Here at FunnelFuel, ABM remains one of the most requested marketing tactics, and tracking named accounts is one of the biggest use cases of our platform Journey. We have amassed a list of the most Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) which we get asked by clients of all levels of experience in the ABM space. This is your simple and best guide to Account-Based Marketing (ABM) in 2023:

1. What is ABM? ABM, or Account-Based Marketing, is a strategic approach that focuses on targeting specific high-value accounts rather than casting a wide net. It involves personalised marketing and sales efforts tailored to individual accounts to maximize engagement and conversion rates.
2. How does ABM improve marketing results? ABM improves marketing results by aligning marketing and sales efforts to target key accounts. It enables better targeting, personalisation, and engagement, leading to increased conversion rates, higher customer lifetime value, and improved ROI. ABM campaigns are more akin to snipers, precisely picking off selected targets with a personal plan for each individual target, as opposed to the wider net cast by more traditional marketing approaches.
3. What does ABM stand for in marketing? ABM stands for Account-Based Marketing. It emphasizes a personalised approach to marketing by focusing on individual accounts rather than targeting a broad audience.
4. How can I include an ABM strategy in my marketing plan, what is the simplest way/s to get started with ABM? To include an ABM strategy in your marketing plan, follow these steps:
   1. Identify high-value accounts: Determine the accounts that align with your business goals. These form the bedrock of your ABM marketing approach and these will be the ONLY companies which your ABM marketing targets.
   2. Research and understand the accounts: Gather insights about their needs, pain points, and key decision-makers. Your product or service may have many use cases to many stakeholders, and a well rounded and successful ABM campaign will understand each accounts pain points, needs and wants. This allows for a more personalised outreach – whether through ads or more direct communications.
   3. Develop personalised content and campaigns: Create tailored messages and experiences for each account. Going beyond ABM to ABX (account based experience, or account based everything) methodology, this can extend from the marketing funnel to landing pages, customer service and all elements of client engagement
   4. Engage across channels: Utilise various marketing channels like email, social media, programmatic ABM, and events to reach and engage the target accounts.
   5. Measure and optimise: Continuously monitor campaign performance, analyse data, and make data-driven adjustments to improve results. This data needs to be analysed across advertising metrics in ad platforms (metrics like impressions, reach, frequency, clicks, CTR); onsite using specialised B2B analytics platforms like Journey to measure lands per account, attention minutes, areas of interest (e.g. what blogs they read, pages they viewed, content they downloaded etc), email deliverability, CRM data and the wealth of info that lives within the wider sales field in your organisation
5. How can I use ABM in digital marketing, specifically on platforms like LinkedIn? To use ABM in digital marketing, especially on platforms like LinkedIn, consider the following:
   1. Identify target accounts using features within LinkedIn Sales Navigator: Use LinkedIn’s search and targeting features to find and prioritise accounts that match your ideal customer profile
   2. Personalise your messaging: Craft tailored messages for each account, highlighting their specific pain points and offering solutions. Platforms like LinkedIn include sponsored inMail which acts like a special email account, which gains higher open rates then regular email outreach (yes, even in 2023).
   3. Engage through LinkedIn Ads: Utilise LinkedIn’s ad platform to deliver targeted ads to decision-makers within your target accounts. Clever use of landing page variants can help you to build up your own pixel based audiences quickly too, and extend the activity beyond LinkedIn
   4. Leverage LinkedIn’s networking capabilities: Utilise LinkedIn’s social features to build relationships, engage with prospects, and share relevant content.
6. Can ABM be applied to programmatic advertising with FunnelFuel? Yes, ABM can be applied to programmatic advertising with platforms like FunnelFuel, powered by our unique, built from the ground up B2B DSP. We have written extensively about why we believe B2B clients need a B2B DSP, and not vanilla B2C focussed adtech here. Programmatic advertising allows you to target specific accounts by leveraging data and automation. By integrating ABM principles into programmatic campaigns, you can deliver personalised ads to your target accounts, increasing engagement and conversions. This is one of the single most powerful ways that we have seen B2B clients shift their mentality from ‘programmatic doesn’t work for B2B’ to making it one of their most invested in channels.
7. What percentage of businesses use ABM tactics? While the exact percentage may vary, according to various surveys and reports, a significant number of B2B businesses have adopted ABM tactics. It has gained popularity due to its effectiveness in targeting and engaging high-value accounts. Research suggests that around 60-70% of B2B companies have implemented or are planning to implement ABM strategies in q1 2023.
8. How can I create ABM content? It needs to be personalised, right? To create ABM content, consider the following steps:
   1. Understand your target accounts: Research and gather insights about their pain points, challenges, and goals.
   2. Personalise your messaging: Craft content that resonates with the specific needs and interests of each account. Different accounts (companies) use different internal language, acronyms etc – a top tip for making ABM really work is to align each piece of account focussed content as precisely as possible, so that it really ‘talks the clients language’. They want to read your content like its an internal piece of their own companies documentation.
   3. Align content with the buyer’s journey: Develop content tailored to different stages of the buyer’s journey, providing relevant information and solutions.
   4. Utilise multiple formats: Experiment with various content formats like blogs, whitepapers, videos, and case studies to cater to different preferences.
   5. Measure and optimise: Track the performance of your content, analyse engagement metrics, and make adjustments to improve its effectiveness.
9. What are some of the biggest ABM platforms? There are several prominent ABM platforms in the market, the biggest of whom are (in no particular order)
   1. Terminus
   2. Demandbase
   3. FunnelFuel
   4. 6sense
   5. RollWorks
   6. Triblio
   7. Jabmo
   8. Kwanzoo
   9. Uberflip

   These platforms offer a range of features to support ABM strategies, such as account targeting, account tracking, B2B web analytics, personalisation, engagement analytics, and integrations with other marketing tools.

   10. Is ABM suitable for all types of businesses? While ABM has gained popularity in B2B industries, its suitability may vary based on the business model and target market. ABM is most effective when targeting a select group of high-value accounts with longer sales cycles and complex decision-making processes. However, businesses in other industries or with different marketing objectives can still adapt ABM principles to enhance their marketing strategies.

   Remember, adopting an ABM strategy requires careful planning, a deep understanding of your target accounts, and a commitment to personalised marketing. By implementing ABM effectively, you can drive better marketing results and generate higher returns on your marketing investments.