ABM Insight #2 – Account Targeting Made Easy
First some quick context – I teach an Account Based Marketing workshop for the Direct Marketing Association. (www.dmanc.org)
Often I’m asked to outline the basic approaches that companies can take in establishing their target accounts. So here’s a quick summary.
Three straight forward approaches to ABM targeting:
- Named accounts
Companies named and identified by the sales team/management, senior management or strategic marketers.
- Existing customers (with further new-business potential)
You’ve landed, now expand. Think in terms of new divisions or locations…
- ICP companies
Companies that meet your ideal customer profile (ICP), size, geography, vertical industry SIC or NAICS codes, installed technology running, etc.…
Next, think about your target contacts inside those accounts. Ask sales to identify all the groups within your target companies that will likely be interested in your product. Depending on what you are selling, be prepared to receive a long list that may contain IT, engineering, product development, operations, finance, compliance and procurement.)
And remember, when you plan your outreach campaigns, focus only on the selected accounts. You may change your target titles if you are redirected to more appropriate people, but stay focused on the target companies.
Bonus tip 1: When planning outreach campaigns:
- Plan to use multi-touch outreach efforts for these target accounts
- Monitor and prioritize inbound traffic from these accounts and engage immediately
- Use outbound teleprospecting, email and direct mail sequences to actively engage the non-responders in these accounts
- After the initial touch, perform personalized lead development nurturing, qualification and profiling steps based on each prospect’s interest levels and close on next steps like a demo or appointment with the sales team
- Track your results by account, as well as contact level
Bonus tip 2: Messaging and content are critical
- Tailor your messages to resonate with the needs of these accounts
- Create messaging tracks for each title or persona for a prospect development rep to take them through
- Sync messaging tracks to leverage both your digital content and live events like trade shows, webinars and lunch-and-learns
- Create value propositions and offers that stand out from those of your competition
See more about DMP’s portfolio of ABM turn key services – click here.
Check out our guide: A Practical Guide to Using Account Based Marketing
