What’s next for ABM: How ABM will evolve and just become ‘good marketing’

Hear from MOIs CEO, Matthew Stevens, as he considers the shift in intelligence and understanding of ABM over the last two years; and where he believes ABM is headed in the future.

2021 – the year of the ABM spike

2021 was quite a year for ABM. With the forced limitations to face-to-face interactions, the challenge for marketing teams was how they could engage with customers and prospects on a personal level, without the ability to meet in person.

Digital marketing techniques and a typical ‘spray-and-pray’ approach were proving less effective. Marketers right across B2B realised that the lack of personalisation in both content and experiences meant they were missing out on important deals and conversations.

The solution was obvious. ABM. And once the industry recognised this, , MOI noticed anupsurge in clients looking for ABM knowledge and support. Marketing teams within IT and tech enterprises wanted to know how ABM could fit into their organisation, and what approach would be best for them.

2022 – the year of learning and understanding

Fast-forward to today, we’ve seen another shift. This time in knowledge and understanding. B2B marketers now understand ABM and its nuances. They’re aware of the personalised principles that generate sales and revenue. Now, the ABM briefs we receive are much more varied, but are all laser-focused on KPIs and the results. There is also now a greater interlock between sales & marketing teams, both understanding they must come together to make ABM work.

So what’s next for ABM in 2023 and beyond?

Like every B2B trend, we believe ABM will become integrated into everything marketers do as a set of principles.  
 
Aside from strategic ABM (for example, pure 1:1 activity) which is a true discipline and should only be applied to your highest value key customers and prospects (where time and budget support the return), I believe ABM principles will soon be applied to an organisations entire go-to-market strategy.
 
Whether you call it account-based marketing, account-based experience, or account-based everything, the principles of ABM are the same. Personalisation across every touch point. Prioritisation of accounts based on intelligence at every stage. Dialling up time and budget to convert accounts as they emerge or reach a critical lifecycle stage.  

In the future, these principles won’t be siloed to ABM, but will be applied across an organisation’s entire go-to-market strategy. This is what MOI call – Account Based Applied – founded from the belief that treating ABM as an individual discipline only reinforces the silos it should be breaking down.  

Deploying Account-Based Applied tactics will see a shift in ABMers becoming good marketers that chase revenue intelligently. ABM will just become good marketing that drives efficiency and better customer experiences. 

And as we head towards a new calendar year, now’s the time for marketing teams to analyse their 2023 plans and identify the ABM principles to plug into their current sales and marketing plays. 

ABM is not a one-size-fits-all approach

It’s hugely important to note that ABM is not a one-size-fits-all approach. And before ABM principles can be applied to your GTM strategy, there needs to be a rigorous diagnosis and review of your organisation and its individual variables. Team size, tools, and platforms available, product value, and deal size are all examples of variables that need to be reviewed and analysed. This means not every ABM principle can, or should, be applied to your marketing mix.

If you’re thinking about ABM for your organisation, MOI can help you identify a bespoke solution. Fill out the form and answer these 5 questions. We’ll review your answers, run an ABM diagnosis, and give you some fresh perspectives for your ABM strategy within one working week.

Let’s not forget creativity

Let’s face it, creativity is often overlooked in ABM. And if your campaigns aren’t compelling or delivering great customer experiences with bold ideas, they’re not going to succeed. In 2023 and beyond, we’re making sure creativity leads from the front and is injected into all our ABM programmes. We combine data-driven insights from our Intelligence Unit (who just won silver for best new service via The Drum) with our award-winning Turning HeadsTM methodology to create personalised experiences―with head-turning creativity.

Get in touch to discover how ABM applies to your business

If you have questions on ABM (who doesn’t!) and how it applies individually to your organisation – get in touch with MOIs Global ABM Lead, Aldona Limani. Aldona and the team would welcome an exploratory chat to get to know you, identify your business challenges, and offer fresh perspectives.