Account Based Marketing (ABM) is the strategic approach used to identify and engage specific high-value accounts. It requires close collaboration between marketing and sales teams to deliver tailored, personalized experiences and ultimately convert targeted accounts.

To sum it up:

“Don’t count the people you reach, reach the people that count.”

David Oglivy

Although this quote isn’t directly about ABM, it perfectly captures its essence.

Must Read: Account Based Marketing Framework: A Beginner’s Guide to Account-Centric Strategies

How is ABM Different from Traditional Marketing?

ABM flips the traditional marketing funnel upside down. It’s akin to fishing with a spear, focusing efforts on specific targets. Instead of ending with the targeted accounts, ABM starts with high-value accounts from the beginning. Once identified, activities can be tailored to their specific needs and experiences.

In a traditional approach, teams cast a wide net in the hope of pulling in as many leads as possible handing them over to sales, which eventually narrows down to a few conversions. The result- Wasted time and resources spent on catching the right fish.

But how do you measure campaign success? What are the ABM benchmarks?

What is Account-Based Marketing Benchmarks?

ABM benchmarks are specific metrics used to evaluate the effectiveness of your ABM strategies. These benchmarks are essential for aligning marketing and sales efforts, optimizing campaigns, and ensuring efficient resource allocation. By focusing on high-value accounts, ABM benchmarks enable marketers to deliver personalized experiences that resonate with target customers, leading to higher conversion rates and increased revenue.

What do you achieve with ABM campaigns?

Setting Account-Based Marketing Goals

To ensure the success of your ABM strategy, it is essential to set clear, measurable goals. Effective ABM tactics typically include:

1. Dedicated Leadership: Appointing a dedicated leader to oversee ABM initiatives ensures accountability and focus.
2. Strong Ideal Customer Profile (ICP): Clearly defining and targeting the ideal customer helps align marketing efforts with sales objectives.
3. Account-Based Orchestration: Coordinating marketing efforts across ttargeted accounts ensures consistent messaging and engagement.
4. Customized Content Development: Creating tailored content for different stages of the buyer journey enhances the relevance and effectiveness of your marketing efforts.
5. Tiered Target Account List: Prioritizing accounts based on their potential value helps allocate resources efficiently.

Must Read: Boost ROI with Types of Account-Based Marketing: A Targeted Approach

Key Metrics for ABM Success

Monitoring the right metrics is essential for evaluating and refining ABM strategies. Here are the key ABM benchmarks every B2B marketer should track:

1. Total Addressable Market (TAM):

This metric is the fundamental multiplication math; it’s calculated by multiplying your average sales price by the number of potential customers. It provides a clear estimate of the size of the opportunity and helps in identifying growth targets.

2. Influenced Pipeline:

Measures the impact of your ABM efforts on your sales pipeline. It basically enables you to track the buyer behavior of both known and unknown buyers from the target account. This can be assessed by tracking activities such as forms filled, content downloads, and other engagements.

3. Content Engagement Rate by Specific Accounts:

Engagement metrics help you discover which content works and which does not. This includes tracking metrics like time spent on content, email open rates, click-through rates, and social media interactions.

4. Conversion/Win Rate:

This straig htforward metric measures how well your content works by calculating the percentage of successful conversions out of the total number of interactions with engaged accounts.

5. Account Value or Annual Contract Value (ACV):

Evaluates the average revenue generated from target accounts annually. It helps in understanding the financial impact of your ABM efforts.

6. Customer Lifetime Value (CLV):

CLV measures the total revenue generated by a customer throughout their relationship with your company. It helps in assessing the long-term value of target accounts and the success of your ABM efforts in nurturing customer relationships.

7. Customer Acquisition Cost (CAC):

Measures the cost incurred to acquire a new customer. It is a key indicator of the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of your ABM efforts.

Must Read: Top 5 ABM Trends For B2B Marketers – A Pathway For Future

Take the Next Step

How do you implement these metrics in practice? Here’s a step-by-step approach to executing your sales and marketing strategy to boost your revenue.

Establish Foundation Elements:

Set up essential components like systems, data, processes, content, analytics, and alignment with your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).

Foster Collaborative Efforts:

Ensure that marketing and sales teams work together, develop joint processes, and agree on ABM key performance indicators (KPIs). This alignment helps both teams work towards common goals, creating a more cohesive and effective strategy.

Maintain Clear Communication:

Create personalized messaging for your target audiences. Use engaging formats like headings, subheadings, and bullet points to enhance readability and ensure your messages resonate with different audience segments.

Implement a Consistent Structure:

Break down your content into smaller, manageable paragraphs and maintain a consistent structure across all sections. This approach helps avoid monotony and keeps your audience engaged throughout your communications.

Key Takeaway:

Incorporating these metrics into your ABM campaign requires tailoring them to your specific needs. Continuous monitoring is essential for making necessary adjustments and eliminating ineffective ones.

With the right ABM benchmarks in place, your marketing efforts can become more focused, efficient, and successful. If you aim to boost your ROI through ABM, we are here to assist you every step of the way!

Vikas Bhatt

Vikas Bhatt is the Co-Founder of ONLY B2B, a premium B2B lead generation company that specializes in helping businesses achieve their growth objectives through targeted marketing & sales campaigns. With 10+ years of experience in the industry, Vikas has a deep understanding of the challenges faced by businesses today and has developed a unique approach to lead generation that has helped clients across a range of industries around the globe. As a thought leader in the B2B marketing community, ONLY B2B specializes in demand generation, content syndication, database services and more.