The recent rise of Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is nothing short of remarkable. From a special initiative that a handful of B2B pioneers developed to drive growth with top accounts in the early 2000s, ABM is now a mainstream strategy that companies are implementing with hundreds or even thousands of accounts with a wide range of programs and objectives.
The 2017 ABM Benchmark Study conducted by ITSMA and the ABM Leadership Alliance highlights the main reason for such dramatic growth: ABM works! In fact, as this research report shows, a full 87% of marketers implementing ABM say that it provides higher ROI than any other type of marketing. Similarly, strong majorities say that ABM drives improvement in the “Three R’s” of strategic marketing: Reputation, Relationships, and Revenue.
This report provides an essential review of the current state of play with ABM in 2017, with data and insight on such issues as budgets and staffing, account selection, collaboration with sales, tools and technology, campaign tactics, programmatic challenges, and business benefits.
In particular, the report explores the three distinct types of ABM that have emerged in recent years: One-to-One, One-to-Few, and One-to-Many. Most companies are currently engaged in just one of these types, but a growing number are experimenting with two of them, and many more plan to move to a blended strategy over the next few years. The research underscores the key challenges marketers are facing and the specific ways they are addressing each type of ABM.
About the Research
159 marketers and related titles from 134 B2B technology and business services companies completed an online survey during June 2017
Company size:
Less than $500 million annual revenue: 52%
$500 million-$4.9 billion: 20%
$5 billion or more: 28%
Job title or level:
VP and above: 22%
Director: 39%
Manager: 29%
Individual contributor: 10%
Location:
North America: 66%
Europe: 21%
Asia/Pacific: 10%
Latin America: 3%
Middle East: 1%
The study also included qualitative interviews with ABM program leaders from 12 companies:
Betterworks
Deluxe
Fujitsu*
HCL
Juniper Networks, Inc.*
KPMG LLP*
Localytics
NTT DATA Services*
O2
Oracle
SAP*
Global B2B Information Services Company
* Denotes member of the ITSMA Account-Based Marketing Council
Additional Data for ITSMA Member Participants
An extended report with additional data from the study, including detailed data and cross-tabs for the three types of ABM, is available to survey participants from ITSMA member companies. Contact Lisa Hafer at lhafer@itsma.com if you are interested in the extended report or a private online briefing.
Creator Influencer Strategy Master Class - Corinne Rose Guirgis
ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance Leadership Survey: Driving Growth with Three Types of ABM
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Driving Growth with
Three Types of ABM
HowCompaniesAreLeveragingABMforMaximumBusiness Impact
Julie SchwartzSeniorVice President,Research andThoughtLeadership,ITSMA
Research Report | August 2017
Key Findings from 2017 ABM Benchmark Study