Execution Steps
While Account Based Marketing originally meant one-to-one marketing (for example, targeting a specific Account such as IBM or Chase Bank), it has been found to be just as effective on highly targeted group of a few hundred accounts. The key to success is truly understanding these accounts and deeply engaging them as shown below.
Step 1: Identify the Target
In Account Based Marketing, there are three elements that have to be selected for targeting: the industry vertical or some well-defined market space; the account types/sizes to be targeted; and the personas of decision makers and influencers that will be targeted.
This is the first and most crucial step. Without this step completed, none of the remaining steps will produce effective results.
Step 2: Define the Value Proposition
With the target identified, the next step is to identify a compelling need that this defined target faces, and then to explain how you will solve this need or problem for that group better than any other alternative they have.
The value proposition that emerges from this step has to be very clear, compelling, and believable. Your customers must be able to quickly understand how your product or service will immediately impact their business. The only thought remaining should be that they want to understand better how you will deliver on your claim.
Step 3: Back your Claim with Overwhelming Evidence
This is a crucial step in ABM, which can make or break it. Your prospects want to know if you know what you are talking about more than your competitors do, and the best way to demonstrate this quickly is through an assortment of High Value Add Digital Content: white papers, e-books, workbooks, videos, infographics, webinars, and more.
Step 4: Engage Your Audience with Targeted Campaigns
Up to this point, you have identified the right companies and people to work with; defined your compelling message for them; and assembled the evidence you need to support your claim.
It is now time to connect with this audience through your message. You must have a comprehensive but highly targeted set of inbound and outbound campaigns to reach them through: emails, calls, social media postings, highly targeted advertising campaigns, field events, and search engine optimization of key landing pages.
These four steps demonstrate how you can generate enough high quality leads that convert faster and at higher rate for your Sales team to consistently achieve their sales targets.
Click here to read about the benefits of high value-add digital content.
