The 2016 TOPO Account-Based Marketing Framework
Over the last 10 years, B2B demand generation teams have used technology such as marketing automation to become highly-scaled demand generation engines, delivering high volumes of leads each month. But these teams fail to adequately support the sales team’s strategic pursuit of named accounts. In fact, on average, only 10-20% of the leads generated by marketing are from accounts on the sales team’s target list.
As marketers seek to better align with and enable sales, the focus is moving from a traditional, lead-centric view to an account-centric view. This shift is driving innovation throughout the value chain, from targeting and offer strategy, to the sales technology stack, to the ways demand generation teams collaborate.
TOPO created this framework because account based marketing (ABM) is one of the biggest movements in B2B marketing today, and many marketers are still in learning mode. In preparing this framework, TOPO researched organizations that are succeeding at, or struggling with, their ABM programs. The TOPO Account-Based Marketing Framework consists of 8 strategic categories and over 42 critical elements.
Define the ICP, build the list
The backbone of ABM strategy is the focus on specific, named accounts. The process starts with defining the Ideal
Customer Profile (ICP), the common attributes of customers who best match the company’s revenue and business objectives. The ICP is the basis for creating the target accounts list.
Create a strategy for ABM success
World-class ABM organizations align sales, sales development, and marketing to ensure full coverage of the target account list. They also research, design and implement an ABM playbook to coordinate the work of engaging those accounts.
Build an asset from the data set
Effective ABM includes a well-structured and continually refreshed data set that covers all target accounts and the key contacts within those accounts.
Define the account planning process
Account intelligence helps sales and marketing collaborate on customized, account-centric campaigns that resonate and convert.
Scale with personalized offers
Effective offer strategies engage target accounts with a mix of offers that are relevant at the account level and personalized at the contact level.
Scale with orchestration
Successful ABM programs leverage a mix of channels that deliver offers to buyers within target accounts where and when they are most likely to engage.
Measure account-focused metrics
ABM metrics represent an account-centric view of program success that builds on traditional conversion measures to demonstrate progress within the target account list.
Scale with an ABM technology stack
The ABM tech stack enables precise target list management, personalization at scale, orchestration across
channels, and account-centric analytics.
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Tom Scearce is TOPO’s Senior Analyst for Demand Generation, bringing TOPO clients more than 20 years of experience developing and executing high-growth marketing and sales programs. Tom has an insatiable curiosity for the people, processes and platforms that drive world-class demand gen organizations.