Account based marketing: a guide to getting started

First, confirm the fit

ABM suits companies that can name their ideal customers, sell high-value deals to buying committees and have sales leadership willing to commit to a shared list. If most purchases are low-consideration or the market is broad and fragmented, broader demand generation is usually the better investment. Our insight Is account based marketing right for you? covers the fit test in more detail.

Step 1: Build the account list with sales

Combine three inputs:

• Fit — firmographics and technographics that match your best customers.
• Intent and timing — trigger events, hiring, funding, technology changes, research behavior where available.
• Relationships — existing contacts, past opportunities, partner connections.

Then let sales challenge the list. A list sales does not believe in will not be worked.

Step 2: Tier the accounts

Tier	Scale	Personalization	Typical activity
1:1	A small number of strategic accounts	Bespoke	Account research, tailored content and plays, executive engagement
1:few	Clusters sharing an industry or problem	Segment-level	Industry messaging, targeted events, coordinated outreach
1:many	A larger list	Light	Account-targeted advertising, segment content, scaled sequences

Size each tier to the capacity you actually have to work it properly.

Step 3: Map the buying committee

For each tier-one account, and for each segment in lower tiers, identify:

• Champions — who feels the problem most,
• Evaluators — who will test the solution,
• Economic buyers — who approves the spend,
• Blockers — security, procurement, legal or IT stakeholders with veto power.

Note what each needs to believe and what evidence would help them.

Step 4: Plan the plays

A play combines message, channel and sales action for a defined audience and moment. For example: account-targeted LinkedIn content to build familiarity across a committee, followed by a sales sequence referencing the specific problem, followed by an invitation to a relevant workshop.

Write plays down with an owner, a timeline and a success signal.

Step 5: Measure by account

• Coverage — share of target accounts and relevant roles reached.
• Engagement — meaningful interactions per account over time.
• Pipeline — meetings, opportunities and pipeline value within the list.
• Outcomes — win rate, deal size and cycle length compared with non-target deals.

Review progress in joint account reviews with sales, not only in dashboards.

Checklist

• Fit confirmed and economics sense-checked
• Account list built and agreed with sales
• Tiers sized to real capacity
• Buying committees mapped
• Written plays with owners and success signals
• Account-level reporting and a regular joint review

More on our approach: account based marketing.