What is Account-Based Marketing (ABM)?
Account-based marketing is a B2B strategy that concentrates sales and marketing resources on a defined set of high-value target accounts, using personalized campaigns to penetrate each account.
ABM flips the traditional marketing funnel. Instead of casting a wide net and hoping the right accounts fall in, ABM starts with a named list of target accounts and builds personalized campaigns to engage specific people at those companies. It requires tight alignment between sales and marketing, which is why CROs often own ABM strategy.
ABM Tiers
Most ABM programs use a tiered approach. Tier 1 (1:1 ABM): highly personalized campaigns for 10-50 strategic accounts, with custom content, events, and executive outreach per account. Tier 2 (1:few ABM): semi-personalized campaigns targeting 50-200 accounts grouped by industry or use case. Tier 3 (1:many ABM): programmatic campaigns targeting 200-1,000+ accounts with intent-driven advertising and scaled personalization.
ABM Technology Stack
A full ABM stack typically includes: a targeting/orchestration platform (Demandbase, 6sense), intent data (Bombora, G2), advertising (LinkedIn Ads, programmatic display), personalization (website personalization for target accounts), and measurement (account-level engagement scoring). CROs don't need to manage the ABM tech stack directly, but they need to understand it well enough to hold marketing accountable for pipeline contribution from ABM programs.
ABM Results and Benchmarks
Well-executed ABM programs generate 171% higher ACV than non-ABM marketing efforts, according to industry benchmarks. ABM-sourced pipeline converts at higher win rates because the targeting is more precise. Our job posting data shows 20% of CRO roles mention ABM experience, typically at companies selling $50K+ ACV where the economics of personalized account targeting make sense.
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