In Part 1 we covered how Account-Based Marketing (ABM) requires planning for success. Marketers need to think like their sales colleagues when building the ABM plan and target accounts. When the ABM strategy is created it’s time for you to identify the marketing technologies that will enable the strategy.
There is no single ABM technology solution
Selecting the right technologies to help your ABM initiatives is like determining whether you need to redo your kitchen. You have the core framework of a functional kitchen—so do you really need to invest in new cabinets, sink, countertop, etc. or do you just need one or two new appliances? Beware of the “shiny object syndrome.” Also, don’t go down a rabbit hole of thinking that there is one appliance that can meet all your kitchen’s needs. Several marketing technology vendors have produced fantastic content to help define ABM and best practices tactics. One problem with this effort is how many marketers think a couple of vendors’ views are the standard process for ABM technologies. Marketers are learning a specific vendor process through webinars, conference presentations, white papers, ABM certifications, and ABM online training—without doing their homework or due diligence. Continue reading