ABM Solution Playbook
ABM Solution Playbook
ABM Solution Playbook
How to Manage ABM Campaigns
that Drive Results with Ease
ABM Solution Playbook
B2B decision makers
say understanding
customer needs in the
buying process will be a
top priority to support
marketing in the next
two years
41%
B2B companies where
decision makers
include more than six
people
66% B2B sales
interactions between
suppliers and buyers
through digital-only
channels by 2025
80%
Folloze is leading ABM practitioners into the modern era of B2B marketing,
empowering them to easily build engaging buyer journeys throughout every stage
of the customer lifecycle. In today’s dynamic buying environment, B2B decision
makers now use 10 or more channels to evaluate a purchase during the buyer
journey, creating an unpredictable and non-linear sales funnel. With the Folloze
Buyer Experience Platform, ABM teams can now create content, programs and
campaigns that engage and move buyers — and buying groups — through their
path to purchase and beyond.
This ABM Solution Playbook will reveal a data-driven model for targeting, tiering
and prioritizing accounts, as well as tactics for rolling out personalized content
and campaigns tailored for various audiences.
Introduction
ABM Solution Playbook
Planning and Account/Audience Assessment1
The first step in ABM planning is to define target segments and their attributes
according to the type of personalization desired, focusing on job role, market
segment, and behavioral characteristics. Steps include:
Define ideal customer profile (ICP), firmographic and technographic
attributes/data points for highest quality accounts.
Identify the highest probability of closing based on ICP attributes, prioritize
accounts based on fit, intent, and engagement signals.
Use an intent platform like Demandbase or 6sense to get a clear list of who
you’re going after (ICP), based on fit/intent (DB), then tier accounts who to
go after based on data.
Tier accounts by:
Engagement score (from DB): activity and intent data, develop tiers.
Web page views: calculate content and pages on Folloze by account, based on
average for each AE’s ICP list.
Pipeline predict score: propensity to book a demo based on all other accounts
that booked a demo in the last year.
ABM Solution Playbook
Engagement and content requirements are driven by the type of personalization
being targeted, including personas involved, buying stage, knowledge
requirements, and content formats. ABM teams should ensure that content is
mapped and tagged properly to increase findability, automate activation, and
contribute to audience intelligence. Remember that data drives delivery.
The data available or desired for each audience segment and activation channel
fuels targeting, delivery, messaging treatment, and optimization.
Buying phases are broken into early, mid and late stages of the customer
journey. ABM activities can be enhanced at early stages to expedite the process
and drive conversion and purchase.
Engagement Throughout the Buyer Journey2
Research and
Consideration
Awareness
Early
PurchaseEvaluation
Mid
Renew, Expand,
and Advocate
Implement
and Service
Late
ABM Solution Playbook
The availability of quality information through digital channels has made it easy
for buyers to gather information independently. Buyers tend to have more of
these “self-service” interactions in the early stages, so it’s important to design a
marketing and sales strategy that supports each phase appropriately, and makes
sense to the buyer. Message clarity, and content findability are key in this stage.
Since we have invested the time up front to target and prioritize accounts, it’s
critical to deliver engaging digital experiences that make sense to the buying
team, boost interactions, and encourage progression through the entire buyer
journey.
Understand the scope of buyer groups through behavioral intelligence.
Generate deeper buyer group engagement across target accounts.
Boost early-stage conversions to opportunities (by as much as 5x) to
grow pipeline and optimize for more qualified opportunities.
Account segmentation: Industry, Company Size/Revenue, Location,
Adjacent Technologies.
Buyer identification and audit, understand roles.
Map persona engagement level by buying group.
Content planning and mapping.
Digital: Social Media Post, G2 Review Site, Website.
Digital/Human: Live Vendor Webinar, Virtual Networking Event.
Human: Sales Rep Call.
How Folloze Helps
Planning and Key Prerequisites
Stage 1 (Early): Research and ConsiderationAwareness
ABM Solution Playbook
Today’s modern buyer journey is non-linear and unpredictable. During the
evaluation/purchase phase, the sales process will often loop back to revisit
earlier phases to address new buying centers, requirements, or objections,
and that’s ok! You can create paths backward as well as forward so your
buyers don’t get lost.
Identify more of the buying group. Help overcome buyer group objections.
Build internal consensus, confidence, and create internal champions.
Steer buyers and decision-makers to a clear path to purchase.
Accelerate buying consensus and decision-making.
Provide more accurate control over the buying group.
Shorten sales cycles.
Increase close-won rates and bookings.
Up to 25% shorter sales cycles.
2x-4x more pipeline to closed-won.
Demo Video vs. Live Demo.
ROI Calculators.
Digital Sales Rooms.
Product Manager Interaction.
Customer Reference.
Sales Rep Close.
Customer Success Rep.
How Folloze Helps
Planning and Key Prerequisites
Stage 2 (Mid): PurchaseEvaluation
ABM Solution Playbook
The ABM journey doesn’t end at close. The customer experience continues
through implementation and ongoing service to renewal, upgrades, and
continued customer advocacy and reference. A new customer’s experience in
the first 90 days after the sale is the single biggest indicator of renewal
success.
Engage, expand, and steer customers towards long-term loyalty.
Digital: Online Product Training Video, Help Portal, Product Update Email
Video, Website Quote, Onboarding Plan, EBR presentations.
Human: Customer Success Manager, Implementation Manager, Renewal
with Account Manager.
Tier 1
1 ½ deviations above mean engagement score, good brand awareness,
shows interest.
Goal: Move the needle on pushing AE meetings.
Set up LinkedIn conversation ads, deployed on behalf of AE.
Folloze board tailored for each account with personalization,
AE welcome video, limited time offers (like a gift certificate) for demo.
Include info on the Folloze platform, self-guided tutorials,
short product demos.
Get them to book a demo (link directly to AE’s scheduler).
How Folloze Helps
Planning and Key Prerequisites
Sample Engagement Use Case by Tier
Stage 3 (Late): Renew, Expand, and Advocate Implement
and Service
ABM Solution Playbook
Tier 2
Engagement score above average OR web page view above average
and pipeline predict score above average (Account Development Rep
(ADR) ownership).
Start with LinkedIn sponsored ads.
Landing page/board experience: Brand recognition (light personalization,
ADR generic welcome video, scheduler).
Tier 3
All others: marketing ownership.
Demandbase DSP ads from your ABM tool.
Use cases for Folloze.
Unassigned campaign: ICP account journey: LinkedIn ads, website homepage.
The ABM strategy you employ will vary depending on the buyer engagement stage (early, mid and late), and the priority assigned to each account based on things like engagement activity. With Folloze, ABM teams will be able to map the most relevant content and interactions to each audience, and ensure that each account is being managed by ABM and sales in a coordinated fashion.
ABM Solution Playbook
A key driver of successful ABM is marketing’s ability to in a way
that optimizes engagement, content and pipeline growth. Strong collaboration at
both planning and tactical stages helps bridge the gap between ABM and sales
interaction with accounts, and can serve to accelerate the success of targeted
ABM campaigns.
Sales and marketing alignment includes the following tips and
recommendations:
Biweekly AE check-ins where updates are shared and activities reviewed
(such as how often AEs are utilizing the Folloze dashboards).
ADR syncs and check-ins, to see if they are using the insights available,
what emails are working, and other best practices.
Demandbase/pipeline reviews to share ABM insights, results, weekly tweaks,
and review intent.
ABM Dashboards in Salesforce: Show recent engagement, intent stage
(Demandbase, 6sense, etc.) and all accounts by journey stage.
Be sure to keep an eye on reporting, sales and engagement metrics to
understand performance weekly or quarterly (e.g. 75% of pre-pipeline in Q1
came from ABM program, 37% closed, can raise pipeline goals next quarter
accordingly). Evaluate what next quarter’s mix looks like based on metrics.
Keep an eye on performance, communicate up to execs,
outward to other teams.
Sales outreach (based on engagement):
Increase close-won rates and bookings.
Up to 25% shorter sales cycles.
2x-4x more pipeline to closed-won.
align with sales
3. Ensure Sales and Marketing GTM Alignment
https://www.folloze.com/folloze-resource-center/blogs-701d/driving-collaboration-between-marketing-and-sales-activities-to-fuel-sales-orchestration&sa=D&source=docs&ust=1667853347415944&usg=AOvVaw2LDD_etnibPWg1onwts6xr
ABM Solution Playbook
Executing a great ABM program can be a difficult task if you don’t have the context and experience to bring all of your data, assets and resources together. With the right guidance, best practices, use cases and planning tips, your ABM teams will have a good foundation on which to build highly engaging buying experiences for your most highly prized accounts – and drive continued personalized interaction well beyond the sale.
Conclusion