What is account-based marketing (ABM)?

Account-based marketing (ABM) is a B2B marketing strategy that focuses marketing and sales efforts on specific companies or high-value accounts rather than targeting a broad audience. Each selected account is treated as an individual market, with campaigns and communication tailored to its business needs.

ABM typically involves:

• Target account selection – Identifying companies that match the business’s ideal customer profile.
• Account research – Understanding the company’s industry, needs, decision-makers, and purchasing behavior.
• Personalized content – Creating messages, offers, and resources relevant to each account.
• Sales and marketing alignment – Coordinating marketing campaigns with sales activities.
• Multi-channel engagement – Reaching target accounts through email, advertising, events, content, sales outreach, and other channels.
• Account measurement – Tracking engagement, opportunities, conversions, revenue, and account growth.

For example, a B2B software company may identify a large manufacturing company as a target account and create industry-specific content, personalized advertising, product demonstrations, and sales outreach specifically for that organization.

ABM is commonly used when businesses have high-value customers, longer sales cycles, complex purchasing decisions, or a relatively small number of important target accounts. It relies on accurate account data and coordination between sales and marketing teams.