How to Maximise Account Based Marketing Channels for Success

If your target accounts are unaware of your existence, how can they choose your solution? It’s not always the best product that wins, but the one most familiar to the decision-makers. This is where account based marketing channels come into play, delivering the right messages at the right time.

From personalised email outreach to precision-targeted paid media, mastering the right ABM channels can transform your brand from a well-kept secret into a trusted solution provider. In this guide, we’ll explore the most effective ABM channels, break down common mistakes, and show you how to align each channel with your buyer’s journey to maximise success.

 

Key Takeaways
Personalised email marketing allows you to engage prospects directly, using data and segmentation to tailor messages that resonate on a personal level.
B2B telemarketing offers real-time interactions, making it ideal for gathering insights and guiding prospects toward conversion.
Paid media provides precision targeting, allowing your brand to reach specific prospects with tailored ads on platforms like LinkedIn and Google.
Effective content marketing ensures every touchpoint is relevant, with personalised content that addresses prospects’ pain points and needs.
Blogs act as central hubs in ABM strategies, integrating SEO and gated content to drive engagement and lead generation.
YouTube offers a unique opportunity to repurpose content and engage prospects visually, expanding your multi-channel ABM presence.
LinkedIn is a dual-purpose tool for both sales and marketing teams, enabling direct outreach and full-funnel campaigns.
Choosing the right ABM channels involves evaluating their reach, engagement potential, and cost-effectiveness, ensuring alignment with your target audience.
Advanced multi-channel ABM strategies require cross-channel activation and precise targeting to effectively engage buying committees across their preferred platforms.

 

Key ABM Channels for Successful Campaign Execution

If your target accounts are unaware of your existence and you fail to engage them through the channels they frequent, your brand will remain a well-kept secret. The reality is that prospects do not always opt for the best solution; they tend to choose the options they are familiar with from people and companies they know, like, and trust. When executed effectively, account based marketing channels deliver the crucial information that your target buyers require to make informed decisions.

 

What Are the Best ABM Channels?

Email Marketing: Direct, Personalised Communication

A highly effective component of any ABM multi-channel marketing strategy, segmented email marketing allows for personalised outreach to prospects. Data and segmentation are pivotal to crafting an ABM strategy, ensuring that each email feels tailored specifically to the recipient. Rather than generic messages, these emails should be entirely bespoke, as if you were writing to a trusted colleague. However, since you may not know the recipient personally, leveraging data to inform your email content is essential to achieve a high degree of personalisation.

B2B Telemarketing: A Personalised Approach to Data Collection

B2B telemarketing is one of the most direct and personalised ABM channels available. It enables direct interaction with leads, making it invaluable for data collection and understanding a prospect’s structure, needs, and pain points. Whether you’re profiling prospects before launching a campaign or guiding them through the lead generation process towards conversion, telemarketing is a key tool for engaging prospects and gathering real-time insights about their challenges.

Paid Media: Precision Targeting for Maximum Impact

Paid media is indispensable for delivering tailored advertisements to a highly targeted audience, making it a crucial part of marketing channel tactics within an ABM framework. Social media platforms offer a variety of options: Facebook allows targeting based on specific criteria like email addresses and location; Twitter enables promotions to select handles; and LinkedIn is ideal for reaching employees within specific companies. In addition, Google Ads can display your content to prospects logged into their Google accounts, ensuring your messages reach the right individuals with precision.

Content Marketing: A Natural Fit for ABM

Content marketing aligns seamlessly with account-based marketing. Traditionally, content creation was the sole responsibility of the marketing team, but within ABM, sales teams play an equally important role. This collaboration ensures that every touchpoint your leads encounter is relevant and valuable. Personalisation tools, such as cookies and IP address targeting, allow for tailored landing pages, calls-to-action, and content offers, making sure that each interaction feels unique to the visitor.

Leveraging Your Blog: The Central Hub of Your ABM Strategy

Your blog can serve as the anchor for your ABM multi-channel marketing efforts. It provides a platform to generate high-value articles that tackle specific pain points, while optimising content for SEO and distributing it through various channels, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, and Medium. A well-executed content strategy can seamlessly link multiple blog posts into a cohesive lead magnet, further fuelling your gated content campaigns and driving engagement.

YouTube: A Powerful Channel for Visual Content

YouTube, being the second largest search engine, offers unique opportunities within your account based marketing channels strategy. On average, prospects watch nearly two hours of video content daily, making it a critical avenue for engagement. Google Ads provides multiple targeting options, including CRM-based and interest-based targeting. Additionally, video content created for your blog can be repurposed for YouTube, while formats like webinars, video podcasts, and social media live streams further expand your multi-channel presence. Some video content can remain accessible for free, while other valuable resources can be gated for lead generation.

LinkedIn: A Dual-Use Channel for Sales and Marketing

LinkedIn serves as a vital channel for both sales and marketing within an ABM strategy. For sales teams, it provides direct access to key decision-makers, enabling them to send personalised messages with links to relevant content. Marketing teams, meanwhile, can leverage LinkedIn for full-funnel campaigns, ranging from content marketing tactics to lead generation ads, all the way through to event promotion.

 

Common Mistakes When Selecting ABM Channels and How to Avoid Them

 

Selecting the right account based marketing channels is critical for any business looking to effectively engage its target audience. However, many companies make common errors when choosing their ABM channels, resulting in wasted resources, missed opportunities, and less-than-optimal outcomes. Below, we explore these frequent mistakes and offer guidance on how to avoid them.

 

Overlooking the Customer Journey

A frequent oversight businesses make when selecting ABM channels is failing to consider the full customer journey. Each channel has varying levels of effectiveness depending on the stage of the buyer’s journey—awareness, consideration, or decision. For example, social media might be ideal for creating brand awareness, whereas email marketing could be better suited for nurturing leads and driving conversions. By mapping out the customer journey and aligning each account based marketing channel with the appropriate stage, you create a cohesive and effective strategy that maximises engagement at every touchpoint.

 

Focusing Solely on Trendy Channels

Many businesses fall into the trap of investing in trendy marketing channels simply because they are fashionable, without evaluating whether they align with their target audience or business objectives. Just because a particular channel is gaining attention doesn’t mean it is appropriate for your business. For instance, while influencer marketing on Instagram might be a game-changer for a fashion brand, it may not yield the same results for a B2B software company. Instead of chasing trends, it is crucial to focus on ABM multi channel marketing strategies that align with your business goals, audience behaviour, and overall marketing objectives.

 

Failing to Diversify Marketing Channels

Relying too heavily on a single marketing channel tactic can pose significant risks. If that channel experiences sudden changes—whether it’s algorithm updates, increased costs, or a drop in effectiveness—your entire ABM strategy could falter. Furthermore, different segments of your audience may prefer different communication channels. By limiting your approach, you risk alienating key accounts. An effective ABM strategy should diversify across multiple channels, including social media, email marketing, content marketing, and paid advertising. This approach ensures you engage your audience through a variety of touchpoints, reducing the risk of over-reliance on a single platform.

 

Not Considering the Cost-Effectiveness of Channels

Budget constraints play a vital role when selecting account based marketing channels, yet many companies fail to properly evaluate the cost-effectiveness of each channel. It’s not just the upfront cost that matters, but the return on investment (ROI) that each channel is capable of delivering. For example, while television advertising may seem prestigious, it may not provide the best ROI for smaller B2B businesses with limited budgets. On the other hand, a well-targeted email marketing campaign could deliver significantly higher returns at a fraction of the cost. Always assess both the costs and potential returns when determining which ABM channels to invest in.

 

Neglecting Local Marketing Channels

For businesses with a local presence, overlooking local marketing channels can be a costly error. Local SEO, Google My Business listings, and partnerships with community events can all be powerful tools for reaching nearby customers. Even for businesses with a broader reach, localised marketing efforts can help establish a stronger community presence, fostering deeper customer loyalty. Marketing channel tactics that consider localised touchpoints should form an integral part of your broader ABM strategy, ensuring you capture opportunities both at a regional and national level.

By avoiding these common pitfalls in ABM channel selection, businesses can optimise their ABM strategies and achieve better results. Carefully considering the customer journey, diversifying your channels, assessing cost-effectiveness, and embracing local marketing can greatly enhance the success of your account based marketing channels.

 

How to Choose the Right ABM Channel

 

The success of your account based marketing channels is defined by how well they drive relevant traffic, generate high-quality leads, and ultimately convert those leads into loyal customers. Selecting the most effective channels requires a thorough analysis of multiple factors to ensure you’re targeting the right prospects in the right places.

To make informed decisions when choosing your ABM channels, consider the following critical elements:

Audience Reach

An effective marketing channel must provide access to a significant portion of your target market. The broader the reach within your target audience, the more likely you are to drive meaningful engagement. Assess whether each account based marketing channel has the capacity to reach the decision-makers within your target accounts, especially those that play pivotal roles in the buying journey.

Audience Engagement

It’s not enough to merely reach your audience; the channel must also facilitate meaningful interactions. Look for channels that foster engagement, whether through comments, likes, shares, or direct messages. For instance, LinkedIn offers powerful tools for B2B interaction, while personalised emails can drive deep engagement if utilised effectively. In your ABM multi channel marketing strategy, engagement metrics are just as important as reach.

Cost-Effectiveness

A well-chosen marketing channel should provide a strong return on investment (ROI). When selecting ABM channels, consider both the costs involved and the potential return. While some channels, such as Google Ads, might involve higher upfront costs, they can deliver substantial returns if targeted correctly. Always weigh the channel’s costs against its proven ability to generate revenue, ensuring your investment is justified.

Brand Alignment

The marketing channels you select must align with your brand’s identity and messaging. Each channel should reinforce your brand values and maintain consistency in communication. For instance, premium brands may find better alignment with LinkedIn for thought leadership and content marketing, whereas other marketing channel tactics like Instagram might serve better for brands focused on visual storytelling. Consistency across channels ensures a unified message that resonates with your target accounts.

Customer Preference

Understanding where your target customers prefer to interact with brands is essential for maximising engagement. Every audience has preferred platforms, and identifying these preferences is key to success. Use data and insights to determine whether your prospects are more active on professional networks like LinkedIn or prefer email communication. Integrating this knowledge into your ABM multi channel marketing plan ensures that you’re meeting prospects where they are most likely to engage.

Conversion Potential

It’s crucial to evaluate the channel’s ability to drive the actions you want, whether it’s sign-ups, purchases, or inquiries. The conversion potential of each account based marketing channel must be examined by reviewing its past performance and track record. Channels like paid media and retargeting ads may work well for driving lower-funnel conversions, while social media and blogs might be more suited to top-of-funnel awareness.

Data Accessibility

The ability to track, measure, and analyse performance is vital for ongoing optimisation. Effective account based marketing channels should offer robust data reporting features that enable you to monitor engagement, measure ROI, and adjust your strategy accordingly. Without sufficient data accessibility, it becomes difficult to determine which marketing channel tactics are working and which need refinement.

 

 

Advanced Tactics for Using Multiple Channels in an ABM Strategy

 

A successful ABM multi channel marketing approach enables you to engage buying committee members across their preferred platforms, offering a cohesive and persistent experience. Why is this important? In today’s B2B environment, buyers explore solutions through a range of account based marketing channels, and their journey is no longer linear. You cannot dictate where your prospects research or how they consume information. Their time and attention are valuable commodities, and they expect personalised experiences that directly address their pain points and needs.

 

Mastering a Multi-Channel ABM Strategy

To execute a winning multi-channel ABM strategy, your tactics must align with both the buyer’s mindset and their specific stage in the purchasing journey. Below is a clear roadmap for achieving this alignment.

Step 1: Determine Your Goals

Establishing clear, measurable goals is the foundation of any effective ABM multi channel marketing strategy. These goals will serve as your guiding principles, driving every decision and action you take. Consider the following objectives:

• Brand Awareness
• New Account Acquisition
• Opportunity Creation
• Pipeline Progression
• Customer Retention & Expansion

It’s critical to align these marketing objectives with the broader goals of your sales and customer success teams. By defining common targets, you ensure that your entire organisation delivers a seamless, consistent customer experience and works toward a unified outcome.

Step 2: Align Channels with Goals and Buying Journey Stages

Once your goals are established, the next step is to align your ABM channels with both your objectives and the specific stages of the buyer’s journey. Here’s a breakdown of how to use different channels effectively at various stages:

• Awareness among New Accounts (Top of Funnel): Use social media, email, blog posts, display ads, and even CTV (Connected TV) ads to share educational and engaging content that draws attention to your brand.
• Drive More Engagement with Existing Known Accounts (Middle of Funnel): Focus on content syndication, including webinars, white papers, and eBooks, to build trust and deepen engagement with your solution.
• Accelerate Qualified Opportunities (Bottom of Funnel): Employ targeted display advertising, social media ads, and conversion-focused content like product sheets, case studies, and comparison guides to move prospects closer to making a decision.

Step 3: Activate the Same Target Account List Across All Channels (Cross-Channel Activation)

Cross-channel activation is essential for maximising your account based marketing channels and ensuring your efforts reach their full potential. B2B purchasing is often a group decision, involving multiple stakeholders. Research shows that influencing a buying committee of six to ten members can require between 15 to 20 touches per individual, which can multiply to nearly 200 touches per account.

This high-touch approach demands intentional targeting across every relevant channel. By leveraging a consistent target account list and delivering marketing channel tactics that engage the same prospects on multiple platforms, you strengthen brand recall and position your solution top-of-mind when buying decisions are made.

Step 4: Measure Account Engagement and Pipeline Impact

Once your ABM channels are active, measuring engagement and pipeline impact is critical for assessing the success of your ABM multi channel marketing efforts. Set Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) based on your goals and objectives, and use advanced ABM platforms to track engagement metrics and pipeline development.

For example:

• Awareness Among New Accounts: Metrics to track include content downloads, impressions, social media engagement, and website views. Pipeline metrics might focus on the volume of new accounts won and new opportunities created.
• Drive More Engagement with Existing Accounts: Monitor page visits, downloads, email responses, and social media engagement. In the pipeline, look at increasing deal sizes and identifying potential account expansion opportunities.
• Accelerate Qualified Opportunities: Key metrics include content downloads, email open rates, impressions, and website visits. For pipeline impact, track conversion rates, pipeline velocity, and overall sales cycle length.

By following these advanced tactics, you can ensure that your account based marketing channels are working together cohesively, delivering a unified and engaging experience for your target accounts. The key to success in ABM multi channel marketing is consistency, relevance, and precise targeting across each stage of the buying journey.

 

Multi-Channel ABM Best Practices

Build Strong Relationships with Your Channel Partners

Creating a partner-first culture is essential for driving sustained growth within your account based marketing channels. The foundation of these relationships is reciprocity—a two-way exchange where both parties feel equally valued and understood. A strong partnership not only enhances mutual success but also ensures that all channel partners are aligned with your strategic goals.

Here are some key practices for nurturing robust relationships with your partners:

• Invest in Channel Management Technology: From the outset, provide your partners with the right management tools and technologies that simplify processes and enable them to succeed within your ABM multi channel marketing strategy.
• Maintain Open Communication: Regularly discuss successes, challenges, and feedback with your partners. Open dialogue is essential for fostering trust and ensuring everyone stays on the same page.
• Share Information Transparently: Keeping your partners informed with relevant data builds trust and prevents misunderstandings. It also ensures they are well-equipped to support your marketing channel tactics effectively.
• Align Objectives: Ensure that your business objectives and values are clearly communicated and resonate with your partners. When your goals are aligned, the entire ecosystem can work towards a common purpose.
• Recognise Contributions: Acknowledge and celebrate your partners’ efforts. When partners feel valued, they are more likely to contribute to your success.
• Adapt to Their Needs: Stay receptive to your partners’ evolving requirements. Flexibility and a willingness to adapt will strengthen the relationship and ensure long-term collaboration.

Establish Transparent and Effective Communication Channels

Effective communication is at the heart of successful channel management. However, communication should not be limited to merely relaying information; it needs to be a continuous, two-way dialogue that promotes collaboration, feedback, and mutual goal alignment.

Here are some key channels for fostering ongoing communication with your partners:

• Dedicated Partner Management Platforms: Use specialised platforms to facilitate seamless collaboration and provide a central hub for managing tasks, updates, and performance metrics.
• Email Newsletters: Regularly share updates, insights, and relevant information with your partners through newsletters, keeping them informed about your ABM strategies and any changes in focus.
• Webinars: Host webinars to share knowledge, introduce new ABM channels, and provide training that equips your partners with the skills to succeed in your account based marketing channels strategy.
• Social Media and Messaging Apps: These channels provide real-time communication, helping to resolve issues or share updates swiftly.
• Regular Meetings: Whether weekly, monthly, or quarterly, schedule consistent check-ins to discuss progress, address challenges, and keep the partnership aligned.
• Annual or Quarterly Reviews: Conduct detailed performance reviews to assess the success of your partnerships and identify areas for improvement.
• Feedback Surveys: Periodically collect feedback from your partners to understand their needs and perspectives, and use this input to improve processes and performance within your ABM multi channel marketing framework.