Account Based Marketing vs. Demand Generation

Demand generation has been the go-to strategy in the b2b arena. Meanwhile, account-based marketing (ABM) is creating a buzz and gaining much traction within this field. So, what is the difference between these two strategies?

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Illuminas

Illuminas is an award-winning, full-service research consultancy that delivers strategic marketing intelligence across B2B and consumer markets worldwide. Whether you are trying to identify key market trends, solve critical business issues or create leading brand strategies, our team of expert research consultants will recommend the most appropriate combination of quantitative and qualitative research tools to meet your objectives. Some of the biggest and most successful companies in the world come to us because we understand their business needs and we reach beyond the data to tell the story behind the research. For more information about Illuminas services you can go to our website at www.illuminas.com.

OTHER ARTICLES
Account Based Data

ABM: Looking beyond the buzzword!

Article | June 29, 2023

Account Based Marketing (ABM) is not a new concept in B2B marketing. However, as an important integrated B2B marketing and sales approach, we don’t think it is widely understood or used as it should be in B2B media/events businesses and professional membership organisations. Regardless of the size of your organisation, product types, or the sectors you serve, every senior business leader and marketer should be embracing ABM and integrating it as part of their overall marketing strategy. If you’re keen to learn more about ABM – what it is, why it is important and how you put it into practice, read on!

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Core ABM

ABM Automation: 4 Steps to Plan and Pace your ABM Efforts

Article | June 20, 2023

Account-based marketing is the ultimate personalization tool. Instead of incurring unnecessary marketing expenses, an account-centric strategy segregates vital business accounts and markets directly. This means, by appealing to specific market leaders, who can benefit from what your company has to offer, you can make marketing efforts more tailored and effective. ABM strategy is not new by any means. Still, it has gained widespread recognition over the past few years as it's evolved along with the progression of technology. An entirely tech-based, the marketing automation solutions have made account-based marketing more measurable and affordable for all-sized businesses. Thus, ABM automation gained pace. Research from Marketo suggests that account-based marketing delivers a better return on investment than other various strategies for 97% of marketers. Marketing automation plays a vital role in driving impressive results. It allows companies to target their outreach based on interests and actions. But what makes ABM automation win the rat race? ABM Automation: AI is the Driver The reason why ABM automation has recently emerged is the availability of AI. Initially, AI was used by ABM to propel the automatic selection of target accounts through predictive analytics. Also, it is driving intelligent marketing nurturing and other marketing responses based on how the targets respond, their needs, and so on. If you're targeting 100 accounts as potential new corporate customers, those accounts will visit different pages of your site. Some will download white papers and respond to emails. You will get leads from the targeted companies through these activities, and thus you can knock at their door. AI enables quick responding to a dynamically changing engagement in the ABM platform and delivers the best action. This is how automation with AI is emerging in ABM platforms. You can take four steps to automate your ABM to drive leads and create a successful ABM automated platform. 4 Steps to Plan ABM Automation Draw the Automation Cycle To start with ABM automation, firstly, create a blueprint of the targeted business. In this, you should identify the complete process of lead generation. The trail looks like; subscriber, lead, MQLs, SQLs, and a client to target. In this process, you cannot communicate at each phase. When one clicks on the particular link of your website, you should have a system-generated mail to send. Once you track the movement of the lead, quickly trigger the sales team to take the follow-ups. This saves the time of salespersons, and therefore ABM strategies are implemented wisely. Integrate your ABM automation software and CRM Before you build your account-based marketing campaigns, you'll have to integrate your ABM automation software and CRM. Integrating marketing automation tools is vital in the automation process. If your ABM software doesn't interact with the email marketing software, you won't be able to automate the process. In addition, if it doesn't relate to your CRM, it will be difficult to know if leads converted into accounts and track the ROI of an account-based campaign. So, to integrate ABM automation, you'll have to research and keep ICP, content, target accounts, and CRM all in one place. Tailor Your Content Ensure you're sending the right message to the right target account. Creating customized landing pages looking at how people have recently interacted with your brand is a great way to execute automation. Using ABM tools, you can automatically message target accounts with relevant messages when they engage with you and help you build the connections that become conversions. Create Dashboard to Assess Efforts The last step to automate your ABM platform is to track and measure the efforts you have put in to see information at-a-glance. You get information about your target accounts on your dashboard, such as open deals, company score, total pipeline, and the number of decision-makers identified. In addition, you should consider ongoing A/B tests when started with ABM automation. This is because you can see what messaging appeals to your ICP (Ideal Customer Profile). ABM is a result-driven approach. ITSMA reports that 87% of marketers consider ABM as delivering the highest returns. But without automation, ABM becomes a strewn process. Marketing automation lets your team offer a personalized approach and immediate outreach with valuable content that pushes visitors to become regular clients. Thus, using ABM software tools — ideally the marketing automation tools — can help you automate and scale your strategy and adds value to your ABM efforts. Frequently Asked Questions What are the account-based marketing tactics? Account-based marketing uses hyper-personalized tactics to attract, engage, and convert high-value accounts. Similarly, it uses emails to contact existing customers and target consumers and social media channels like LinkedIn, Facebook, and more to reach out to prospects. Why is an account-based marketing strategy so important? The importance of ABM lies in structuring marketing efforts and resources on key accounts to drive the most revenue. ABM maximizes the efficiency of your B2B marketing resources along with building the communication channel with sales to align with sales and marketing functions. How to create the automated ABM strategy? To create the automated ABM strategy, follow these steps: Create your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) Align your target accounts Build campaigns Integrate ABM, marketing automation software, and CRM Personalize content Engage Set up a dashboard for assessment { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [{ "@type": "Question", "name": "What are the account-based marketing tactics?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Account-based marketing uses hyper-personalized tactics to attract, engage, and convert high-value accounts. Similarly, it uses emails to contact existing customers and target consumers and social media channels like LinkedIn, Facebook, and more to reach out to prospects." } },{ "@type": "Question", "name": "Why is an account-based marketing strategy so important?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "The importance of ABM lies in structuring marketing efforts and resources on key accounts to drive the most revenue. ABM maximizes the efficiency of your B2B marketing resources along with building the communication channel with sales to align with sales and marketing functions." } },{ "@type": "Question", "name": "How to create the automated ABM strategy?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "To create the automated ABM strategy, follow these steps: Create your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) Align your target accounts Build campaigns Integrate ABM, marketing automation software, and CRM Personalize content Engage Set up a dashboard for assessment" } }] }

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Buyer Intent Data

Increasing ABM Engagement through Sales Empowerment

Article | March 6, 2023

ABM implementation may be commonplace in the B2B domain, but the application of fundamental ABM concepts is not consistent. This inconsistency can impact the success of an ABM strategy. So, how can you ensure the success of your ABM? Follow these four simple steps: Look for Potential in Target Accounts Your sales team must investigate the target accounts' potential. The sales team must act confidently when a buying group becomes active. Your team should build relationships with unengaged buying groups. This helps inspire new buying initiatives. It may also increase the buying group's proactivity. Go Beyond the Lead-based Approach Your sales and marketing teams must move past their lead-based approach for ABM to work properly. Leads alone won't deliver the desired impact and may even have negative effects. Sales management must understand the subtleties and motivate change in mindsets and processes. Participate in Buying Group Marketing Your sales team needs better group and individual monitoring technologies to implement buying group marketing to ABM. Quality purchase intent data can provide insights into the behavior of target account individuals. Appropriate intent data can show which solutions and purchase-related topics resonate with each buyer. Your team can then create better tactics and outreach. Upgrade Your Sales Approaches Present a high-value offer (HVO) that combines insights into the buying group's needs and interests, as well as their business. Address the challenges that you are facing in ABM execution with this HVO. Bring together your marketing, sales, and account executives to chalk out relevant processes, roles, and responsibilities. With an Empowered Sales Team, Your ABM Engagement Rises An enabled sales team can help you drive improved revenue from a defined set of target accounts if it has the right approach and flexibility to optimize its processes and responsibilities.

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Core ABM

Building an Account-centric Organization: Part I

Article | July 1, 2022

The only constant thing about account-based marketing (ABM) is its evolution. ABM goes beyond plain sales and marketing. It is a strategic and dynamic approach to marketing. It influences B2B buyers who are savvy, digitally native, and educated buying committee members who are otherwise difficult to target, let alone convert. ABM has evolved from pure one-to-one ABM to one-to-few and one-to-many. We know how ABM is now ABX, which harnesses intent data and programmatic advertising for better results. Consider a company that wants to implement account-based marketing on its key accounts. If every aspect of this organization revolves around the needs, demands, and requirements of its key accounts, it becomes an account-centric enterprise. In the first part of this article, we will discuss how an account-based approach on an organizational level can enhance your ABM strategy and help you create relationships that deliver mutual value and growth. Building an Account-Centric Organization Transforming an entire organization into an account-centric one is overall an eight-step process. Let us look at the first four: Two-fold Approach: Check Your Foundation Examine your foundation before implementing an account-based strategy. Ensure that your tech stack is optimum and that the right employees handle the right responsibilities. Secure the internal buy-in needed to get your ABM program up and running. Adaption: Make Your Changes Eventually Make changes to your current strategy only when required and over time. It is unnecessary to completely revamp your organization to align it with your ABM efforts. Ideally, make changes based on your performance. Always focus on the target account so all your teams— demand generation, events, sales, and marketing teams— will have the mindset to target your ICP. The correct approach is to enhance your processes as you go. Awareness: Train and Educate Your Teams Your entire team should live and breathe ABM. Align your sales and marketing teams. Other teams should match their processes to best suit the target accounts’ needs. Train and educate your teams, so they can easily adapt to new ABM processes and don’t feel blind-sided. Analysis: Data Matters a Great Deal Understand your data. Constantly review, acknowledge, and adjust your processes based on the data at hand. Then, support it with the knowledge of your salespeople. Get their input and advice on which accounts to engage with for optimal results. Then, bring them into the decision-making process for outstanding results. It’s a Process Building an account-centric organization requires time and commitment. In the next part of this article, we will discuss important aspects that impact and govern the success of your ABM strategy. Stay tuned to read the next part of the article.

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Spotlight

Illuminas

Illuminas is an award-winning, full-service research consultancy that delivers strategic marketing intelligence across B2B and consumer markets worldwide. Whether you are trying to identify key market trends, solve critical business issues or create leading brand strategies, our team of expert research consultants will recommend the most appropriate combination of quantitative and qualitative research tools to meet your objectives. Some of the biggest and most successful companies in the world come to us because we understand their business needs and we reach beyond the data to tell the story behind the research. For more information about Illuminas services you can go to our website at www.illuminas.com.

Related News

Core ABM

Marketers Given Marginal Grades for ABM-Driven Revenue Growth

GlobeNewswire | January 25, 2024

Seeding and harvesting the sales pipeline — the process of acquiring, capturing, qualifying and converting business opportunities — are essential to the growth and profitability of B2B marketers across every industry and geographic sector. Marketing is largely responsible for driving this business process, yet nearly two-thirds of lead gen and engagement strategies are underperforming. A new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council report, produced in collaboration with WM America, entitled “Fire Up Your Revenue Generation Engine,” covers critical aspects of lead generation and engagement. This includes models and metrics for tracking and measuring performance, best practice demand-gen execution, ways to score effectiveness, and more. The latest CMO Council research finds scores of marketers falling behind in lead scoring, account-based marketing, accelerated pipeline, and intention-based marketing. Key findings from a Q4 survey of over 170 B2B marketing, sales, revenue, growth, demand gen and campaign execution leaders include: 63% say marketing must own and optimize a company’s revenue-generation engine 64% say their lead gen and engagement strategy underperforms 78% of highly evolved marketers are satisfied with their accelerated pipeline, compared to only 15% of lesser evolved marketers “In today’s competitive data-driven environment, marketers should no longer be satisfied with paltry returns on their sizable lead-gen and ABM investments,” the report notes. “It’s time to turn the tables on inefficient, ineffective, and outdated practices for anticipating, adapting, and responding to customer needs and opportunities.” “Marketers must climb the evolutionary ladder and leave behind outmoded and dated practices,” notes CMO Council executive director, Donovan Neale-May. “Using AI-derived, intention-based buyer data and advanced sales intelligence are among the ways growth marketers bring more precision, predictability, and performance to B2B account marketing investments.” The CMO Council’s research revealed the top five skill sets contributing to improved ABM-driven business outcomes: Better segmentation and precision targeting of buyers and influencers On-demand customer business intelligence and personal buyer insights Tighter integration of demand gen, channel, direct sales, and support teams Greater utilization of tools and data sources for richer prospect profiling Proactive and timely pre-sales follow up and cultivation strategies The CMO Council has uncovered widening gaps in performance between highly evolved marketers and lesser evolved marketers. Gaps are occurring in four core capabilities: lead scoring, account-based marketing, accelerated pipeline, and intention-based marketing. This report tiers factors that make up a model for better identification, engagement and conversion. The model coincides with the CMO Council and WM America’s thought leadership initiative to advance lead revenue science practices through a certified Lead Evaluation and Assurance Process, or LEAP model. “Marketers will need to take a few LEAPs of faith in the coming months, because sticking to the status quo is just not practical or possible anymore. As data becomes more critical than ever before, CMOs need to extend their visions for innovation and forward-thinking strategies,” according to Lee Salem, WM America’s Vice President of Sales. Methodology The report is based on a survey of over 170 heads of B2B marketing, sales, revenue, growth, demand gen and campaign execution in Q4 2023. It also included content from in-depth interviews with executives from Netline, Autodesk, T-Mobile, NTT, ABM Consortium, TechTarget, IBM, B2B Marketing, Reachdesk, Momentum ITSMA, and Xometry. About the CMO Council The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council is dedicated to high-level knowledge exchange, thought leadership and personal relationship building among senior corporate marketing leaders and brand decision-makers across a wide-range of global industries. The CMO Council’s 16,000+ members control more than $1 trillion in aggregated annual marketing expenditures and run complex, distributed marketing and sales operations worldwide. In total, the CMO Council and its strategic interest communities include over 65,000 global marketing and sales executives in over 110 countries covering multiple industries, segments and markets. Regional chapters and advisory boards are active in the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. The Council’s strategic interest groups include the Customer Experience Board, Digital Marketing Performance Center, Brand Inspiration Center, Marketing Supply Chain Institute, GeoBranding Center, and the Coalition to Leverage and Optimize Sales Effectiveness (CLOSE). To learn more, visit https://www.cmocouncil.org. About WM America WM America is a leading B2B marketing company specializing in targeted in-market demand generation. The intent database at WMA tracks the intent behavior of over 75 million business professionals globally, 24X7. The database is segmented into 3,300 categories. WMA keeps around-the-clock track of buying signals from each category in this database. Based on this extremely strong foundation of data points, the company delivers precisely targeted prospects for focused marketing. Accurate keyword search enables deriving of active content consumption and opt-in content downloads. WMA's deep search ensures accurate and targeted information delivery that helps craft successful, cutting-edge marketing strategies. For more information, visit www.wmamerica.com

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Core ABM

Demandbase Gets Named 2023 ABM Leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant

Demandbase | November 06, 2023

Demandbase, an AI-driven account-based go-to-market (GTM) leader, has been named a leader in the 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Platforms. The recognition is based on Demandbase's completeness of vision and ability to execute and follows being named a Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice for ABM earlier this year. Demandbase's CEO, Gabe Rogol, attributes the recognition to product innovations and positive customer reviews. Demandbase, a pioneer in AI-driven account-based go-to-market (GTM), announces its recognition as a leader in the 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Platforms. This honor, which follows a comprehensive evaluation of nine vendors, is a testament to Demandbase’s comprehensive vision and its ability to execute effectively. Earlier this year, the company also received the Gartner Peer Insight Customers’ Choice for ABM. Gartner defines ABM platforms as software that empowers B2B marketing and sales teams to implement ABM programs at scale, including account selection, planning, engagement, and reporting. These platforms facilitate the creation of target account lists by integrating first- and third-party data. Additionally, they may engage audiences by activating channels such as display advertising, social advertising, email, and sales engagement, using a combination of native capabilities and integrations. Gabe Rogol, CEO of Demandbase, expressed his praise for the innovations the team had worked on by exclaiming, We are honored to be recognized as a leader in the Gartner ABM Magic Quadrant once again this year. We believe this recognition is a reflection of the dedication and effort we’ve invested in our product over the past year, including innovations in connected TV advertising, non-English intent, new integrations, continuous improvement of our account intelligence, the release of workspaces for enterprises, simplified dashboards, UI improvements, and more. We also believe this recognition mirrors the consistently positive reviews we receive from customers through Gartner Peer Insights and on G2. We extend our gratitude to Gartner, our customers, and our entire team. [Source – Cision PR Newswire] According to the Magic Quadrant report, the essential capabilities of ABM platforms include: Account-level intent data (proprietary and/or licensed) to understand customer behavior and buyer interest. Multi-channel campaign orchestration and activation drive engagement and progression in the buyer’s journey. Monitoring accounts and measuring analytics to quantify progress and performance across channels, campaigns, and programs On the downside, Demandbase may face stiff competition from other vendors in the ABM market, such as 6sense, Terminus, and Roll Works. It may need to invest more in product development, marketing, and customer support to maintain its leadership position and customer satisfaction. Additionally, it may encounter challenges in integrating its platform with other systems and data sources, such as CRM, marketing automation, and analytics tools. On the upside, Demandbase can leverage its recognition as a leader and a customer’s choice to attract new customers and retain existing ones. It can also showcase its product innovations and customer reviews as proof of its value proposition and differentiation in the market.

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ABM Accounts

6sense Recognized as a Leader in 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Account-Based Marketing Platforms for the Third Consecutive Year

Business Wire | November 03, 2023

6sense, the leading platform for B2B organizations generating predictable revenue, announced today that it has been named a Leader in the 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant for ABM Platforms report for the third consecutive time. 6sense is positioned highest for Ability to Execute and highest score for Completeness of Vision in the Leaders’ Quadrant. For the Account-Based Marketing Platforms report, 6sense received the highest score for all three Use Cases evaluated by Gartner, including New Account Acquisition, Account Retention, and Account Expansion. This recognition, we feel, validates what we hear from our customers every day: 6sense is integral to executing ABM in an ever-evolving B2B buying environment, said Latane Conant, CRO of 6sense. For more than a decade, we’ve obsessed over perfecting a revenue platform that delivers the highest-quality data and AI to sellers and marketers so they can confidently build pipeline and revenue. Being named a Leader for the third year in a row fuels our drive to keep raising the bar. 6sense leaders believe notable product launches this year contributed to the company’s ability to remain a Leader and strengthen its ability to deliver significant value for both marketing and sales teams, including 6sense Revenue AI for Sales and Conversational Email's AI Writer. The company's dedication to product innovation and customer-driven roadmaps solidifies its standing as the premier Revenue AI platform for go-to-market teams. “Over the past decade, 6sense has been at the forefront of the data and AI revolution, and we're proud to have played a pivotal role in helping our customers drive revenue growth with efficiency,” said Viral Bajaria, CTO and co-founder of 6sense. “Our unwavering commitment to uniting data and AI has empowered businesses to make smarter, data-driven decisions and achieve remarkable results. We look forward to continuing to lead the way in this space, delivering cutting-edge solutions that enable our customers to stay ahead of the curve and maximize their success.” “6sense has more than a decade of experience offering AI-backed solutions, including generative AI, to support our customer’s go-to-market success. Our AI solutions not only provide a multitude of possibilities for revenue strategy but also enhance long-term success for our customers,” stated Viral Bajaria, CTO and co-founder of 6sense. “We are committed to a clear and inspiring vision, focusing on driving efficient revenue growth that is customer-driven and achieved through our utilization of superior data and proven AI innovation.” Customer Satisfaction in the Market In addition to being named a Leader in this Magic Quadrant, 6sense also holds the highest overall rating (4.6 out of 5) based on 53 reviews as of April 30, 2023 and the most 5-star reviews –on Gartner Peer Insights Voice of the Customer for Account-Based Marketing Platforms. Highlights from customers who shared their experience of using the 6sense platform in the past year include: “Best martech AI tool to empower sales and marketing team for informed decision making.” – Sales and Business Development Strategy Manager in the healthcare and biotech industry “The alignment of marketing and sales priorities, processes, and accounts provides clarity into our total revenue funnel. We've identified new opportunities, accelerated existing opportunities, and learned more about the interests of existing relationships because of 6sense.” – CMO in the IT services industry “Choose 6sense and get ready for one of the best SaaS experiences you will ever have.” – VP of Global GTM Operations in the software industry. Gartner states in the report that “Leaders demonstrate broad support for all ABM critical capabilities and consistently meet customer needs across the three core ABM use cases (acquisition, renewal, and expansion). They have high market visibility, high market penetration, strong market momentum, and a clear, long-term strategic vision and roadmap for growing their ABM platform business. Their customers report high levels of satisfaction and success with their implementations. Leaders also have initiated plans for geographic and industry expansion.” In September 2023, 6sense was honored as a Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice in the Voice of the Customer for Account-Based Marketing Platforms. The recognized vendors meet or exceed both the market average Overall Experience and the market average User Interest and Adoption. Additionally, 6sense was named a leader in the Cloud Ratings Category Report for ABM Software Platforms based on over 4,000 customer ratings. These accolades highlight the exceptional value and satisfaction that B2B sales and marketing professionals find in the 6sense Revenue AI platform. About 6sense 6sense is on a mission to revolutionize the way B2B organizations create revenue by predicting customers most likely to buy and recommending the best course of action to engage anonymous buying teams. 6sense Revenue AI is the only sales and marketing platform to unlock the ability to create, manage and convert high-quality pipeline to revenue. Customers report 2X increases in average contract value, 4X increases in win rate and a 20-40% reduction in time to close deals. Know everything. Do anything, with 6sense.

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Core ABM

Marketers Given Marginal Grades for ABM-Driven Revenue Growth

GlobeNewswire | January 25, 2024

Seeding and harvesting the sales pipeline — the process of acquiring, capturing, qualifying and converting business opportunities — are essential to the growth and profitability of B2B marketers across every industry and geographic sector. Marketing is largely responsible for driving this business process, yet nearly two-thirds of lead gen and engagement strategies are underperforming. A new Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council report, produced in collaboration with WM America, entitled “Fire Up Your Revenue Generation Engine,” covers critical aspects of lead generation and engagement. This includes models and metrics for tracking and measuring performance, best practice demand-gen execution, ways to score effectiveness, and more. The latest CMO Council research finds scores of marketers falling behind in lead scoring, account-based marketing, accelerated pipeline, and intention-based marketing. Key findings from a Q4 survey of over 170 B2B marketing, sales, revenue, growth, demand gen and campaign execution leaders include: 63% say marketing must own and optimize a company’s revenue-generation engine 64% say their lead gen and engagement strategy underperforms 78% of highly evolved marketers are satisfied with their accelerated pipeline, compared to only 15% of lesser evolved marketers “In today’s competitive data-driven environment, marketers should no longer be satisfied with paltry returns on their sizable lead-gen and ABM investments,” the report notes. “It’s time to turn the tables on inefficient, ineffective, and outdated practices for anticipating, adapting, and responding to customer needs and opportunities.” “Marketers must climb the evolutionary ladder and leave behind outmoded and dated practices,” notes CMO Council executive director, Donovan Neale-May. “Using AI-derived, intention-based buyer data and advanced sales intelligence are among the ways growth marketers bring more precision, predictability, and performance to B2B account marketing investments.” The CMO Council’s research revealed the top five skill sets contributing to improved ABM-driven business outcomes: Better segmentation and precision targeting of buyers and influencers On-demand customer business intelligence and personal buyer insights Tighter integration of demand gen, channel, direct sales, and support teams Greater utilization of tools and data sources for richer prospect profiling Proactive and timely pre-sales follow up and cultivation strategies The CMO Council has uncovered widening gaps in performance between highly evolved marketers and lesser evolved marketers. Gaps are occurring in four core capabilities: lead scoring, account-based marketing, accelerated pipeline, and intention-based marketing. This report tiers factors that make up a model for better identification, engagement and conversion. The model coincides with the CMO Council and WM America’s thought leadership initiative to advance lead revenue science practices through a certified Lead Evaluation and Assurance Process, or LEAP model. “Marketers will need to take a few LEAPs of faith in the coming months, because sticking to the status quo is just not practical or possible anymore. As data becomes more critical than ever before, CMOs need to extend their visions for innovation and forward-thinking strategies,” according to Lee Salem, WM America’s Vice President of Sales. Methodology The report is based on a survey of over 170 heads of B2B marketing, sales, revenue, growth, demand gen and campaign execution in Q4 2023. It also included content from in-depth interviews with executives from Netline, Autodesk, T-Mobile, NTT, ABM Consortium, TechTarget, IBM, B2B Marketing, Reachdesk, Momentum ITSMA, and Xometry. About the CMO Council The Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) Council is dedicated to high-level knowledge exchange, thought leadership and personal relationship building among senior corporate marketing leaders and brand decision-makers across a wide-range of global industries. The CMO Council’s 16,000+ members control more than $1 trillion in aggregated annual marketing expenditures and run complex, distributed marketing and sales operations worldwide. In total, the CMO Council and its strategic interest communities include over 65,000 global marketing and sales executives in over 110 countries covering multiple industries, segments and markets. Regional chapters and advisory boards are active in the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. The Council’s strategic interest groups include the Customer Experience Board, Digital Marketing Performance Center, Brand Inspiration Center, Marketing Supply Chain Institute, GeoBranding Center, and the Coalition to Leverage and Optimize Sales Effectiveness (CLOSE). To learn more, visit https://www.cmocouncil.org. About WM America WM America is a leading B2B marketing company specializing in targeted in-market demand generation. The intent database at WMA tracks the intent behavior of over 75 million business professionals globally, 24X7. The database is segmented into 3,300 categories. WMA keeps around-the-clock track of buying signals from each category in this database. Based on this extremely strong foundation of data points, the company delivers precisely targeted prospects for focused marketing. Accurate keyword search enables deriving of active content consumption and opt-in content downloads. WMA's deep search ensures accurate and targeted information delivery that helps craft successful, cutting-edge marketing strategies. For more information, visit www.wmamerica.com

Read More

Core ABM

Demandbase Gets Named 2023 ABM Leader in Gartner’s Magic Quadrant

Demandbase | November 06, 2023

Demandbase, an AI-driven account-based go-to-market (GTM) leader, has been named a leader in the 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Platforms. The recognition is based on Demandbase's completeness of vision and ability to execute and follows being named a Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice for ABM earlier this year. Demandbase's CEO, Gabe Rogol, attributes the recognition to product innovations and positive customer reviews. Demandbase, a pioneer in AI-driven account-based go-to-market (GTM), announces its recognition as a leader in the 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Platforms. This honor, which follows a comprehensive evaluation of nine vendors, is a testament to Demandbase’s comprehensive vision and its ability to execute effectively. Earlier this year, the company also received the Gartner Peer Insight Customers’ Choice for ABM. Gartner defines ABM platforms as software that empowers B2B marketing and sales teams to implement ABM programs at scale, including account selection, planning, engagement, and reporting. These platforms facilitate the creation of target account lists by integrating first- and third-party data. Additionally, they may engage audiences by activating channels such as display advertising, social advertising, email, and sales engagement, using a combination of native capabilities and integrations. Gabe Rogol, CEO of Demandbase, expressed his praise for the innovations the team had worked on by exclaiming, We are honored to be recognized as a leader in the Gartner ABM Magic Quadrant once again this year. We believe this recognition is a reflection of the dedication and effort we’ve invested in our product over the past year, including innovations in connected TV advertising, non-English intent, new integrations, continuous improvement of our account intelligence, the release of workspaces for enterprises, simplified dashboards, UI improvements, and more. We also believe this recognition mirrors the consistently positive reviews we receive from customers through Gartner Peer Insights and on G2. We extend our gratitude to Gartner, our customers, and our entire team. [Source – Cision PR Newswire] According to the Magic Quadrant report, the essential capabilities of ABM platforms include: Account-level intent data (proprietary and/or licensed) to understand customer behavior and buyer interest. Multi-channel campaign orchestration and activation drive engagement and progression in the buyer’s journey. Monitoring accounts and measuring analytics to quantify progress and performance across channels, campaigns, and programs On the downside, Demandbase may face stiff competition from other vendors in the ABM market, such as 6sense, Terminus, and Roll Works. It may need to invest more in product development, marketing, and customer support to maintain its leadership position and customer satisfaction. Additionally, it may encounter challenges in integrating its platform with other systems and data sources, such as CRM, marketing automation, and analytics tools. On the upside, Demandbase can leverage its recognition as a leader and a customer’s choice to attract new customers and retain existing ones. It can also showcase its product innovations and customer reviews as proof of its value proposition and differentiation in the market.

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ABM Accounts

6sense Recognized as a Leader in 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant for Account-Based Marketing Platforms for the Third Consecutive Year

Business Wire | November 03, 2023

6sense, the leading platform for B2B organizations generating predictable revenue, announced today that it has been named a Leader in the 2023 Gartner Magic Quadrant for ABM Platforms report for the third consecutive time. 6sense is positioned highest for Ability to Execute and highest score for Completeness of Vision in the Leaders’ Quadrant. For the Account-Based Marketing Platforms report, 6sense received the highest score for all three Use Cases evaluated by Gartner, including New Account Acquisition, Account Retention, and Account Expansion. This recognition, we feel, validates what we hear from our customers every day: 6sense is integral to executing ABM in an ever-evolving B2B buying environment, said Latane Conant, CRO of 6sense. For more than a decade, we’ve obsessed over perfecting a revenue platform that delivers the highest-quality data and AI to sellers and marketers so they can confidently build pipeline and revenue. Being named a Leader for the third year in a row fuels our drive to keep raising the bar. 6sense leaders believe notable product launches this year contributed to the company’s ability to remain a Leader and strengthen its ability to deliver significant value for both marketing and sales teams, including 6sense Revenue AI for Sales and Conversational Email's AI Writer. The company's dedication to product innovation and customer-driven roadmaps solidifies its standing as the premier Revenue AI platform for go-to-market teams. “Over the past decade, 6sense has been at the forefront of the data and AI revolution, and we're proud to have played a pivotal role in helping our customers drive revenue growth with efficiency,” said Viral Bajaria, CTO and co-founder of 6sense. “Our unwavering commitment to uniting data and AI has empowered businesses to make smarter, data-driven decisions and achieve remarkable results. We look forward to continuing to lead the way in this space, delivering cutting-edge solutions that enable our customers to stay ahead of the curve and maximize their success.” “6sense has more than a decade of experience offering AI-backed solutions, including generative AI, to support our customer’s go-to-market success. Our AI solutions not only provide a multitude of possibilities for revenue strategy but also enhance long-term success for our customers,” stated Viral Bajaria, CTO and co-founder of 6sense. “We are committed to a clear and inspiring vision, focusing on driving efficient revenue growth that is customer-driven and achieved through our utilization of superior data and proven AI innovation.” Customer Satisfaction in the Market In addition to being named a Leader in this Magic Quadrant, 6sense also holds the highest overall rating (4.6 out of 5) based on 53 reviews as of April 30, 2023 and the most 5-star reviews –on Gartner Peer Insights Voice of the Customer for Account-Based Marketing Platforms. Highlights from customers who shared their experience of using the 6sense platform in the past year include: “Best martech AI tool to empower sales and marketing team for informed decision making.” – Sales and Business Development Strategy Manager in the healthcare and biotech industry “The alignment of marketing and sales priorities, processes, and accounts provides clarity into our total revenue funnel. We've identified new opportunities, accelerated existing opportunities, and learned more about the interests of existing relationships because of 6sense.” – CMO in the IT services industry “Choose 6sense and get ready for one of the best SaaS experiences you will ever have.” – VP of Global GTM Operations in the software industry. Gartner states in the report that “Leaders demonstrate broad support for all ABM critical capabilities and consistently meet customer needs across the three core ABM use cases (acquisition, renewal, and expansion). They have high market visibility, high market penetration, strong market momentum, and a clear, long-term strategic vision and roadmap for growing their ABM platform business. Their customers report high levels of satisfaction and success with their implementations. Leaders also have initiated plans for geographic and industry expansion.” In September 2023, 6sense was honored as a Gartner Peer Insights Customers' Choice in the Voice of the Customer for Account-Based Marketing Platforms. The recognized vendors meet or exceed both the market average Overall Experience and the market average User Interest and Adoption. Additionally, 6sense was named a leader in the Cloud Ratings Category Report for ABM Software Platforms based on over 4,000 customer ratings. These accolades highlight the exceptional value and satisfaction that B2B sales and marketing professionals find in the 6sense Revenue AI platform. About 6sense 6sense is on a mission to revolutionize the way B2B organizations create revenue by predicting customers most likely to buy and recommending the best course of action to engage anonymous buying teams. 6sense Revenue AI is the only sales and marketing platform to unlock the ability to create, manage and convert high-quality pipeline to revenue. Customers report 2X increases in average contract value, 4X increases in win rate and a 20-40% reduction in time to close deals. Know everything. Do anything, with 6sense.

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