Some 77% of B2B marketers believe account-based marketing has driven greater success for their target accounts.
According to the 2018 ABM Benchmark Study conducted by ITSMA and Demandbase a quarter of marketing budgets are now dedicated to ABM programmes.
There has also been an increase in the complexity of ABM strategies with 46% of marketers now targeting across multiple tiers (an 11% increase from 2017).
However, despite the complexity more than half (52%) have implemented ABM for less than a year.
The transition to ABM could be due to the benefits marketers have found; overall 99% said they gain greater ROI from their programme than any other type of marketing. Plus, two-thirds also cited customer advocacy as a positive driver for ABM.
The top five challenges were cited as:
- Getting the data and reports to track results. (35%)
- Personalising marketing to key contacts within each account. (34%)
- Creating customisable campaign assets. (30%)
- Gaining budget. (30%)
- Educating sales about the ABM process and value. (26%)
The report also highlights what marketers should consider implementing for maximum ABM impact; these include leveraging technology, adopting a blended strategy, and investing in teams.
Rob Leavitt, SVP at ITSMA, said: “The focus is now shifting from why companies should implement an account-based approach to how marketing, sales, and business leaders can collaborate to ensure maximum benefit from this strategic discipline.”
Peter Isaacson said the report confirmed the trends seen in the market. “More and more companies are adopting ABM, and getting more sophisticated in their ABM strategies. But it’s important to remember we’re still in the early days of ABM expansion and there is a lot more potential for marketers to drive their business results.”
The report surveyed 207 B2B marketers at 190 ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance member companies.
