Guide to B2B Account-Based Marketing

If you’re not thinking about account-based marketing (ABM) in your marketing strategy as a B2B business, you may be missing out on strategies to bring in high-quality leads—and leads you actually want to work with.

ABM flips the traditional funnel upside down by focusing on high-value accounts first rather than chasing a large volume of leads. Instead of casting a wide net and hoping the right prospects convert, ABM enables companies to identify, engage, and nurture target accounts with customized content, personalized outreach, and coordinated marketing efforts.

Why is ABM So Effective for B2B Companies?

B2B sales cycles are long, involve multiple decision-makers, and require deep relationship-building. This is where ABM shines.

• Sales and Marketing Alignment: ABM ensures that both teams work together to target the right accounts, create relevant content, and engage decision-makers at every touchpoint.

• Higher Conversion Rates: Personalized engagement leads to stronger relationships, increasing the likelihood of closing high-value deals.

• Optimized Resource Allocation: Instead of spending time and budget on unqualified leads, ABM strategies ensure efforts are focused on the right accounts with the highest revenue potential.

In this guide, I’ll break down how to build and execute a successful ABM strategy step-by-step. Hopefully, after reading this guide, you’ll be ready to integrate ABM strategies into your marketing mix.

Account-based marketing (ABM) is a B2B marketing strategy that focuses on identifying and engaging specific high-value accounts rather than casting a wide net for generic leads. Instead of trying to generate as many leads as possible and filtering through them later, ABM prioritizes quality over quantity, delivering personalized content and outreach to a curated list of potential customers.

At its core, ABM aligns sales and marketing efforts to target the right companies with the right messaging at the right time, resulting in higher conversion rates, stronger relationships, and increased revenue per account.

When it comes to customer acquisition, businesses can take different approaches depending on their goals and target audience. Generic lead generation focuses on attracting a broad audience, often prioritizing quantity over quality. Account-Based Marketing (ABM) takes a more strategic approach by targeting specific high-value accounts with personalized engagement. Below is a comparison of these two methods:

Traditional Lead Generation (Broad Approach)

• Focuses on generating a high volume of leads, even if many are unqualified.

• Uses mass marketing tactics like broad-based email campaigns, PPC ads, and inbound content.

• Follows a linear funnel (Awareness → Interest → Decision → Purchase).

• Sales and marketing teams often work separately, potentially leading to misalignment.

Account-Based Marketing (Targeted Approach)

• Focuses on specific, high-value accounts.

• Prioritizes personalized engagement over mass marketing.

• Uses multi-channel tactics (LinkedIn, personalized email, targeted ads, Programmatic).

• Aligns sales and marketing teams to nurture each account collaboratively.

A successful ABM strategy isn’t just about targeting a select group of accounts—it’s about precision, personalization, and alignment across teams. Below are the foundational elements that make ABM work effectively in a B2B setting.

1. Defining & Prioritizing High-Value Accounts

ABM starts with identifying which accounts offer the most potential for long-term value. Businesses should focus on accounts that align with their Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)—companies that have the highest likelihood of converting and benefiting from your solution.

What to consider when selecting accounts to target:

• Industry, company size, engagement probability, and revenue potential

• Growth signals such as expansions, funding rounds, or hiring trends

• Existing technology stack and compatibility with your solution (you can generally use BuiltWith to find their tech stack)

• Engagement signals such as website visits, content downloads, or event participation

2. Sales & Marketing Collaboration

ABM only works when sales and marketing teams operate as a unified front. Unlike traditional marketing, where marketing hands-off leads and sales work independently, ABM requires both teams to:

• Define shared goals and KPIs for engagement and conversions

• Build out the desired ideal customer profile you’re looking for

• Develop account-specific messaging based on customer pain points

• Work together on multi-touch outreach strategies

3. Personalization at Scale

ABM is all about delivering the right message to the right account at the right time. Rather than generic marketing materials, ABM-driven companies craft content and messaging that speaks directly to an account’s industry challenges and paint points, economic factors, priorities, and goals.

Personalization tactics include:

• Custom landing pages with industry-specific case studies

• Email sequences customized to different buyer personas or industries

• Targeted ads with messaging based on account pain points

4. Multi-Channel Engagement

ABM isn’t limited to a single platform. It requires reaching decision-makers across multiple channels and meeting them where they are most active. A strong ABM strategy leverages different engagement tactics depending on the prospect’s level of interaction with your brand.

Top ABM Engagement Channels:

• LinkedIn & Targeted Social Media Ads – Ideal for thought leadership, brand awareness, and capturing leads. If you have a content download (e.g., whitepaper, industry report), LinkedIn is an effective channel to promote lead-gen assets and capture emails from target company accounts.

• Email Marketing – Best for direct, personalized outreach, especially after a prospect has already engaged with your brand. Cold emails can work, but warm outreach based on prior interaction is far more effective.

• Content Marketing – Industry reports, case studies, and whitepapers provide valuable insights customized to the target account’s needs. These assets help nurture engagement at different stages of the buying journey.

• Retargeting Ads – This is an important component for keeping your brand in front of high-priority accounts. Consider which type of content best fits their engagement level:
  

  • A prospect who visited a service or product page might be ready for a case study or demo offer.

  • Someone engaging with top-of-funnel content may need a broader industry guide or educational resource before deeper engagement.

• Webinars – A valuable tool for relationship-building, brand awareness, and trust development. Live or on-demand webinars allow for direct engagement with prospects and showcase thought leadership.

5. Deep Understanding of the Buyer’s Journey

ABM focuses on the unique buying journey of each account. Some stakeholders may be ready to buy, while others need education and nurturing before making a decision.

To map the ABM buyer’s journey:

• Identify key stakeholders involved in decision-making.

• Segment outreach based on awareness, consideration, and decision stages.

• Use engagement metrics to determine when an account is sales-ready.

6. Data, Analytics, and Optimization

The best ABM strategies are data-driven and adaptable. Tracking engagement, pipeline movement, and conversion rates ensures that efforts are focused on the accounts most likely to generate revenue.

Important ABM performance indicators:

• Account engagement (email opens, website visits, ad clicks)

• Deal velocity (how quickly accounts move through the pipeline)

• Influence on revenue (how many high-value deals are driven by ABM efforts)

7. Long-Term Relationship Building

ABM isn’t just about closing deals, it’s about creating strong, long-term relationships with accounts that can lead to repeat business, referrals, and expanded contracts.

Ways to strengthen relationships with ABM:

• Providing ongoing support and education beyond the initial sale

• Hosting exclusive customer events and roundtables

• Offering customized solutions that evolve with the customer’s needs

ABM is more than just another marketing tactic—it’s a holistic approach to building stronger, more valuable relationships with high-priority accounts. By focusing on quality over quantity, personalizing engagement, and aligning sales and marketing teams, companies can drive more closed-won deals, see increased revenue, and build long-term customer advocates.

Implementing an effective Account-Based Marketing (ABM) strategy requires a structured, coordinated approach across marketing and sales teams. ABM focuses on quality over quantity, ensuring that outreach efforts are targeted, personalized, and data-driven. Below are some steps to consider when building out your ABM marketing strategy.

1. Define Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) & Target Accounts

Before launching your ABM campaign, you should know which accounts you want to go after. You’ll want to consider firmographics (industry, company size, revenue, location, etc.), technographics (technology stack and compatibility with your product), intent data (job postings, funding rounds, etc.), and engagement signals (accounts that have interacted with your brand before.

💡 Tip: This is a step that is highly important for marketing and sales to work together and align before execution. There are also tools such as LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Demandbase, or 6sense to help you identify your target company list.

2. Align Sales and Marketing Teams

As I mentioned above, it’s highly important to align your sales and marketing teams before executing your ABM strategy. ABM is only successful when sales and marketing work together to engage and nurture accounts.

Important alignment areas include:

• Shared Goals: Define success metrics such as lead flow, engagement rates, meetings booked, closed won deals, and revenue generated.
• Personalized Messaging: Sales and marketing teams should develop content that speaks directly to your target accounts.
• Multi-Touch Outreach: Coordinate touchpoints across paid ads, email, and direct sales follow-ups. Ensure you’re not overlapping communication efforts between marketing and sales.

3. Develop Personalized Content & Messaging

A one-size-fits-all approach doesn’t work for an ABM strategy. You need to consider that different messages will resonate with different audiences. This can be based on anything from their job title, pain points, goals, and challenges.

Types of personalized content can include:

• Industry-Specific Case Studies: Show how similar companies benefited from your solution.
• Custom Landing Pages: These are Pages customized to individual accounts or industry verticals.
• Account-Specific Email Sequences: Outreach that reflects a prospect’s specific needs.
• Thought Leadership Content: Whitepapers, reports, and blog posts designed for decision-makers.

💡 Tip: Segment accounts based on industry and create specific messaging that will resonate with them. This can then be shared via a LinkedIn campaign strategy or an email drip campaign.

4. Launch a Multi-Channel Campaign Strategy

Once your content is built and your messaging strategy is set, it’s time to engage with those accounts through multiple channels. Where does your target audience spend time?

ABM Outreach Strategies:

• LinkedIn Ads & Retargeting: Serve targeted ads to decision-makers at your list of high-value accounts. Ensure the content resonates with their industry-specific challenges and needs. To refine targeting further, consider layering in job titles within your target accounts for more precise and effective ad delivery.
• Programmatic: Upload your targeted account list into your preferred demand-side platform (DSP), such as StackAdapt or DV360, to build a precise audience. Leverage display, native, digital out-of-home (DOOH), audio, and more to engage decision-makers across multiple channels. Optimize targeting with intent signals and behavioral data to drive strong results and ROI.
• Email Sequences: Use a mix of educational content, case studies, and direct offers to engage prospects at different stages. Set up behavior-based drip campaigns to deliver content aligned with their previous engagement, guiding them further down the funnel.
• Direct Sales Outreach: SDRs should engage with account-specific insights and custom solutions. To enhance personalization, marketing can set up real-time alerts based on website activity, flagging key pages that prospects visit (e.g., pricing pages, case studies) to inform outreach strategies.
• Content-Driven Engagement: Use whitepapers, reports, and videos to provide valuable insights and nurture leads over time. Each content asset should be aligned with the prospect’s stage in the buying journey.
• Personalized Events & Webinars: Host exclusive sessions customized for specific industries or target accounts. These can be used to establish brand authority, build trust, and create direct engagement opportunities with key stakeholders.

Manufacturing marketers, for example, ABM is particularly effective when selling complex or high-ticket industrial solutions. For example, a factory automation provider targeting automotive manufacturers could leverage:

• LinkedIn Ads to reach plant managers and operations directors within target automotive brands.
• Programmatic advertising to serve display and video ads on industry-specific websites like Manufacturing.net or IndustryWeek.
• Direct sales outreach is triggered when a target company engages with a case study on improving production line efficiency.

By using a multi-channel ABM approach, manufacturing companies can ensure that their messaging is seen by decision-makers across multiple digital touchpoints.

5. Track, Measure, and Optimize

ABM is an iterative process that requires continuous monitoring, testing, and optimization. Tracking engagement and conversion rates helps refine strategies over time.

The metrics to consider are:

• Account Engagement – Website visits, email opens, content downloads, and ad interactions.
• Pipeline Velocity – How quickly target accounts move through the sales funnel.
• Revenue Influence – The impact of ABM efforts on closed won deals.
• Conversion Rates - Measure the conversion rate through the sales funnel, such as MQL to SQL to Opportunity.

💡 Tip: Set up CRM tracking for your target audience and set notifications off of website engagement. Once they hit a service or product page, that should be an indicator that they are now likely in the buying stage. This is a perfect time for your sales team to engage.

Building an ABM strategy requires accuracy, personalization, and collaboration. By following these steps, businesses are more equipped to reach the right audience at the right time.

ABM will continue to change as technology advances, buyer behaviors shift, and marketing strategies continue to be more and more data-driven. To stay ahead, businesses need to adapt their ABM strategies to leverage new tools, personalization techniques, and engagement tactics. Below are some different trends shaping the future of ABM and how businesses can capitalize on them. enhances scalability without requiring constant manual updates.

1. AI-powered ABM & Predictive Analytics

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming ABM by making account selection, personalization, and engagement more precise and efficient.

How AI is Impacting ABM:

• Predictive analytics helps identify accounts most likely to convert based on historical and intent data.
• Automated content personalization allows businesses to deliver dynamic, real-time messaging based on a prospect’s behavior.
• Chatbots & AI-driven sales assistants provide instant, personalized responses to accounts, improving engagement and response time.

What This Means for Marketers: AI allows businesses to scale hyper-targeted ABM efforts without sacrificing personalization. Investing in AI-driven analytics and automation can significantly improve efficiency and conversion rates.

2. Expansion of Intent Data & Real-Time Personalization

Intent data is becoming more sophisticated, allowing businesses to track early buying signals and engagement patterns before prospects formally enter the sales funnel.

How Marketers Are Using Intent Data:

• Tracking content consumption, product research, and competitor comparisons to identify in-market buyers.
• Delivering real-time personalized messaging based on browsing history, content engagement, and digital interactions.
• Using intent-based advertising to serve highly relevant ads before a prospect reaches out.

What This Means for Marketers: With real-time intent tracking, ABM teams can engage prospects earlier in the buying journey and deliver messaging that aligns with their immediate interests.

3. ABM and Sales Orchestration for Deeper Alignment

Traditional ABM focuses on marketing-driven engagement, but the future of ABM is about seamless coordination between marketing, sales, and customer success teams.

Shifts in Sales & ABM Alignment:

• Shared revenue goals rather than separate marketing and sales KPIs.
• Account-based prospecting playbooks that include sales, marketing, and customer success teams.
• Real-time sales alerts for SDRs based on ABM engagement data.

What This Means for Marketers: The future of ABM is not just marketing-led. It's a company-wide strategy that requires cross-functional collaboration.

4. Rise of Multi-Channel Personalization & Offline ABM Strategies

While digital channels dominate ABM, businesses are rediscovering the value of offline and hybrid ABM tactics to deepen engagement.

Emerging Trends in Multi-Channel ABM:

• High-value direct mail (customized gifts, physical reports, handwritten notes) for decision-makers.
• VIP executive events & roundtables to engage top-tier accounts in closed-door discussions.
• Hyper-personalized video outreach via email and LinkedIn.

What This Means for Marketers: Combining digital engagement with offline touchpoints creates a stronger, more memorable customer experience.

5. ABM at Scale: More Automation, Less Manual Effort

Historically, ABM has been a resource-intensive strategy requiring heavy manual effort. Now, new technologies are making ABM more scalable without losing the personalization that makes it effective.

How Automation is Driving ABM at Scale:

• AI-powered email sequencing that adapts to real-time engagement.
• Automated account-based advertising for personalized retargeting.
• CRM-driven dynamic content that adjusts based on the account’s interaction history.

💡 Tip: Upload these targeted lists and let ad platforms, such as LinkedIn Ads, build you a predictive audience. These audiences leverage LinkedIn’s AI to identify similar decision-makers within your target accounts, expanding your reach to prospects who exhibit similar behaviors and intent signals. This not only increases precision but also enhances scalability without requiring constant manual updates.

What This Means for Marketers: ABM is shifting from a manual, high-effort process to a scalable, data-driven strategy, allowing businesses to automate outreach, optimize targeting, and expand account engagement while maintaining the personalized experience that drives conversions.

ABM is becoming the standard for high-value B2B sales. The future of ABM will be smarter, more automated, and deeply integrated with sales and customer success teams. Companies that embrace AI, intent data, automation, and multi-channel personalization will lead the way in creating high-impact, revenue-generating ABM programs.

As ABM continues to evolve, the businesses that succeed will be the ones that adopt new technologies, align internal teams, and stay hyper-focused on delivering personalized experiences to their most valuable accounts.

ABM has become a must-have strategy for B2B companies looking to drive more meaningful engagement, stronger relationships, and higher-value deals. By focusing on targeted accounts, personalized outreach, and sales-marketing alignment, businesses can improve conversion rates and accelerate pipeline growth.

Ready to take your ABM strategy to the next level? Let’s talk about how you can build and scale an effective ABM program that delivers real results.