As a marketer, it’s easy to get caught up in the excitement of running a new campaign. Before you know it, deadlines have gone by, and you’re frantically trying to pull something together.
In your haste, you may not stop to think whether or not there is an existing strategy behind the project—or if it has been thoughtfully planned out. It is where account-based marketing strategy comes into the picture.
With account-based marketing, each client you reach out to should be carefully considered and vetted with your sales team (who knows in-depth information about each account).
They are the people who will benefit most from the campaign, so it’s essential to make sure that your efforts are targeted.
Here are five ways marketers can ensure their account-based marketing campaigns are successful.
Know Your Ideal Audience
According to Forbes, consistency is the key to grab your consumer’s attention for a longer time when promoting your business.
Before you even begin planning an account-based marketing strategy, it’s critical to know who your ideal account is.
Account-based marketing strategy is unique compared to mass marketing in that you’re zeroing in on a select group of people who will ultimately be your customers.
It is also essential to communicate it clearly and concisely when pitching account-based marketing campaigns internally. It will help your team better understand your ideal customer and what you want to achieve with this campaign.
For example, explaining that the campaign focuses explicitly on chief marketing officers (CMOs) rather than just “marketing decision-makers” can be a great way to start a brainstorming session and ultimately succeed in account-based marketing.
Remember, as a marketer, your job is to know as much as you can about the definitive account and ensure that everyone else does too.
It will help improve team morale and create an environment where marketing and sales work together.
Map Out Your Campaign
It’s easy for marketers who have been working solely on a mass-marketing strategy to forget that account-based marketing requires a more strategic approach.
For example, if you’re only targeting over 100 employees, this is not an efficient way of reaching your primary audience, and the number should be adjusted accordingly.
Map out exactly how many prospects you want to reach and break them down by location (for example, Australia, UK). It’s also a good idea to have a spreadsheet to track all of your accounts and their relative success.
For example, not everyone who signs up for your eBook will require a demo with your product, so it’s crucial to keep this information in mind as you progress through each step of the campaign.
Incorporate Relevant Content
From your website to social media profiles and email newsletters, your content should be structured around the definitive account.
For example, suppose you know that most of your prospects are in-house marketers (rather than agency marketers). In that case, it might help connect with them by making your blog posts more relevant and helpful for their daily job responsibilities.
Remember, not every account-based marketing campaign needs to be cookie cutter. You can incorporate elements of mass marketing while also tailoring your campaign specifically for your definitive account.
Create A Lead Nurturing Plan
While it can be tempting to jump into pitching accounts immediately, this approach will ultimately not work out in the long run. Instead, having a lead nurturing plan is critical for account-based marketing campaigns.
This strategy will help you build trust and credibility with your prospects over time, ultimately leading to more conversions and higher sales.
It’s essential that this portion of your campaign is thoughtfully mapped out with your team members; that way, they know exactly what to expect and how they should be responding to various stages of the sales process.
Track and Act on Every Lead
Marketing automation, combined with email tracking, will help you track which prospects are successful and which ones aren’t. This data should also be shared across your entire team to keep everyone in the loop about how well this campaign is going.
It is not enough to track leads; you also need to act on them. If a prospect is reaching out to your team for a demo, it may be time to schedule a call or send an email with some additional information about that account.
Account-based marketing is not just another marketing strategy. It’s a complex process that requires collaboration from every team member. That’s why it’s so important to map out your campaign and understand precisely what each person is accountable for doing.
Account-based marketing requires a more strategic approach than mass marketing. It’s crucial that everyone is on the same page and knows exactly what to expect.
