ABM programs - Program frameworks

There are a number of different frameworks for account-based marketing campaigns but, in general, the following approach is used:

• Create the strategic framework: methodology for selecting the accounts that will be focused on and framework of objectives and measures for the ABM programme
• Planning workshop: joint marketing and sales session around each account to agree goals and explore understanding of the account and relevant propositions
• Required research: marketing activity to build a more complete picture of the structure of the target organisation and its requirements
• Create plan: bringing together existing corporate marketing activities with new account-specific communications to achieve account-specific goals
• Execute: build a joint sales and marketing team to deliver on the plan
• Review: apply measures such as the value of sales, amount of potential revenue in the sales pipeline, coverage of communications in the account, perception-shifts or appointments made

As you can imagine, we here at Avention feel strongly about conducting a full account-based sales and marketing program, backed by deep B2B account data and insights. The right data – including your own! – leads to data-driven decisions about both where to focus a program and what messages to deliver. Messages can be delivered in a variety of methods – including those display ads we are hearing so much about. Messages also need to be directly delivered by sales. Account-based marketing really needs to be thought of as account-based sales and marketing.

Of course sometimes simply getting started can be a challenge. We realize this based on numerous customer conversations as well as research we conducted this spring. In that study, respondents noted that their #1 challenge in getting an ABM program going was a lack of the right data or access to data and 70% of respondents admitted to not being able to identify ‘look-alike’ accounts that match target segments.