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Thought Pieces

What 
is 
Account-Based 
Marketing? 

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By Andrew HansenAndrew Hansen

Published April 12th, 2024

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SitePartners is more than just your average marketing agency—we're your trusted allies in the industrial sector, constantly on the lookout for innovative strategies and tools to propel your business forward. As your dedicated marketing partners, we're always striving to bridge the gap between marketing and sales, crafting creative assets that not only capture attention but also drive tangible results for your bottom line.

Navigating the complexities of the construction, manufacturing, and resource-based sectors requires a strategic approach. With high stakes, lengthy sales cycles, and a multitude of decision-makers involved, marketing within these industries demands a multi-faceted approach. Enter Account-Based Marketing (ABM)—a game-changing strategy tailor-made for the industrial B2B realm.

What Exactly is Account-Based Marketing?

Think of it as your personalized GPS for navigating the industrial landscape. ABM zeroes in on the accounts that matter most to your business—the ones that hold the key to real, impactful results. Rather than casting a wide net aimed at everyone, ABM hones in on specific target accounts, ensuring your marketing efforts are laser-focused and highly effective.

“Half the money I spend on marketing is wasted; the trouble is I don’t know which half.”

—John Wanamaker

Here's How it Works:

Introducing our TEAM approach to ABM—a streamlined strategy coined by industry experts Sangram Vajre and Eric Spett. TEAM stands for Target, Engage, Activate, and Measure, encapsulating a proven process that drives results. By aligning all efforts within this framework, we empower industry leaders to optimize their marketing and sales endeavors with precision and efficiency.

TARGET:

In the Target phase, we kick things off by honing in on the accounts that truly align with your business goals—a proactive approach akin to the 80/20 Rule. Rather than waiting for leads to come to you, we identify the cream of the crop—the ones most likely to buy and bring immediate value to your firm.

Using key criteria, historic data, Ideal Customer Profiles, and the FIRE evaluation, we meticulously craft a list of accounts primed to become your most valuable customers. This curated list becomes the focal point of all your marketing efforts, driving the highest levels of growth and success for your business.

ENGAGE:

Now that we've pinpointed your targeted accounts, it's time to ensure your message reaches every decision-maker within them—a crucial step in the complex industrial B2B buyer journey. Creative engagement is key to sealing the deal, and our Engagement stage is packed with personalized tactics tailored specifically for your Target Account list.

From emails and events to social media, e-books, videos, articles, and advertising, we deploy a variety of strategies to engage with your audience on a one-to-few or one-to-one basis, depending on how you segment your audiences. By keeping messages tailored to individual roles and needs, we deliver personalized value to each buyer, establishing your authority and expertise within the industry and creating valuable touchpoints with your ideal customer profiles.

ACTIVATE:

With the foundation laid in the Target and Engagement stages, we're now poised to capture valuable touchpoints and responses from your top-tier accounts. It's time to activate your sales team, leveraging the data collected to make personalized connections with your customers. This critical stage focuses on aligning sales and marketing efforts—a key measure of success in any ABM Program.

During the Activate stage, we provide your sales team with valuable insights gleaned from webinar attendance, social media engagement, email responses, website activity, and video views. Armed with accurate data, your sales team can initiate meaningful conversations and pursue new business opportunities with confidence. This stage is all about using data to empower your sales team, guiding them on who to reach out to, what to say, and when to move deals forward.

MEASURE:

With Account-Based Marketing (ABM), we gain the power to assess marketing effectiveness where it truly matters: in driving sales, revenue, and closed deals. In the industrial B2B sector, the emphasis lies on generating new revenue streams to foster sustainable growth and long-term profitability.

By adhering to the TEAM framework and precisely targeting accounts from the outset, we transcend the need to merely tally up leads in your pipeline. Instead, in the Measure stage, we pivot our focus to meticulously tracking, monitoring, and evaluating pipeline activity—encompassing closed revenue and ongoing client care for your key accounts. Your marketing and sales team gatherings now center around analyzing the movement and activity of your key accounts: identifying revenue sources, uncovering opportunities, and devising strategies to continually engage with your targeted accounts.

Why is Account-Based Marketing Important?

In the industrial B2B market, every marketing dollar is crucial, akin to carefully placed bricks in a construction project's foundation. Companies in construction, manufacturing, and resource-based sectors rely on strategic allocation of resources to generate revenue and mitigate risks.

Account-Based Marketing (ABM) serves as the architectural blueprint, focusing efforts on critical accounts to maximize impact and visibility. Like a foreman guiding a construction site, ABM directs marketing efforts with precision, ensuring every action contributes to sustainable growth and profitability. In this dynamic landscape, ABM empowers businesses to build strong, lasting client relationships and construct a future filled with success.

At SitePartners, we understand the importance of making every marketing dollar count. With ABM, we provide the focus and attention needed to propel your business forward, targeting the accounts that can truly make a difference. Ready to take your marketing to the next level? Reach out to our team at hello@sitepartners.ca to kickstart your ABM journey today. From crafting your account list to executing targeted campaigns, we've got the expertise and experience to help you achieve your goals.