Are you ready to take ABM to the next level? Ready to enhance your ABM strategy?
Account-based Marketing is all about placing your customer (current or future) at the heart of everything you do.
But, how do you take your Account-based Marketing strategy to the next level? How do you push yourself to continue to deliver ABM excellence?
Let’s Talk ABM guest, Celia Slack explains how ServiceNow has continued to invest in their ABM strategy and maintain their ‘ABM edge’.
We spoke with Celia about her role as Pursuit Marketing Lead, EMEA, and how she and the team are building next-generation ABM.
In the interview (full recording here), we discussed:
- PBM – what is Pursuit-based Marketing?
- What makes ABM different at ServiceNow?
- Why ABM is not a silver bullet
- Measuring ABM – the 4Rs
- Celia’s ‘beef’ with One-to-many ABM
- What the greatest learning and hardest part of ABM is
So, let’s dive into some of Celia’s top tips:
7 tips to build next-generation ABM
1. Set clear expectations
Starting with Account-Based Marketing (ABM) requires setting clear expectations from the beginning. Communicate to stakeholders that ABM is not a magic bullet and that results will take time to materialize. By establishing realistic timelines and milestones, you can manage the patience required for ABM.
"ABM is not likely going to deliver results in-quarter when you're starting an ABM program. You have to have that understanding that things are coming and results are coming." – Celia Slack, Pursuit Marketing Lead, EMEA, ServiceNow
Similar to securing large deals, ABM outcomes take time, and preparing all parties for this journey reduces the risk of premature abandonment due to unrealistic expectations.
2. Embrace collaboration
Effective ABM relies heavily on collaboration between Sales and Marketing teams. From the outset, emphasize that ABM is a partnership, requiring time and effort from both teams, to align strategies and share insights.
"We tell Sales who we are, essentially. When we get onto a call with them, whether it's an assessment call or an onboarding call, we make it clear about how much of a partnership this is and how we're working together." – Celia Slack, Pursuit Marketing Lead, EMEA, ServiceNow
Marketing should be positioned as a strategic partner, leading with confidence in all communications to ensure a cohesive approach to targeting accounts. This mutual respect and clear understanding of roles will enhance the effectiveness of ABM campaigns.
3. Ensure strong leadership buy-in
Securing strong buy-in from senior leadership is crucial for the success of ABM. This support ensures adequate resources, both in terms of budget and manpower, and underscores the strategic importance of ABM initiatives within the organization.
"We had really strong buy-in from the top, from the start; that really helped. If you don't have that buy-in from the top to support ABM and know that it's a long-term program, it's very easy to fail." – Celia Slack, Pursuit Marketing Lead, EMEA, ServiceNow
Demonstrating early successes and tangible results can help to maintain this buy-in, building momentum and proving the value of ABM, making it easier to justify continued and increased investment in the program.
4. Prioritize account insights
Effective ABM requires a thorough understanding of each target account. Go beyond publicly available information to gather deep insights into the account’s specific challenges, opportunities, and goals.
"It goes beyond account insights and in terms of what's publicly available, or what we know about the business. And it has to go down to that personal level." – Celia Slack, Pursuit Marketing Lead, EMEA, ServiceNow
Use these insights to tailor your ABM strategies, addressing unique needs and objectives, whether it’s managing a relationship challenge, or expanding reach within an account. This detailed approach allows for more meaningful and impactful engagement.
5. Make relationships your rock
ABM is about more than just marketing to accounts; it’s about building strong, strategic relationships within those accounts. Invest in relationship mapping to identify key decision-makers and influencers within each target account. Understanding the hierarchy and individual roles helps tailor messaging and engagement strategies more effectively.
"We want them to see us as a strategic partner. That's going to be the end goal for all of our ABM work. But how we get there is really where those insights feed into how we change up the journey... if the relationship isn't there and that's what we need to nurture, then you can bang on about the power of the platform and you can create some wonderful ways to reach people, but they have to want to hear us as well" – Celia Slack, Pursuit Marketing Lead, EMEA, ServiceNow
Prioritize activities that foster trust and loyalty, positioning your organization as a trusted advisor and strategic partner, rather than just a vendor. This will ensure long-term success and deeper engagement with key accounts.
6. Emphasize deep personalization
ABM thrives on the principle of deep personalization. It's not just about customizing content superficially, but truly understanding and addressing the unique needs, challenges and goals of each account. This level of detail allows for the creation of highly tailored strategies that resonate more profoundly with the target audience.
"When I think about ABM, it's really about that deep, deep personalization. It has to go down to that personal level. This underscores the importance of viewing each account as a market of one, ensuring that every interaction is highly relevant and personalized.” – Celia Slack, Pursuit Marketing Lead, EMEA, ServiceNow
Deep personalization transforms your approach, making each account feel valued and understood, which is critical for building strong, strategic relationships.
7. Measure and adapt continuously
Establish a comprehensive measurement framework that goes beyond traditional metrics. Incorporate The 3Rs – Reputation, Relationships and Revenue – and add the 4th, Retention, to track the long-term impact of your ABM efforts. Use these metrics to continuously assess and adapt your strategies.
"We have created a scoring model, where we are comparing us against cohorts of non-ABM accounts. That's been really useful, particularly in some of the key areas where the metrics might look fantastic, but actually, if you're not comparing them to anything, they don't mean anything." – Celia Slack, Pursuit Marketing Lead, EMEA, ServiceNow
Regularly reviewing what’s working and where there are gaps allows for iterative improvements.
This data-driven approach ensures that your ABM efforts remain effective and aligned with your overall business goals.
It also helps you to stay ahead and enhance continuously your ABM strategy.
Keen to find out more about doing ABM right? Check out our monthly e-newsletter, DashDot, where we explore the hottest trends and insights, hot off the press and delivered straight to your inbox.
