B2B SaaS Account-Based Marketing
You’re about to make a significant purchase, perhaps a vacation home or a new EV. Online research is your first step, it is for most consumers, and those responsible for SaaS in the B2B segment are no different. According to Gartner, post-pandemic, nearly half of B2B purchasing professionals rely on digital information in the early stages of creating product or vendor shortlists and learning about features and pricing.
In today’s environment, where most B2B interactions are digital or remote, your content strategy must make an impactful digital first impression, essential for lead generation. Then, a laser-focused, scalable Account-Based Marketing strategy can improve the overall performance of your inbound marketing efforts considerably.
In an ABM go-to-market strategy, sales and marketing identify and focus on those leads with the best chance of conversion. The objective is to delight those targeted customers with a steady stream of personalized content tailored to their specific pain points and needs. Marketers, in effect, create a universe of one, providing relevant content to the business’s particular needs that will immediately resonate.
ITSMA (IT Services Marketing Association) validated that the logic is spot on, “ABM provides a higher ROI than any other type marketing.”
Crucial Elements of B2B SaaS Account-Based Marketing
We cannot overemphasize the importance of organizational alignment behind an ABM strategy. Leadership must buy-in and endorse the strategy; ABM will require more resources. Sales and marketing must be in lockstep, collaborating on targeted accounts with the appropriate content and solutions provided at the right stage in the engagement.
Targeting the Right Accounts
The time and resources to be deployed in your ABM strategy dictate that your team identifies those customers with the highest potential for conversion. Current customers represent a significant opportunity. A more personalized approach can drive further engagement, partnership, and the possibility of upselling the account, generating increased revenue. Identifying new target customers is a bit more complicated.
- Can marketing illustrate that the target has demonstrated a sustained interest in your services?
- Has the target account responded to any digital calls to action? Have they requested specific information? Have they committed significant time on the site studying features, capabilities, or reviews?
- Has the sales department’s research determined if the target truly has the business need and budget to make them attractive?
Additional considerations might include the target customer’s size, industry, geography, or customers who might mirror current successful engagements.
The team then needs to collaborate, gathering the relevant data necessary to understand the business’s needs, influencers, and decision-makers, and track their engagement and deliver personalized, relevant content.
Measure and Adapt for ABM Success
Determining the appropriate metrics, clearly defined and aligned to the business’s goals, and benchmarking are essential. Target accounts should be monitored versus similar accounts receiving only traditional outreach campaigns regarding deal generation, deal-to-close times, and revenue generated. Learnings and course corrections will be paramount to scaling your strategy for optimum return on investment.
In Summary
Targeting potential accounts and the appropriate decision-makers with the right content can be challenging for those initiating an ABM strategy. If you’re interested in solutions to these challenges, Revenue-Inc. is the B2B SaaS Marketing Agency that can help you – “execution and results guaranteed.”