In an era defined by shifting buying group dynamics and an ever-expanding digital landscape, the role of the chief marketing officer (CMO) is undergoing a profound transformation. Once focused largely on brand and demand, today’s CMOs now find themselves at the nexus of innovation, customer experience, and data-driven decision-making with an influence on the end-to-end lifecycle of how any given customer engages with their organization. Not only is the chief executive officer (CEO) asking the CMO to expand their remit, but they also expect them to better quantify their impact in terms of driving measurable, attributable commercial results: CMOs are now expected to evidence how they are driving higher-quality pipeline, accelerating conversion to closed revenue, increasing average deal size, and securing long-term customer renewals.
This shift in focus calls for a re-evaluation of marketing strategies and a realignment of priorities to meet these high expectations. Account-based marketing (ABM) programs go a long way toward meeting these demands, but in the rush to do more with less, the pressure to scale the impact of ‘true’ 1:1 ABM programs can sometimes mean the effectiveness—and consequently the results—are diluted, or even lost. Traditional demand generation programs might well provide scale, but can appear to be transactional and lack the follow-through of ABM, risking inefficiency or a lack of focus. Therefore, the key question emerges: how should marketing leaders manage the balancing act between quality and quantity?
Basic Activities
Determining the value proposition you will present and identifying the target audience is the first step in implementing a successful ABM strategy at scale. Start by defining your ideal customer profile (ICP) and target account list (TAL) to ensure effective targeting and prioritization. This initial step is crucial for laying the groundwork for subsequent activities. Develop messaging and positioning by job title or industry sector to create personalized touchpoints and journeys that resonate with your target audience. It’s important to consider the various online, offline, face-to-face, and sales-led touchpoints that are likely to be involved throughout the program. Leveraging different marketing and sales channels dynamically can target relevant stakeholders more effectively at scale.
Tracking the responses of your target audience helps gauge their interest and enables better alignment of your marketing and sales activities. This foundational activity ensures that your approach is data-driven and allows for real-time adjustments. Accurate tracking aids in understanding customer behavior, making it possible to anticipate needs and tailor interactions accordingly. By focusing on establishing these basic activities correctly, the foundation is laid for a more efficient and scalable ABM strategy, aligning resources efficiently while maintaining the individualized touch that ABM promises.
Stage 1: Broad and Focused Account Targeting
The first phase of broad and focused account targeting aims to build awareness across the account base while driving stakeholder engagement and opt-in using campaign materials. Depending on the nature of the campaign, the targeting mix typically includes various digital outreach activities, such as account-based advertising, retargeting, paid social media, email, telemarketing, and content syndication. These channels collectively help in broadening reach and ensuring the message resonates with a wider audience. It is essential in this stage to gain a deeper understanding of the accounts as they engage with the campaign materials.
Prioritizing and segmenting the highest-engaged accounts based on their response helps streamline further activities. During this phase, you may identify trends in how stakeholders in sub-groups of accounts respond to specific messaging tracks or note key information that prospects share with telemarketing agents. These insights become invaluable for the next steps, as they enable targeted approaches that foster more meaningful engagements. This stage not only raises awareness but also serves as a funnel to highlight accounts that deserve more focused attention in subsequent phases.
Stage 2: Leaderboard Review and Personalized Account Nurturing
In a time marked by shifting buying group dynamics and a rapidly expanding digital world, the role of the chief marketing officer (CMO) is evolving. Traditionally focused on brand and demand, today’s CMOs are now at the crossroads of innovation, customer experience, and data-driven decision-making. They influence the entire customer engagement lifecycle within their organizations. CEOs are not only asking CMOs to broaden their roles but also to show measurable commercial results. Now, CMOs must prove how they drive high-quality pipelines, speed up conversion rates, increase deal sizes, and secure long-term customer loyalty.
This shift necessitates a rethinking of marketing strategies and a reshuffling of priorities to meet high expectations. Account-based marketing (ABM) programs can address these needs, though scaling true 1:1 ABM can sometimes compromise effectiveness. Traditional demand generation programs offer scale but may come off as transactional, lacking the thoroughness of ABM, risking inefficiency. Thus, the critical question arises: how should marketing leaders balance quality with quantity? The ultimate challenge is managing to deliver both effectively.
