Every couple of years or so, there appears a new methodology for marketers to employ to become more effective in engaging and converting customers. And so it is with the advent of account-based content marketing. Account-based content marketing, or ABCM, is similar to its name: it allows companies to provide customizable content to a large number of highly defined and bankable target accounts.
ABCM’s star quality is its ability to treat each account as its own market, with a tailored content strategy designed specifically for them. Marketers are embracing the opportunity to steer away from a one-size-fits-all advertising approach to create a more focused and unique user experience. It is in dark contrast to traditional strategies that aims broad and wide in order to acquire an undefined customer base.
Since account-based content marketing is designed to directly impact your pipeline, the results sprout a host of benefits, making it a top marketing trend for 2018.
It aligns your sales and marketing team together.
One big advantage of account-based content marketing is its dependence on the coordination of the sales and marketing team in order to execute a cohesive strategy that acquires new business and grows existing business in essential accounts. Companies utilizing ABCM recognize the benefits of aligning their marketing and sales teams – 70 percent of them are mostly or completely aligned, compared to 51 percent for companies that don’t use account-based content marketing.
The benefits of ABCM are seen when sales provide feedback and marketing provide relevant resources that better inform each target account. Marketing traditionally relies on numbers while the sales team focuses on gaining a high number of qualified leads. ABCM arranges the structure for sales and marketing to shorten sales cycles and maximize selling opportunities by identifying key customer groups.
Personalized content tends to be more effective.
80 percent of marketers say that ABCM outperforms other marketing strategies. Buyers have often surmised they feel underserved by their vendors on receiving relevant information. By leveraging a customized content journey with microsites, landing pages, images, and/or calls-to-action, ABCM strengthens ties for existing and future deals by keeping established buyers informed and updated.
Saves money while narrowing your focus to those likely to convert.
It’s a no-brainer that by being more selective about your targets, you save money while narrowing your focus to the most likely prospects. Fortunately, if you are already using the tools of some of the newer social platforms, an ABCM strategy is great because it enables targeting to specific companies or organizations. For years, companies have spent thousands of dollars on ad space without getting a single sale. Instead of wasting money on impressions that don’t convert into sales, you can zone in on specific accounts and improve your ROI.
At Wild Coffee Marketing, we are experts in utilizing ABCM to empower businesses and balance their strategy among brand identity, lead generation, and customer retention and expansion. Contact us today to learn more about how to keep pace with ABCM and other marketing trends.
