What Is Account Based Marketing?

I will start with a quick story. One of my advertising agency clients, an ex-Microsoft marketer, is based in Dubai. When we started working together a few years ago he asked me about my thinking on the best practices for using account based marketing. He had just discovered it. I have been coaching agencies on how to run account based marketing programs for years and asked him for his definition of what he had in mind. He essentially described B2B direct marketing wrapped in new lingo. I laughed.

Yes, there is account based marketing (ABM) — but it is just the current marketing universe’s definition (think hype) of direct marketing which sounds a bit too old-fashioned. Kinda like a typewriter or Rolodex. Like the typewriter which turned into your laptop or the Rolodex which is now your contact database, B2B direct marketing is now called ABM.

I am going to be writing about best practices for account based marketing over the next few blog posts. I am also being interviewed on the subject for a marketing podcast. I’ll be discussing how to define ABM – as in answering the questions… “what is ABM? And how can a busy agency can design and run a kick-ass program.”

What Is Account Based Marketing?

Here is on definition (there are many) and a definition of direct marketing.

From Optimizely: Account based marketing (ABM) is a business marketing strategy that concentrates resources on a set of target accounts within a market. It uses personalized campaigns designed to engage each account, basing the marketing message on the specific attributes and needs of the account.

What Is Direct Marketing?

From Investopedia: Direct marketing consists of any marketing that relies on direct communication or distribution to individual consumers, rather than through a third party such as mass media.

Sound similar?

Bottom Line…

B2B ABM, in this case, advertising agency outbound marketing, is about identifying your best prospects (yes, this is work), Finding the best ways to reach them (yes more work), understanding their motivations and issues, developing the contact plan (yes, complex), and creating ‘content’ or IP that will get their attention and make them WANT to talk with you. To do this you will need a plan that does two things…

Is based on sound process.

Is keep it simple stupid so you can do it 24/7.

And, please make your messaging UNIGNORABLE. 

More specific advice to come. Stay tuned.

The chart is from eMarketer.