What is the marketing maturity needed to start ABM?

ABM is not a starter marketing strategy.

If your company is relatively new, there are multiple other things your marketing should focus on before thinking of ABM

What are these prerequisites? That’s exactly what I’ll talk about here.

1. Establish Foundation

Develop detailed buyer personas using insights from customer interviews and market research reports. 

This research helps you identify key decision-makers in your target industries.

Your marketing strategy should include a mix of inbound and outbound tactics that have generated considerable marketing-qualified leads (MQLs) in the past year.

This will give you a deep understanding of your audience and analyse the success of existing strategies.

2. Data-Driven Decision Making

Prioritize data-driven decision-making, leveraging tools like HubSpot CRM and Salesforce to collect and analyze customer data. 

Track multiple data points per account, including engagement metrics, interaction history, and purchase intent. 

You can use Bombora’s intent data to identify accounts showing signs of entering the buying cycle, which can cause a significant increase in engagement when these insights are applied to targeted outreach. 

3. Maturity in Demand Generation

Use tools like Marketo for marketing automation and lead nurturing. 

You can establish a lead scoring model based on engagement with high-value content such as webinars and whitepapers. 

This can help achieve good click-through rate (CTR). You can aim to achieve rates like 15-20% much higher than the industry standard of 7-10%. 

You could generate leads from content downloads and other lead magnets, ensuring a consistent flow of engaged prospects who are ideal candidates for personalized ABM strategies.

4. Aligned Sales and Marketing Teams

Sales & Marketing should hold weekly strategy meetings to discuss target accounts, share insights, and refine approaches. 

Both teams can use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to keep track of key decision-makers and engage with them effectively. 

This alignment can result in considerable increase in closed deals, making you absolutely ready for ABM

5. Content Creation and Personalization

Use tools like SEMrush for keyword research and have a dedicated design team for crafting engaging graphics. 

You can have a target such as to produce over 50 personalized content pieces monthly, including custom case studies and video testimonials, tailored to the specific needs of their target accounts. 

These efforts should lead to a significant increase in content engagement rates, with personalized content driving much higher conversion rates than generic materials.

6. Advanced Technology Stack

You tech stack should comprise tools like Salesforce and HubSpot, providing a comprehensive view of each account’s journey. 

This can enable you to achieve a hike in account engagement rates and noticeable improvement in lead conversion rates.

7. Effective Lead Nurturing Processes

Your team must employ a mix of automated email campaigns, personalized outreach, and retargeting ads. 

You can use tools like Pardot to automate nurturing sequences, which maybe has at least 30% open rate and a 12% conversion rate from MQL to SQL

This ensures that leads are well-prepared before transitioning to the sales team, maximizing the chances of conversion.

8. Commitment to Long-Term Engagement and Adaptability

Understand that ABM is not a quick win but a long-term investment in building relationships. 

You can have personnel trained in conversational marketing, maintaining continuous engagement with target accounts through live chat and personalized content. 

Disclaimer: You don’t have to meet absolutely every condition stated above to be ABM ready. 

ABM readiness is subjective and maybe just satisfying 5/8 of these conditions might be enough in your case.

My CEO would love to get on a call with you and help you figure out if it's the right time for you to start the journey. You can book a call here.

See you next week folks.

Check out the latest from our comic series:
The Marketing Tales