ABM in EMEA: 5 Keys to Successful Account-Based Marketing Execution
Executing Account-Based Marketing (ABM) effectively in the EMEA region can be challenging. In fact, research shows that two-thirds of ABM programs fail to meet their goals. One major hurdle is that ABM is often misunderstood in this region. It’s more than just a marketing initiative aimed at a few select accounts with targeted messaging. Furthermore, ABM programs can vary greatly from one company to another, making it hard to benchmark or replicate success.
At its core, ABM is evolving from a marketing tactic into a strategic business approach, especially in B2B sectors like IT. The rise of digital engagement, accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic, has made ABM even more relevant. With digital transformation changing buyer behavior, ABM strategies can now be better aligned with these shifts to create more opportunities.
Research highlights that ABM is outperforming traditional marketing strategies. In fact, 80% of marketers who track their ROI say ABM is delivering better results, with 84% reporting a higher return compared to other marketing initiatives.
To help you succeed, we’ve identified five key features of well-executed ABM strategies. These can guide your efforts to increase buyer acceleration and achieve better outcomes.
1. ABM is More Than Just Marketing
ABM isn’t simply about generating leads or targeting a few individuals within an account. It’s about engaging the entire buying team. Instead of focusing on one person’s interaction with content, ABM encourages businesses to look at how different stakeholders across an account are engaging.
For ABM to succeed, both marketing and sales teams must be aligned in understanding and targeting the whole account, not just isolated leads. By doing so, ABM becomes a strategic approach that ensures your messaging, product offerings, and sales tactics align with the needs of the entire buying team.
2. ABM Relies on Strategic Content
Unlike traditional marketing, ABM involves highly targeted content tailored to the specific interests and behaviors of your accounts. A one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn’t work. For example, the same content that appeals to one large financial institution may not resonate with another, even if they’re in the same industry.
Effective ABM content is customized not just by the account’s industry, but also by factors such as the maturity of the account, its tech stack, or the challenges it faces. Additionally, since buying teams often consist of multiple people with different roles and interests, content needs to address the needs of each persona, from the C-suite to technical teams.
3. MQLs Are Not Enough
In an ABM strategy, the role of marketing goes beyond generating marketing-qualified leads (MQLs). Traditional lead generation often focuses on isolated incidents, such as a single person from a company engaging with content. In ABM, success is determined by how the entire buying team is interacting with your content and messaging.
Buying teams are typically large, often comprising five or more individuals, and may be growing. So, to achieve optimal results, you need to track and understand the actions of all stakeholders, and develop content that speaks to each person’s unique needs.
4. Sales and Marketing Must Collaborate
One of the most important internal aspects of a successful ABM strategy is close collaboration between sales and marketing. Marketing can provide sales with valuable data on a prospect’s interests and behavior, while also supplying the right content to keep the conversation going after meetings.
In return, sales teams can provide marketing with insights into the account’s needs and the specific challenges of key buying team members. This two-way exchange allows both teams to refine their strategies and ensure that every touchpoint is meaningful. Research shows that companies with aligned sales and marketing teams enjoy higher customer retention rates, better sales win rates, and an improved chance of converting leads into clients.
5. Define Your Accounts Carefully
The final key to ABM success is developing a well-curated account list. This is not something that should be decided by sales alone, but through collaboration between sales, marketing, and data analysis. Your account list should be driven by quality data and insights that reflect the best-fit accounts for your business.
To build this list, consider questions like: Who is actively in the market right now? What have you learned from past wins and losses? Which accounts are most likely to convert based on your historical data?
Start by targeting a small group of carefully selected accounts and track the ROI of your efforts. This allows you to adjust your approach before scaling up, ensuring that your strategy is both efficient and effective.
ABM Success in EMEA: The Bottom Line
ABM offers significant potential, but it requires a different mindset and approach compared to traditional marketing tactics. Don’t feel the need to switch your entire strategy to ABM overnight. You can start small by targeting a select group of accounts, and then expand as you measure success.
The key to ABM success lies in aligning your sales, marketing, and customer success teams around shared goals and a unified strategy. By focusing on the needs of your target accounts, leveraging strategic content, and fostering close collaboration between sales and marketing, you can achieve measurable ROI and accelerate your buyer journey.
While ABM may present challenges, its potential rewards—higher engagement, stronger relationships, and better conversion rates—are well worth the effort.
