So you want to experiment with a Full Funnel effort in Account-Based Marketing but you don’t know where to start. It’s confusing because there is so much chatter and every other martech vendor and B2B expert has solutions or ideas to ride the wave. But the B2B marketers like you who are in market often don’t know where to start.
I have mapped the tactical components to help you create an ABM campaign. First, focus on the customer. A well thought Go to Market with strong positioning for specific personas and influencers in the account will keep the effort focused in the right area. Many companies are getting hung up internally on ABM efforts and worry more about politics and systems instead of the of the intended audience and customers.
Second, build the plan first and map the technology accordingly. Most companies have tools in place that can execute this type of campaign without requiring massive investments in new tools or technologies. The heavy lifting comes in mobilizing the sales and marketing teams to support an ABM campaign. New technologies and solutions are continually evolving to support this kind of effort. It’s easier and less daunting to start simple, build assets, execute, measure and adjust before investing in new tools. Bottom line: focus on the strategy first and use technology to enable the strategy.
Tactical Components
- Go to Market Focus
- Target Accounts
- Personas
- Content Assets per Persona
- Marketing Channels
- Campaign Touches
- Sales Synchronicity
Defined Go to Market
Identify one Go to Market or Sales Play for your first ABM program, and focus on that one alone. Most B2B companies can develop a Go to Market or Sales Play to reach a target account or customer. Even horizontal solutions that span industries can be positioned to solve specific problems. Don’t promote features and functionality. This focus tightens the positioning, who to engage with, content requirements, and channels.
Identify Test Group of Target Accounts
Start with a trial group of 10 target accounts. Find the organizations that are ideal for the Go to Market. Many organizations get overwhelmed with trying to groups too many accounts into the first effort. Keep it simple to start. Identify accounts in industries or market segments that are ideally suited to receive your solution.
Personas
Identify the two to three personas to reach and engage in the target accounts. Identify the attributes each persona has will help guide the creation of content assets. B2B purchase decisions aren’t made unilaterally by a single individual. Multiple people within organizations have roles, interests and motivations that each influence a purchase. Each persona has their pain points, motivations, and hot buttons. Instead of one message for all, each persona can be touched with messages and content that is relevant to them.
Content Assets
Content development is where organizations get bogged down and intimidated with this kind of effort. Account-based or full funnel marketing falls down without content that is tailored to the target personas in the target accounts. Develop assets that position the solution against the pain and motivations each persona has. Pro tip: don’t pitch features and functionality.
Marketing Channels
Email is only one of the channels to reach your audience. Diversify the mix to cover multiple channels and formats. Webinars, podcasts, online tools, events, outbound calling, curated channels, targeted media channels, and social are all potentially viable for your effort.
Touches and Cadence
Schedule and coordinate the cadence for each channel. Customer engagement improves when channels are coordinated and balanced over a period of time. Results take time so don’t avoid an immediate revenue windfall in the first week, or even the first month.
Sales Synchronicity
Full funnel ABM requires a synchronized effort with the sales team. Involve sales to identify the target accounts and provide them with follow up recommendations based on account engagement. This can include everything from campaign tracking in CRM, providing follow email templates, voicemail scripts, and follow up assets.
Join Us! Full Funnel Marketing Event in Seattle with SiriusDecisions
Join Heinz Marketing on June 16 in Seattle for the Full Funnel Marketing event featuring the keynote from SiriusDecisions. Jon Miller from Engagio is presenting as well. Space is limited and you can register here.
