Account-Based Marketing: Why the Not-So-Nascent Market Is Ripe for Disruption

This article was originally published by Martech Advisor.

In the wake of digital transformation, account-based marketing is starting to surge in popularity as more organizations recognize the value in targeted approach and strategy. At Madison Logic, we proudly champion the future of ABM, recently receiving recognition as a top-ten worldwide innovator for our efforts. Here’s why, shares, Tom O’Regan, CEO Madison Logic.

Account-based marketing (ABM) is not a new concept – we already know that B2B sales require us to address entire accounts rather than simply an individual or two. However, only recently did it start to rise in popularity as today’s businesses seek to break traditional B2B marketing molds with the objective to better target the right prospects through personalization and intent.

No longer a “secret weapon,” today ABM is a proven concept that B2B marketers must execute in order to improve alignment with sales teams, accelerate the pipeline process, and ultimately increase the business’ overall customer base and ROI. At Madison Logic, we proudly champion the future of ABM, recently receiving recognition as a top-ten worldwide innovator for our efforts.

In fact, within the next three years, 57% of companies plan to invest in an ABM solution — and likely one that incorporates next-generation technologies like AI and machine learning. This staggering statistic signifies that the industry is ripe for disruption. So why should marketers take advantage of the strategy today to champion success for tomorrow, and where can the industry expect to head in 2020? Allow me to explain.

Where We Are Now

We hear all the time that we need to better personalize our content, that we need to appeal to the right audiences with the right messaging at the right time. But it’s easier said than done. In fact, sometimes, we get caught up in worrying about our own bottom lines and momentarily forget what it is that directly impacts them – our customers’ objectives. 

That’s where ABM comes in. Today’s ABM strategies teach us to focus on buying committees at accounts instead of individual leads. They teach us to more strongly align with sales from the top to bottom of the funnel. Simply put, they teach us to be better listeners – to take a step back from pushing content, content, content and remember to listen to our prospects and what it is that will directly appeal to them and help their businesses grow. 

We clearly have the tools in our arsenal now, but there is more we can do than just sit back and listen. We need to advise. One of the great benefits of an ABM strategy is that our efforts to engage also leave us with a lot of data. And that is where that market disruption I mentioned comes into play. 

Where We Are Headed – A Data-Driven Mentality

The rise of digital transformation sees today’s businesses scrambling to make sense of it all. Next-generation technologies with buzzword names like “machine learning” arm organizations with all of these big data analytics, but what do the names actually mean? Tomorrow’s marketers have the power to disrupt the business landscape as we know it by becoming our prospects’ strategic arm. Marketers can understand the data behind the strategy. Marketers have the tools necessary to guide our prospects through the often-cumbersome process of digital transformation and help them make sense of all this data just sitting in front of them. 

And ABM can help us achieve that. Today, an effective ABM strategy has the power to arm marketers with the actionable metrics necessary to turn our prospects into clients. Tomorrow, marketers may leverage AI-based signals to help those same clients navigate their new business terrains and reach their revenue goals. In fact, we at Madison Logic know it will.

In the future, marketers will turn to ABM to leverage these signals in a unified, automated model to personalize messaging. By integrating first- and third-party data sources, marketers can optimize messaging across channels and see the impact on their marketing ROI.

No market is ever stagnant, and ABM is no exception to the rule. As ABM continues to evolve, it will become a necessity that more organizations invest in a solution – and this will ring especially true for organizations outside of the first adopters in the tech sector. Financial services, manufacturing — these sectors and more will look toward ABM adoption—and disruption—in the next two to five years to increase ROI within their organizations. As they should. 2020 is only just the beginning.