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Everything you need to know about account-based marketing

What exactly is account-based marketing or ABM? In a nutshell, ABM is targeted marketing that uses personalized campaigns and messaging to effectively reach a small, specific audience. “The analogy I like to use is that you're fishing with a spear when you're using ABM, and you're fishing with a net in traditional marketing,” explains Steve Lendt, Motum B2B’s Director of Engagement and Analytics. After researching and identifying which accounts you wish to target, you can begin developing personalized campaigns and content to address their specific needs and goals.

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Ervin & Smith

rvin & Smith is a leading digital agency that has been recognized as one of Inc. Magazine’s 5,000 fastest growing companies and one of the best places to work by Advertising Age. Headquartered in the heart of the Midwest, we put our well-known work ethic to the test helping brands stay relevant and innovative. We consistently identify new ways to support our clients through digital consulting and branding, social media marketing, content marketing, Web design, mobile application development, SEO, public relations, integrated campaigns and more.

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Buyer Intent Data

ABM: Looking beyond the buzzword!

Article | September 11, 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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Buyer Intent Data

Building an Account-centric Organization: Part I

Article | October 7, 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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Core ABM

The 5 Things to Know About Account-Based Marketing

Article | June 20, 2023

If you’ve been keeping up with new terms in B2B marketing, by now you’ve likely heard of account-based marketing (ABM). The term itself has been around for years, but with recent advances in technology, this tactic is now being adopted at a much larger scale than ever before. Still, surprisingly, I find that many B2B marketers are in the dark when it comes to ABM. So here’s a quick look into the future of B2B enterprise marketing, and why I think account-based marketing will be one of the biggest revenue drivers for B2B businesses in the very near future.

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Core ABM

5 Must-ask Questions about ABM Strategy Implementation

Article | December 18, 2021

ABM in Marketing Account-based marketing (ABM) is diametrically opposite of traditional marketing. Instead of targeting all kinds of customers with generic content, it targets only the most lucrative accounts using personalized content. This concentrated targeting results in more conversions, longer business associations, expansion, and account retention. In an interview with Media 7, Clive Armitage, CEO of Agent3, said, “If you are not utilizing the power of data, technology and content then you are failing to be a modern marketer.” ABM leverages firmographic data (basic info), technographic data (data about the kind of technology the lead uses), intent data (lead behavior), and engagement data (data gained through form filling, and event attendance) to target accounts and segment them based on priority. A 2020 benchmark study by the Information Technology Services Marketing Association (ITSMA) found that 76% of companies reported a higher ROI with ABM than other marketing types. How Does ABM Contribute to Revenue Growth? ABM drives higher ROI and measurable sales using marketing campaigns created by both sales and marketing teams. A successful ABM strategy has components like these: Targeting the right accounts and managing them Cross-channel engagement Measuring and dynamically optimizing the ABM programs using specialized dashboards to map targets, programs, and revenue metrics created by an account-based marketing software ABM helps scale business revenue in the following ways: Shows a Clear ROI Businesses prefer precise results from their marketing strategies. ABM prioritizes ROI. It gives the highest ROI compared to any other B2B marketing strategy because it targets the highest-value accounts that meet defined criteria through custom campaigns addressing their needs and pain points. Helps with Resource Allocation ABM focuses only on high-value accounts. Consequently, companies can allocate their resources better and save time and money. Engages the Audience Personalized content means targeted accounts see only the content they can relate to so there is increased engagement and interaction. Can Be Tracked Every Step of the Way ABM metrics can be tracked every step of the way, so there is a clear idea of what is working and what isn’t. Important metrics include ROI, engagement, awareness, target account reach, and influence. Aligns Sales and Marketing Teams ABM aligns sales and marketing teams by helping them find common ground for their goals and objectives. 5 Must-ask Questions about ABM Strategy Implementation Account-based marketing questions about ABM technology and strategy arise when businesses transition from traditional lead generation techniques to ABM. The following five must-ask questions about account-based marketing can be the keys to transitioning to ABM: How to Create an ABM Strategy That Works? To create an ABM strategy that works, follow these steps: Define your target accounts. Identify the key decision-makers of your target accounts. Personalize your content to cater to your target accounts. Choose appropriate channels to approach your target accounts. Formulate campaigns to engage the target accounts. Measure the success of your campaign using correct metrics. What Things Should You Consider Before Allocating a Budget for ABM? It is pretty challenging to find the correct answer to this question. The cost of tools, channels, and individual items keeps varying. Money spent on-field events, content creation to cater to target accounts, ads, trade shows, research, and intent data collection factors into budgeting. To make budgeting easier, consider bifurcating the expenses into categories like technology (CRM, marketing automation systems, and data management platforms), human resources (data analysts, social media associates, and content strategists), events (one-on-one meets, trade shows, and webinars), media campaigns and direct mail. How to Decide on the Size of the Target Accounts? The size of your target accounts depends on your business goals (acquisition, retention, expansion), team size, and initiatives on an organizational level. Tiering accounts into three categories using data, technology, and thorough research has worked out for several businesses. Tier 1: These are the accounts that fit your ideal customer profile (ICP) bill perfectly and have high strategic value. Tier 2: These accounts have an excellent ICP but lower lifetime value. Tier 3: These accounts meet only some criteria of ICP. Pursue these accounts but don’t go overboard to get their business. What Metrics Should Be Used to Map ABM Success? The biggest advantage of an ABM strategy is that its success can be measured. To measure this success, you need to focus on important KPIs like: Engagement: This includes email metrics, social metrics, consumption rates, and offline activity metrics. Awareness: This KPI measures how aware your target accounts are of your brand, how credible they think it is and how they respond to it. Influence: Measure how your ABM campaign contributes to the lead conversion rate, and increase the frequency and volume of your lead interactions. Target Account Reach: With the help of ABM tools, this KPI measures the percentage of the target account’s engaged decision-makers. ROI: Mapping ROI is essential for assessing the success of an ABM strategy. ABM gives better ROI as compared to other marketing strategies. Other metrics to consider are value, customer retention, and sales metrics. Who Should Be on the ABM Team? To begin with, your ABM team should have leadership that knows ABM and its implementation. Key decision-makers from the marketing, sales, and operations departments should be on this leadership team. It should work on setting goals, overseeing the implementation of the ABM strategy, and mapping its success. How DocuSign Used ABM to Increase Their Customer Engagement and Sales Pipeline by 22% “We have more awareness and educational content that’s reaching our non-engaged accounts. And we will dedicate a lower level of spend to that program so that we are prioritizing our spend on our more engaged accounts.” - Perri Gardner, Director of ABM, DocuSign. By using ABM to target high-value accounts and categorizing their spending based on the value of those accounts, DocuSign increased their customer engagement and sales pipeline by 22%. Conclusion Transitioning from a traditional marketing strategy to account-based marketing is vital to drive ROI, engagement, brand awareness, and influence. Correctly implementing an ABM strategy contributes to revenue growth through quicker lead conversions, proper allocation of resources, and a targeted approach. FAQ What is the first step in implementing an ABM strategy? The first step of implementing the ABM strategy is to define the accounts you want to target. Is ABM better than a traditional lead-based marketing strategy? Yes. As of 2021, 70% of marketers are using ABM and are seeing a remarkable increase in their ROI. What does an ABM strategy depend on? An ABM strategy depends on high-quality intent data. Content personalization, account segmentation, and lead nurturing cannot be achieved without it.

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Buyer Intent Data

2023 Buyer Intent Data Trends: What Growing Businesses Need to Know

Article | September 11, 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!

Read More
Buyer Intent Data

Intent Marketing: Removing Guesswork Out of Marketing

Article | October 7, 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.

Read More
Core ABM

Top Account-Based Marketing Events for Marketers to Attend in 2023

Article | June 20, 2023

If you’ve been keeping up with new terms in B2B marketing, by now you’ve likely heard of account-based marketing (ABM). The term itself has been around for years, but with recent advances in technology, this tactic is now being adopted at a much larger scale than ever before. Still, surprisingly, I find that many B2B marketers are in the dark when it comes to ABM. So here’s a quick look into the future of B2B enterprise marketing, and why I think account-based marketing will be one of the biggest revenue drivers for B2B businesses in the very near future.

Read More
Core ABM

5 Must-ask Questions about ABM Strategy Implementation

Article | December 18, 2021

ABM in Marketing Account-based marketing (ABM) is diametrically opposite of traditional marketing. Instead of targeting all kinds of customers with generic content, it targets only the most lucrative accounts using personalized content. This concentrated targeting results in more conversions, longer business associations, expansion, and account retention. In an interview with Media 7, Clive Armitage, CEO of Agent3, said, “If you are not utilizing the power of data, technology and content then you are failing to be a modern marketer.” ABM leverages firmographic data (basic info), technographic data (data about the kind of technology the lead uses), intent data (lead behavior), and engagement data (data gained through form filling, and event attendance) to target accounts and segment them based on priority. A 2020 benchmark study by the Information Technology Services Marketing Association (ITSMA) found that 76% of companies reported a higher ROI with ABM than other marketing types. How Does ABM Contribute to Revenue Growth? ABM drives higher ROI and measurable sales using marketing campaigns created by both sales and marketing teams. A successful ABM strategy has components like these: Targeting the right accounts and managing them Cross-channel engagement Measuring and dynamically optimizing the ABM programs using specialized dashboards to map targets, programs, and revenue metrics created by an account-based marketing software ABM helps scale business revenue in the following ways: Shows a Clear ROI Businesses prefer precise results from their marketing strategies. ABM prioritizes ROI. It gives the highest ROI compared to any other B2B marketing strategy because it targets the highest-value accounts that meet defined criteria through custom campaigns addressing their needs and pain points. Helps with Resource Allocation ABM focuses only on high-value accounts. Consequently, companies can allocate their resources better and save time and money. Engages the Audience Personalized content means targeted accounts see only the content they can relate to so there is increased engagement and interaction. Can Be Tracked Every Step of the Way ABM metrics can be tracked every step of the way, so there is a clear idea of what is working and what isn’t. Important metrics include ROI, engagement, awareness, target account reach, and influence. Aligns Sales and Marketing Teams ABM aligns sales and marketing teams by helping them find common ground for their goals and objectives. 5 Must-ask Questions about ABM Strategy Implementation Account-based marketing questions about ABM technology and strategy arise when businesses transition from traditional lead generation techniques to ABM. The following five must-ask questions about account-based marketing can be the keys to transitioning to ABM: How to Create an ABM Strategy That Works? To create an ABM strategy that works, follow these steps: Define your target accounts. Identify the key decision-makers of your target accounts. Personalize your content to cater to your target accounts. Choose appropriate channels to approach your target accounts. Formulate campaigns to engage the target accounts. Measure the success of your campaign using correct metrics. What Things Should You Consider Before Allocating a Budget for ABM? It is pretty challenging to find the correct answer to this question. The cost of tools, channels, and individual items keeps varying. Money spent on-field events, content creation to cater to target accounts, ads, trade shows, research, and intent data collection factors into budgeting. To make budgeting easier, consider bifurcating the expenses into categories like technology (CRM, marketing automation systems, and data management platforms), human resources (data analysts, social media associates, and content strategists), events (one-on-one meets, trade shows, and webinars), media campaigns and direct mail. How to Decide on the Size of the Target Accounts? The size of your target accounts depends on your business goals (acquisition, retention, expansion), team size, and initiatives on an organizational level. Tiering accounts into three categories using data, technology, and thorough research has worked out for several businesses. Tier 1: These are the accounts that fit your ideal customer profile (ICP) bill perfectly and have high strategic value. Tier 2: These accounts have an excellent ICP but lower lifetime value. Tier 3: These accounts meet only some criteria of ICP. Pursue these accounts but don’t go overboard to get their business. What Metrics Should Be Used to Map ABM Success? The biggest advantage of an ABM strategy is that its success can be measured. To measure this success, you need to focus on important KPIs like: Engagement: This includes email metrics, social metrics, consumption rates, and offline activity metrics. Awareness: This KPI measures how aware your target accounts are of your brand, how credible they think it is and how they respond to it. Influence: Measure how your ABM campaign contributes to the lead conversion rate, and increase the frequency and volume of your lead interactions. Target Account Reach: With the help of ABM tools, this KPI measures the percentage of the target account’s engaged decision-makers. ROI: Mapping ROI is essential for assessing the success of an ABM strategy. ABM gives better ROI as compared to other marketing strategies. Other metrics to consider are value, customer retention, and sales metrics. Who Should Be on the ABM Team? To begin with, your ABM team should have leadership that knows ABM and its implementation. Key decision-makers from the marketing, sales, and operations departments should be on this leadership team. It should work on setting goals, overseeing the implementation of the ABM strategy, and mapping its success. How DocuSign Used ABM to Increase Their Customer Engagement and Sales Pipeline by 22% “We have more awareness and educational content that’s reaching our non-engaged accounts. And we will dedicate a lower level of spend to that program so that we are prioritizing our spend on our more engaged accounts.” - Perri Gardner, Director of ABM, DocuSign. By using ABM to target high-value accounts and categorizing their spending based on the value of those accounts, DocuSign increased their customer engagement and sales pipeline by 22%. Conclusion Transitioning from a traditional marketing strategy to account-based marketing is vital to drive ROI, engagement, brand awareness, and influence. Correctly implementing an ABM strategy contributes to revenue growth through quicker lead conversions, proper allocation of resources, and a targeted approach. FAQ What is the first step in implementing an ABM strategy? The first step of implementing the ABM strategy is to define the accounts you want to target. Is ABM better than a traditional lead-based marketing strategy? Yes. As of 2021, 70% of marketers are using ABM and are seeing a remarkable increase in their ROI. What does an ABM strategy depend on? An ABM strategy depends on high-quality intent data. Content personalization, account segmentation, and lead nurturing cannot be achieved without it.

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Spotlight

Ervin & Smith

rvin & Smith is a leading digital agency that has been recognized as one of Inc. Magazine’s 5,000 fastest growing companies and one of the best places to work by Advertising Age. Headquartered in the heart of the Midwest, we put our well-known work ethic to the test helping brands stay relevant and innovative. We consistently identify new ways to support our clients through digital consulting and branding, social media marketing, content marketing, Web design, mobile application development, SEO, public relations, integrated campaigns and more.

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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

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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

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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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