ABM is A-OK—at least according to a majority of the 236 responses collected for Demandbase’s “Account-Based Marketing Adoption” report. In fact, 96% of B2B marketers using account-based marketing (ABM) report that it’s a key driver of marketing success.
While it isn’t a new concept, ABM allows marketing and sales to target and market to the accounts they value most. New technology, though, makes it possible to scale ABM efforts from 50 accounts to upwards of 5,000. The report also shows that ABM increases engagement with target accounts—83% of respondents concur that this is the number one benefit of ABM.
“ABM is more than just a marketing strategy; it has become the cornerstone of most B2B marketing plans,” said Peter Isaacson, CMO at Demandbase, in a press release. “By marketing to the accounts your sales team wants to sell to and measuring the results at the account level, B2B companies are driving alignment across the organization, improving customer experiences, and growing their bottom line. As awareness of its benefits continue to grow, ABM is trending toward mass adoption.”
The study’s goal was to measure the current state of ABM adoption in B2B marketing organizations, while also ascertaining how crucial ABM is to marketing and sales success. Here, other findings from the study:
- Seventy-one percent of B2B organizations are using ABM, interested in adopting the strategy, or are currently testing it.
- Sixty percent of those who have employed ABM for at least one year attribute revenue increases to its use.
- The longer ABM is in use, the more its full-funnel impact is experienced—43% of those using ABM for at least three years report that it impacts the entire funnel, compared to just 12% for those who have used ABM for two or fewer years.
- ABM boosts sales and marketing alignment—70% of ABM users report that their sales and marketing organizations are mostly or completely aligned, compared to just 51% for non-ABM users.
- More marketers are relying on ABM; 83% of ABM testers and 72% of ABM users have plans to increase their usage of ABM in the coming 12 months—nobody has plans to decrease ABM usage.
“This study confirms that the impact of ABM is real,” said Jerry Rackley, chief analyst at Demand Metric. “The approach is critical for marketers who are constantly striving to produce better quality leads and engagement with those leads. More B2B marketers are recognizing what ABM is and what it can do for their business.”
