ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING

Playbook & Toolkit

Follow this simple step-by-step guide to develop an account-based marketing approach and strategy.
Table of Contents ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING

Framework 03

Introduction 04

stage
1 Align Resources 08

stage
2 Select Accounts 11

stage
3 Generate Insights 14

stage
4 Create Plans 17

stage
5 Execute Campaigns 20

stage
6 Measure Results 23

About 25
 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING
Framework
Click the buttons below to access all related
Leverage the framework below to quickly
training, tools, templates, and other resources.
empower your organization’s agile marketing strategy.

ABM Strategy Account Insight Account ABM Campaign Results

1 2 3 4 5 6
& Alignment Selection Generation Planning Execution Measurement

ABM Capabilities Ideal Customer Buyer Persona ABM Buying Engagio’s ABM ABM Program
Assessment Profile Template Template Committee Diagram Market Map Metrics Dashboard

ABM Tech Stack ABM Account Tiers Decision Maker ABM Content Plan ABM Platform
Report Worksheet Influencer Map Worksheet Evaluation Matrix

Account & Product ABM Key Account ABM Campaign

ABM Roles Matrix Planning Tool
Mapping Matrix Planning Canvas

ABM Program Account Scoring

Owler
Budget Template Tool

Google Alerts
 1 2 3 4 5 6
Align Select Generate Create Execute Measure
Resources Accounts Insights Plans Campaigns Results

Introduction

ABM Defined

All effective marketers know that their job is to get the right
message to the right person in the right way at the right time.

Account-based marketing (ABM) is one specific way of doing exactly

that in the B2B setting, and as such, it’s hardly a new idea.

The coining of the term and associated buzz over the last five years is
the result of new technologies that allow marketers to implement the
strategy at scale.

ABM’s core characteristics include identifying a subset of high-potential

accounts and collaborating with sales to personalize engagement with
each account’s stakeholders, thereby closing deals on accounts that
offer maximum bang for marketing department bucks. Many have heard of ABM by other names: target account
Ultimately, it is a strategic B2B marketing approach that aligns sales and marketing or strategic account marketing.
marketing efforts to target the right accounts, resulting in more mean-
ingful and profitable customer engagement.

ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING 4
 1 2 3 4 5 6
Align Select Generate Create Execute Measure
Resources Accounts Insights Plans Campaigns Results

Introduction

ABM Success Stories: A Tiered Approach

The ITSMA defines three different ABM tiers based on the level of personalization and technology used:

Programmatic ABM
One-to-many accounts Market specific accounts at scale Programmatic ABM
Leverages sales knowledge One-to-many accounts
“Leveraging technology to tailor marketing
campaigns for specific named accounts at scale”

ABM Lite
ABM Lite 5-10 “second-tier” target accounts One-to-few accounts
One-to-few accounts
Tailored content and marketing
“Creating and executing lightly-customized programs initiatives
for clusters of accounts with similar issues and needs”

Customized marketing plants for

Strategic ABM
Strategic ABM One-to-one accounts
One-to-one accounts individual accounts
Forge strong relationships with
“Creating and executing highly-customized
marketing plans for individual accounts” most-valued stakeholders

ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING 5
 1 2 3 4 5 6
Align Select Generate Create Execute Measure
Resources Accounts Insights Plans Campaigns Results

Introduction

ABM Defined Helpful Resources

An effective ABM strategy consists of three broad phases: account plan- Be sure to check our Ultimate Guide to ABM for more background on
ning, engagement, and measurement. account-based marketing.

ACCOUNT PLANNING

VIE
DOWW NRL E
OASDOGUU R
I DC
E E

ENGAGEMENT

MEASUREMENT
Sections of the guide include:
■ What is ABM?

Within each phase, there are tasks to complete and milestones to reach. ■ Why ABM?
■ ABM Success Stories
Before defining these steps in further detail, it’s important to highlight that
■ How To Implement ABM
any new marketing strategy will require a crawl, walk, and run approach.
■ ABM Troubleshooting
Often, an ABM pilot program is the ideal way to introduce the strategy
■ Action Plan
in a company.

ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING 6
 1 2 3 4 5 6
Align Select Generate Create Execute Measure
Resources Accounts Insights Plans Campaigns Results

Introduction

How to Use this Playbook Outputs from This Playbook

This document consists of six stages, each with a description, steps,

and action items.
Action items include using our premium tools and templates. Our inten-
tion with this playbook is to guide you through account-based marketing
by helping you:
Stage 1 - Align Resources
ABM Capabilities Assessment, ABM Tech Stack Report,
ABM Roles Matrix, ABM Program Budget Template
Stage 2 - Select Accounts
Ideal Customer Profile Template, ABM Account Tiers Worksheet,
Account & Product Mapping Matrix, Account Scoring Tool

Align your team Stage 3 - Generate Insights

Buyer Persona Template, Decision Maker Influencer Map

Select target accounts Stage 4 - Create Plans

ABM Buying Committee Diagram, ABM Content Plan Worksheet,
ABM Key Account Planning Canvas
Plan for account-based marketing
Stage 5 - Execute Campaigns
Engagio’s ABM Market Map, ABM Platform Evaluation Matrix,
Execute successful ABM campaigns ABM Campaign Planning Tool

Stage 6 - Measure Results

ABM Program Metrics Dashboard
Measure the performance of your program

ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING 7
 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING

STAGE 1

Align Resources
In this first stage, you will evaluate your strategic capabilities,
align your team, and determine your ABM budget.

STEP 1: Evaluate Your ABM Capabilities

STEP 2: Audit your Tech Stack
STEP 3: Build your ABM Team
STEP 4: Determine your ABM Budget
 2 3 4 5 6
Introduction
1 Select Generate Create Execute Measure
Accounts Insights Plans Campaigns Results
Align
Resources

STEP 1 STEP 2
Evaluate Your ABM Capabilities Audit your Tech Stack

Action Item Action Item

Benchmark yourself against 500+ organizations and get Download a copy of the ABM Tech Stack Report to
personalized recommendations to improve your ABM better understand the ABM technology adoption curve
capabilities with our interactive assessment. and the top 7 ABM challenges.

TA K E A S S E S S M E N T VDIOEWW RAEDSROE SUE R

NLO A RCCE
H

If your ABM journey has already started, use our ABM Capabilities Demandbase and Demand Metric recently completed
Assessment to evaluate the following key processes: research to illuminate the marketing technology stack
challenges B2B firms face as they execute Account-Based
Account Selection
Marketing (ABM) strategy.
Account Profiling
Planning
Content & Channels
Measurement

ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING 9
 2 3 4 5 6
Introduction
1 Select Generate Create Execute Measure
Accounts Insights Plans Campaigns Results
Align
Resources

STEP 3 STEP 4
Build your ABM Team Determine your ABM Budget

Action Item Action Item

Use the ABM Roles Matrix to understand the roles and Use the ABM Program Budget Template to set and
responsibilities of high-performing ABM teams. track your overall ABM budget on a monthly and yearly
basis.

D O W N L O A D T E M P L AT E D O W N L O A D T E M P L AT E

This tool will help you identify and document responsibilities Sections of the budget template include:
for the following team members:
■ Software
■ ABM Lead (Head of Marketing) ■ Sales Leadership & ■ Advertising
Account Executives
■ ABM Campaign Manager ■ Campaigns
■ Executive Sponsors
■ Product Marketing ■ Content
■ Operations
■ Account Development Reps ■ Training
(BDR/SDR)
■ Consulting

ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING 10
 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING

STAGE 2

Select Accounts
In Stage 2, you will build an ideal customer profile,
determine account entitlements, identify which products or
solutions to sell, and evaluate target accounts.

STEP 1: Identify your Ideal Customer

STEP 2: Categorize Account Entitlements
STEP 3: Identify What to Sell
STEP 4: Score Target Accounts

ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING 11
 1 3 4 5 6
Introduction Align
2 Generate Create Execute Measure
Resources Insights Plans Campaigns Results
Select
Accounts

STEP 1 STEP 2
Identify your Ideal Customer Categorize Account Entitlements

Action Item Action Item

Use the Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) Template to Use our ABM Account Tiers Worksheet to create tiers
describe the type of company that would benefit the for the accounts that are included in your ABM program.
most from your products or solutions.

D O W N L O A D T E M P L AT E
D O W N L O A D T E M P L AT E

Sections of the ICP template include: For each tier, make decisions about which marketing tactics
and channels you will use to engage them.
■ Firmographics
Use this matrix to communicate to your sales organization
■ Psychographics
which entitlements each tier of account is eligible for.
■ Behavioural
■ Environmental

ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING 12
 1 3 4 5 6
Introduction Align
2 Generate Create Execute Measure
Resources Insights Plans Campaigns Results
Select
Accounts

STEP 3 STEP 4
Identify What to Sell Score Target Accounts

Action Item Action Item

Use our Account & Product Mapping Matrix to identify Use our Account Scoring Tool to train sales reps on how
which products or solutions you should sell into each they can score each of their accounts to identify the key
target account. accounts in their customer-base or sales territory.

D O W N L O A D T E M P L AT E D O W N L O A D T E M P L AT E

Conduct a white space analysis to identify new sales What criteria can you use to score accounts?
opportunities that you can sell into your existing target
■ Industry
accounts. 
■ Company Size
■ Decision Maker
■ Current Need
■ Opportunity Size
■ Purchase History

ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING 13
 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING

STAGE 3

Generate Insights
In Stage 3, you will build buyer personas, evaluate key stakeholders at your
target accounts, and capture account insights.

STEP 1: Identify Buyers and Create Personas

STEP 2: Map Buyer Influence
STEP 3: Capture & Socialize Account Insights

ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING 14
 1 2 4 5 6
Introduction Align Select
3 Create Execute Measure
Resources Accounts Plans Campaigns Results
Generate
Insights

STEP 1 STEP 2
Identify Buyers and Create Personas Map Buyer Influence

Action Item Action Item

Use our Buyer Persona Template to create profiles of Use our Decision Maker Influencer Map to evaluate key
the different personas in your target audience. stakeholders during a complex sale and to identify strat-
egies that can influence the deal.

D O W N L O A D T E M P L AT E D O W N L O A D T E M P L AT E

A few important considerations might include: What goes into an influencer map?

■ Will you develop personas based on your existing ■ Stakeholder Name

customers, prospective customers, both, or other?
■ Decision Maker Role (executive, technical buyer)
■ Do you have enough information to create buyer personas
■ Interest – how interested is the stakeholder in the deal?
or is more research required?
■ Power – how much power does this person have?
■ Can you identify your customers’ “pain points”?
■ Buy-In – what is their level of support?
■ Flexibility – how likely are they to change their mind?

ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING 15
 1 2 4 5 6
Introduction Align Select
3 Create Execute Measure
Resources Accounts Plans Campaigns Results
Generate
Insights

STEP 3
Capture & Socialize Account Insights

There are a variety of solutions that can help you gain

account insights. Vendor solutions can be grouped into
the following categories:

■ Account Data
■ Contact Data
■ 3rd Party Intent Data
■ Insights
■ Data Platforms

For a less mature audience, account insights can be

captured by simply setting up news alerts using the
following technologies:

SOURCE: ENGAGIO’S ALL NEW ABM MARKET MAP

ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING 16
 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING

STAGE 4

Create Plans
In Stage 4, you will identify buying committees, build content plans, and
create one-page action plans for your target accounts.

STEP 1: Identify Buying Committees

STEP 2: Build a Content Plan
STEP 3: Finalize Target Accounts Plans

ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING 17
 1 2 3 5 6
Introduction Align Select Generate
4 Execute Measure
Resources Accounts Insights Campaigns Results
Create
Plans

STEP 1 STEP 2
Identify Buying Committees Build a Content Plan

Action Item Action Item

Use our ABM Buying Committee Diagram to help you Use our ABM Content Plan Worksheet to identify the
build a organizational chart for each of your target content assets that you will use at each stage of the
accounts. journey.

D O W N L O A D T E M P L AT E D O W N L O A D T E M P L AT E

The formatting provided in the template will make it easy Identify the right content to use at each of the following
for you to identify the following key personas at your target stages:
accounts:
■ Prospecting/Needs Analysis
■ Deal Influencer ■ Qualification/Discovery
■ End User ■ Demo/Consideration
■ Technical Buyer ■ Proposal/Decision
■ Financial Buyer ■ Contract/Implement

ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING 18
 1 2 3 5 6
Introduction Align Select Generate
4 Execute Measure
Resources Accounts Insights Campaigns Results
Create
Plans

STEP 3
Finalize Target Accounts Plans

Action Item

Use our ABM Key Account Planning Canvas to create a

one-page action plan for each of your target accounts.

D O W N L O A D T E M P L AT E

Sections of this template include:

■ Account Overview ■ Engagement Plan

■ Budget ■ Pains & Challenges
■ Opportunities ■ Goals & Priorities
■ Revenue Forecast ■ Next Steps

ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING 19
 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING

STAGE 5

Execute Campaigns
In Stage 5, you will review and evaluate ABM technology before
creating campaign plans to execute.

STEP 1: Review ABM Technology

STEP 2: Evaluate ABM Technology
STEP 3: Create Campaign Plans

ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING 20
 1 2 3 4 6
Introduction Align Select Generate Create
5 Measure
Resources Accounts Insights Plans Results
Execute
Campaigns

STEP 1 STEP 2
Review ABM Technology Evaluate ABM Technology

Action Item Action Item

Check out Engagio’s ABM Market Map for a compre- Use our ABM Platform Evaluation Matrix to compare
hensive listing of all the categories and vendors in ABM. vendors against one another based on up-to-date ABM
technology requirements.

VIEW INFOGRAPHIC D O W N L O A D T E M P L AT E

Sections of the map include: Sections of this vendor evaluation include:

■ Foundation ■ Target Account Selection ■ Account Engagement Scoring

■ Data and Insights ■ Account-Based Advertising
■ Interactions ■ Website Personalization
■ Orchestration ■ Real-Time Intent Data
■ Measurement ■ Identify Anonymous Website
Visitors
■ Lead-to-Account Matching
■ Account-Based Lead Nurturing
■ ABM Campaign Orchestration
■ Analytics

ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING 21
 1 2 3 4 6
Introduction Align Select Generate Create
5 Measure
Resources Accounts Insights Plans Results
Execute
Campaigns

STEP 3
Create Campaign Plans

Action Item

Use our ABM Campaign Planning Tool to help you plan

successful marketing campaigns for each of your target
accounts.

D O W N L O A D T E M P L AT E

Document ABM campaign details such as:

■ Objectives & Budget ■ Project Team

■ Channels & Messages ■ Touchpoints
■ Success Goals ■ Campaign Schedule
■ Campaign Theme

ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING 22
 ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING

STAGE 6

Measure Results
Now that you have executed your campaign strategy, you can start to
measure the results of your Account-Based Marketing program.

STEP 1: Measure Results

ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING 23
 1 2 3 4 5
Introduction Align Select Generate Create Execute
6
Resources Accounts Insights Plans Campaigns
Measure
Results

STEP 1
Manage the process end-to-end

Action Item

Use our ABM Program Metrics Dashboard to help you

centralize your key ABM campaign metrics.

D O W N L O A D T E M P L AT E

All of the metrics in this template can be customized to suit

your organization’s needs. Baseline metrics include:

■ Marketing Qualified Accounts (MQAs)

■ Meetings Booked with Target Accounts
■ Target Account Opportunities
■ Target Accounts Won
■ Target Accounts Expanded
■ Annual Contract Value

ACCOUNT-BASED MARKETING 24
 About Demand Metric

Demand Metric helps Marketing teams get stuff done with practical tools,
training, and a simple, modern platform for managing work.

Our analysts identify best practices from fast-growing companies and

build Playbooks & Toolkits, Guides & Reports, Training Courses, and Project
Templates to help you optimize your processes, add structure to your depart-
ment, and get your team punching above their weight class.

Manage your work visually with our easy-to-use platform, built for small
marketing teams by design. See what your team is working on at a glance
so you can spend less time managing projects and more time knocking
stuff off your list.

Through strategic partnerships with the AMA, ANA, and AIPMM, our 1,000+
time-saving tools & resources have become the industry standard. Don’t
start from scratch! LEARN MORE
Sign up for a free trial at www.demandmetric.com
© Demand Metric Research Corporation.
All Rights Reserved.

www.demandmetric.com