ABM benchmark study shows 77% of B2B marketers have high hopes in targeting key accounts

With more than three-quarters of B2B marketers citing success with account-based marketing in an ABM benchmark study from ITSMA and DemandBase, the focus now is on blending strategies with different approaches and overcoming data and reporting challenges. ABM programs now account for 28 percent of overall marketing budgets, according to the 2018 ABM benchmark study, which was released on Wednesday from Lexington, Mass.-based B2B community ITSMA and DemandBase, a maker of marketing applications. Moreover, 99 percent said they see greater ROI from ABM programs versus other initiatives. Besides growing within their particular accounts, 66 percent of those surveyed also cited an increase in customer advocacy such as referrals. Robert Leavitt, senior vice-president at ITSMA, said the ABM benchmark study also shows that, while it may be a constant topic at conferences and in blogs, there are still many marketers for whom this is relatively new territory.