It’s no secret that account-based marketing (ABM) really works.
After all, who doesn’t love a buying experience that makes them feel like they’re the only person in the room?
In 2021, we found that buyer expectations for quick, personalized experiences had grown by 26% in the span of one year.
And B2B companies are all too aware of that fact. That’s why, according to a report by Demandbase, ABM budgets have increased by 40% year-over-year.
So we can all agree that ABM is a solid investment for the future of B2B buying. The real question is: What does a successful ABM program actually look like?
That’s what I’m here to answer. Today, I’m going to give you a rundown of how you can leverage Drift to set up an ABM program that will dazzle your VIP accounts ✨
We originally discussed ABM and Drift at our RevGrowth: Better Together Virtual Summit. If you want to watch the full session, click here. Otherwise, keep reading for all the insights 💡
What Does ABM Looks Like at Drift?
The coolest thing about ABM is that there is no one way to do it. The tactics you use, the volume of accounts you target, and how you decide who makes the list — these all depend on your business goals.
At Drift, we take a double funnel approach:
Our main focus is on our target funnel, a list of 10,000 target accounts that best fit our ideal customer profile (ICP). Then we have our volume funnel, which represents any non-target account that engages with us. Of course, we still follow up on these raised hands, but we don’t invest time or heavy resources into targeting them.
Within those 10,000 target accounts, 250 are on our ABM list, which we categorize by business segment.
As for who makes the list? Each quarter, our marketing and sales teams work together to narrow down a list of key accounts for every sales rep so they can decide who to go after. This way we’re all aligned on our campaigns from the get-go.
To show you how this plays out, let’s imagine we’re going to a trade show. Naturally, we would promote that to everyone who fits our target demographic, including volume accounts, because there’s no harm in inviting people to your booth.
But we want to do a little more for our target accounts. For example, we might invite them to a special happy hour event or target them with paid social. And for our ABM accounts, we would take things one step further, like personally inviting them to a VIP dinner.
At the end of the day, the difference lies in how much you personalize the experience.
How to Implement ABM on Your Website
Okay, great! But we’re probably not going to trade shows anytime soon. So how can you replicate the ABM experience with your bread and butter — your website?
This is where Drift can really help. The best way to go about this is by using the crawl, walk, run approach to ABM:
1. Crawl: Set Up a General ABM Message
The first step is to simply differentiate between your ABM accounts and target accounts with your general messages.
At a glance, a general ABM message doesn’t look all that different from any other chatbot message. Here’s an example 👇
But the magic isn’t in the message itself, but what happens after. With ABM accounts, the process is streamlined so when a potential buyer clicks “Sure, I’m ready to talk,” they’re immediately connected to sales. No qualification required.
Another thing you can do is set up notifications so a sales rep is notified the moment an ABM account lands on your website. This allows sales reps to get in front of the buyer and personally engage with them, adding that human touch.
2. Walk: Send Customized Messages
Now that you’ve set up a general ABM play, it’s time to think about customizing your messaging. You can do this based on industry, company size, job title, and other firmographic data.
Here’s an example 👇
Unlike the general message, the customized message refers to previous interactions and builds on the company’s firmographic data to deliver a personalized hook. Then, the bot asks a value-driving question to prompt engagement.
By sending these kinds of customized messages, you’re more likely to pique your account’s interest. It also gives you credibility, by showing them that you know who they are, what they do, and exactly how you can help.
Drift Conversational AI collects real-time insights into your visitor’s needs and interests which you can leverage to personalize your prospecting. Get a demo to see it in action.
3. Run: Create Custom Landing Pages
As you advance through your ABM journey, you can use more and more personalized tactics to grab your account’s attention. One way to do that is to create a custom landing page.
With a custom landing page, your ABM accounts will know that you’re really paying attention to them. Plus, you can build a custom chatbot on that page, adding that extra personalized touch.
This level of customization definitely isn’t required for all your ABM accounts. But, for the best of the best, those one-to-few accounts, it’s definitely worth the effort. A custom landing page is a great way to make your top accounts feel special — and, when they’re ready, it gives them a dedicated channel that they can use to engage with you.
ABM Is a Multi-Channel, Multi-Touch Experience
Whether you’re in the crawl, walk, or run phase of your ABM journey, your website is a huge part of the red carpet experience. But that’s not all ABM is about.
An ABM campaign is never a one-and-done. It takes time, effort, and money to get that deal in the bag. And that’s why every little touch counts.
We would know. That’s how we doubled our number of opportunities and more 👇
So, whether you’re running one ABM play or several big campaigns, try using our methods to level up your VIP experience…and watch as more and more conversations roll in.
Want to know more about how we do ABM at Drift? Get The Art of ABM: A Strategic Guide to Account-based Marketing today.
