. Perhaps they’re not a decision-maker, or their company isn’t the right size to benefit from your offering. Or perhaps they’re just not engaged with you — which means you probably can’t get them on the phone.

A CRM with lead scoring will help you prioritize the prospects who are most likely to close. Each lead is ranked for benchmarks you choose. This will let your sales team know who deserves their focus.

Tip: the most engaged prospects who are constantly visiting your website or downloading your content are your best bets!

9. Connect with Your Prospects via LinkedIn

Once you’ve sent connection requests as outlined in #4, send personalized messages that position your company as a helpful guide. Tap into your prospect’s unique interests and pain points. If your sales team is doing the outreach, they must use custom messages as well.

Never send LinkedIn’s default message or the same generic message to all prospects. There are automated services for LinkedIn outreach, but use these with caution as they can come off as spammy.

Here’s a tip, don’t waste your time doing it manually, invest in automation tools like Linkedin Auto Connect

10. Use Bottom-of-the-Funnel Content as a Retargeting Campaign

As we described in #6, you can treat your ads as an opportunity to draw leads further down your funnel. By providing extraordinary value for minimal risk, you can entice more qualified prospects. (Just be sure these ads are highly targeted.)
So, if you have an offering such as a demo or a free consultation, don’t limit it to your hot leads. Make it the CTA of a retargeting campaign for leads who have already visited your website or social channels.

This tactic is ideal for companies that close high-ticket deals, serve a very niche market, and/or have the resources to offer more bottom-of-funnel products and services.

11. Be Active on LinkedIn as a Company

LinkedIn isn’t just for personal profiles. Your company profile is your place to share relevant content and demonstrate your legitimacy — so optimize it!

We recommend posting at least once per week. Don’t stick to bland company updates —  provide value to your target audience with great content.

Make sure your About Us and other static sections are clear, descriptive, and professional. You should have your marketing and sales reps link their profiles to your company page.

12. Go Beyond Digital and Send Personalized Gifts to Your Highly Engaged Prospects

A gift speaks more than any email ever could. When you’re nurturing a warm lead, show your commitment with a timely, well-targeted gift.

This can be a bit of company swag, a branded experience, a virtual event, or a good ol’ fashioned fruit basket. Be clever about it, though. We recommend incorporating a way to engage with your company.

Also, make sure that the gift is highly targeted to the prospect. Position it as the bridge between your value and their needs.

Tip: if you plan on sending a lot of gifts, use Sendoso to select personalized products, integrate virtual channels and incentives, and track your results.

Run Effective Account Based Marketing

With these tactics in your pocket, you’re ready to make ABM a critical piece of your 2021 B2B marketing.

Remember, the key is to lead with value. Nurture a conversation and cultivate a relationship.

That’s the beauty of account based marketing —  it goes beyond random algorithms and the luck of the draw. Instead, you can target the right people sooner and start building connections that lead to results.

Check out our other blogs for more tips on running an effective B2B ABM campaign

Which tactic did you find most helpful? Let me know in the comments!