How to Attract Target Accounts for ABM

Account based marketing (ABM) is only effective if it can attract target accounts. Learn how to improve your conversational marketing strategy with these target account tricks for ABM.

Megan Guy
Megan Guy
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November 13, 2020
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X
min read
Apple Podcast LinkGoogle Podcast LinkSpotify Podcast Link
Apple Podcast LinkGoogle Podcast LinkSpotify Podcast Link

This is the third post in our continuing Conversational ABM series. In our previous posts, What is Conversational Marketing and Why Does Your Account-Based Marketing Strategy Need It? and Conversational ABM: How to Identify Your Target Accounts, we laid the foundation for what needs to be done to prepare to launch your Conversational ABM strategy. 

Now, let’s dive into the fun part—the actual execution!

Take your account-based marketing strategy to the next level with the Conversational ABM ebook from Qualified

Effective ABM requires two things. First, you need to know who to target (revisit our last post if you need some help figuring this part out). Second, you need to find ways to capture the attention of buyers from your target accounts once they land on your website. 

3 Steps to Capture Target Accounts

Step One: Launch targeted, personalized marketing campaigns

Your first task is to pique a target account’s interest.

The formula with ABM is simple: specificity. The more personalized your campaign is, the more likely it is that you’ll earn their attention. This is why 80% of customers are more likely to buy from you when you personalize their experience.

Your first goal is to create a “bespoke” marketing experience. Start by selecting the right medium for your audience. That may include direct mail, social media ads/engagement, email marketing, custom content, virtual events, phone, referrals, or even invitations to participate in podcasts. Personalization starts when you meet your potential buyers on their turf.

Don’t limit yourself to one medium; use a multi-channel approach. This will require a tailored customer journey. Use specific messaging at each stage of the funnel. For example, if a potential client signs up for a virtual seminar, what questions will they have based on their stage in the buying process? Your job is to answer those questions. 

Lyft's example of a multi-channel ABM campaign

Above is an example of a multi-channel ABM campaign in action. Lyft targets employees at Tesla across email, social, and display ads with a cohesive message that informs Tesla employees of how Lyft and Tesla can partner together to deliver superb customer experiences for Tesla drivers.

As we noted in the Conversational ABM Playbook, 95% of buyers will choose your solution when you answer their questions. You can do this successfully by thinking deeply about your buyer personas and personalizing your campaign messaging according to their needs, interests, and pain points.

Step Two: Tailor the user experience to help identify target accounts

At this point in your ABM journey, you should have a pretty deep understanding of your target accounts, including their pain points, goals, and common questions.

Use these insights to introduce personalized messaging into your website experience. Consider creating video recordings, tailored content, and CTAs (such as downloading PDFs and guides) to answer your target customers’ questions. Creating this content won’t only help you identify who’s who on your website, it will help you answer their questions once they arrive.

Continuing with the Lyft example above, here’s how Lyft personalizes their website experience once Tesla employees visit their website:

Lyft's example of ABM website personalization

Step 3: Success in action

Thoughtspot has an advanced ABM strategy for their enterprise accounts. Given how much they’re investing in their ABM program, it was important to them to deliver tailored experiences when these top-tier prospects land on their website.

Thoughtspot runs several campaigns to their target account list, primarily through Salesforce Pardot. Because Qualified is seamlessly integrated with Salesforce Pardot, sales reps are given a full view of all Pardot prospect data when a visitor from a target account lands on their website, ultimately fueling high-quality, contextual sales conversations via live chat. 

The results? By combining Conversational ABM with their existing ABM program, Thoughtspot has been able to increase sales conversations with target accounts by 10x!

Thoughtspot drives Conversational ABM success with Qualified

Next Up: Alerting when a target buyer is on your site

With a targeting strategy in place that drives qualified traffic to your website, you’re now ready to put Conversational ABM to work! A platform like Qualified will integrate with your CRM to house visitor data, company data, and more. With these platforms in place, you can create an alert that tells you exactly which account is interacting with your content:

Use Qualified to alert your sales team when ABM accounts are on your website

In our next post, we’ll dive into how to alert your team when a target account is on your site to ensure you take advantage of the exact moment they’re interested and engaged.

If you want to learn more about Conversational ABM best practices, check out our Conversational ABM playbook.

Take your account-based marketing strategy to the next level with the Conversational ABM ebook from Qualified


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