Though account-based marketing seems to be a new marketing strategy, the concept is an old one. In personal and professional relationships, for example, trying to please everybody is the surest path to failure in life. Then there is the 80/20 rule, which states that 80% of the results often come from only 20% of the effort. The aim is to figure out the 20% and work on it to get a ROI.

Account-based marketing operates on the same principle; it is more beneficial to focus on winning one, or only a handful of accounts than the whole market. Most traditional marketers might cringe at this idea, but results show that it is a sound marketing strategy.

In this article, we illustrate the importance of this new yet old marketing approach on your return on investment. We also explain some of the key features that set ABM apart from other marketing strategies.

Benefits of ABM on ROI

The primary reason for marketing is to increase the bottom line of the business. Customer-based marketing has proven that little can be much even in marketing. Below are some of the statistics that will give you an idea as to why the number of B2B marketers adopting this strategy is increasing.

• A survey by ITSMA found out that 85% of marketers that used an account-based marketing approach agreed that it outperformed other marketing initiatives. This was in 2014 when the concept of account-based marketing was at its infancy. Besides, half of these marketers agreed that the difference was significant.
• In 2017, the majority of B2B ABM marketers, or ABM-ers, as ITSMA calls them, still agreed on the positive impact of the strategy on ROI, with 87% reporting significant improvement.
• On revenue generation, a 2017 study found that companies that use this customer-based strategy generate 208% more revenue than those that do not.
• In terms of long-term returns, DemandBase found that companies that employed this marketing strategy for more than a year had a 10% increase in revenue. 19% of the respondents reported an average increase of 30%.
• The primary feature of this marketing strategy is its personalised engagement level. It too contributes positively to the ROI as established by a CEB study. It found that influencers who perceived that the content met their needs were 40% more willing to buy from the marketer.

Why ABM Stands Out From Other Marketing Practices When It Comes to ROI

Account-based marketing outsmarts the other marketing practices in terms of ROI due to six reasons, which we will explain shortly. However, it is essential to point out that this marketing strategy is not a replacement for other initiatives such as inbound marketing and content marketing.

In practice, inbound marketing and account-based marketing are complementary strategies. Content marketing, on the other hand, is the core of the customer-based market. The difference is that it is limited to specific target accounts, unlike in broad-based marketing.

With that cleared, we can continue to the features that set ABM above the others when it comes to ROI.

1. It Meets the Demands of the Age

Businesses today operate in a world of personalised service. About three-quarters of B2B customers prefer products that are tailored to their specific preferences. It for this reason that email marketing has been performing better over the years than traditional advertising channels.

In short, standardisation is dying a swift death, but traditional marketing strategies are still stuck on the promises of its glorious days. An account-based marketing approach is the only initiative that is in tandem with reality. Since ABM meets the needs of the time, an increase in ROI is a natural result.

2. Better Usage of Resources

A typical scenario in broad-based marketing is the marketing department giving sales hundreds of leads, and then sales spending time trying to filter out the most suitable lead. Most of the time, sales drop 50% of the leads and less than half of the remaining end up becoming customers.

When using an account-based approach, you select your ideal account before making a move. You only spend resources where it is worth it. Besides, 60% of the buyer’s journey happens before the prospect even talks to your salesperson. With this model, therefore, it possible to achieve twice as much with half the effort put in traditional marketing.

3. Increases Engagement with Leads

In sales, engagement defines the difference between deals that close and those that do not. Focusing on marketing to an individual account makes this easier.

According to DemandBase, 83% of companies that use an account-based approach reports increased engagement as one of the primary benefits. A more exciting statistic is by SiriusDecisions. It found out that 30% of ABM-ers reported an increase in more than 100% engagement level with C-level executives.

Simply put, marketing to target accounts offers better ROI than the others because it improves access to the key decision-makers and influencers in the target company.

4. Increases Deal Size

Landing a deal is great for your ROI, but closing a deal larger than your initial expectation is something else. It is exactly what the account-based marketing approach delivers. 91% of marketers that have employed this strategy reported in a 2017 study that it helped them close larger deals. 25% of them reported an increase of more than 50% in deal size.

5. Better Smarketing

Smarketing is the new buzzword for the alignment of sales and marketing departments. Account-based marketing improves collaboration between these two teams, and the result of the ripple effect is a boost on your ROI. By collecting and sharing data both teams will gain a better understanding of their customer. Here are three stats indicating the benefits of smarketing on your B2B business revenue:

1. 66% of companies that have closely knight sales and marketing have increased sales pipeline opportunities.
2. Sales and marketing alignment through customer-based marketing increases sales win rates by 38% and customer retention by 36%.
3. Businesses that adopt smarketing increase their chances of closing deals by 67% when they focus on marketing to target accounts.

6. Relevant Content

A DemandGen report notes that 95% of buyers choose product providers with content that can help them through the buying process. The account-based strategy takes care of the need of the 95%, making better ROI inevitable.

Conclusion

Marketing that focuses on the needs of an individual account is increasingly becoming the basis of successful B2B marketing. As you plan to get started with your account-based marketing strategy, it is essential to remember that it takes time to experience the full-funnel impact of your efforts and to see your ROI.