Account-based marketing efforts see better results when Priority Engine is incorporated into the overall strategy and execution, making it one of the most common use cases. In fact, 67% of Priority Engine customers use it to enhance their ABM strategy. We reached out to some of our highest-performing Marketers who leverage Priority Engine for ABM and compiled key best practices they use to see success.
A good ABM strategy starts with a clear definition of your target accounts to execute against. We recommend working with your TechTarget team to create Priority Engine account lists based on your GTM strategy, aligned to key business units, key topics or areas of interest, or a combination of these elements. To streamline this process, if you already have target account lists prepared, share these lists with your TechTarget representative so that they can be uploaded into Priority Engine directly.
Pro tip: To continue optimizing your ABM account lists, meet with your TechTarget representative regularly to update them on any changes in priorities and focuses of your business units, areas of interest or go-to-market strategy to realign your target account lists.
Marketing and Sales organizations can often become siloed in their data reporting and tracking. Priority Engine users have seen the most success in their ABM program when tracking is set up for the entire lifecycle of the lead, not just to the time the lead becomes an MQL. To properly measure the success of Priority Engine leads in your ABM program, set up attribution across all systems from the time a lead is created in your MAP or CRM to when an opportunity is closed-won. For more advice about setting up effective attribution, read our lead management best practices.
Setting up proper attribution will give you greater insight into what is and isn't working in your ABM program. Accurate attribution paints a full picture of the customer journey and how a target account engaged with your brand, from awareness to consideration to a final purchase.Pro tip: After using your attribution data to map a successful journey of winning a target account, document the steps from awareness to consideration to a decision over a timeline. Share this visual with your Sales and Marketing team to inform them of the touch points and tactics that have the greatest impact in closing a deal.
Before you begin exporting prospects from Priority Engine, work with your dedicated TechTarget representative to develop the strategy that best suits your organization. Your export strategy will depend on several factors, including your list priorities, your Priority Engine export cap and other GTM-specific factors. The goal of forming an export strategy is to hone in on the right flow of leads into your funnel and consistently feed your Sellers. Your strategy will inform the cadence, volume and priority of your exports from Priority Engine. Focus on addressing your most important business units first. This will be critical in informing future campaign messaging, cadence, tactics and forecasting your pipeline.Pro tip: Review and optimize your export strategy every few months. Work with your TechTarget representative to make sure you're on track and that your list priorities are up-to-date and accurately reflected in Priority Engine.
Although Priority Engine gives you access to the most active tech buyers, they may not be ready to buy immediately. Create personalized ABM nurture sequences to engage leads from your Priority Engine exports over a time period and cadence that aligns with your buying cycle. If your buying cycle is fast-paced, turn up the volume of emails over a shorter time period. If your buying cycle is longer, create a “drip” nurture over a longer time period. TechTarget data reveals that it typically takes 27 interactions on average to complete a successful buy cycle, and includes the first three stages of a customer lifecycle.
Research shows that 60% percent of B2B tech purchases involve four or more buyers. As Terry Flaherty, VP and Principal Analyst of Forrester, said, “Seeing signals from multiple buying group members has a dramatically higher propensity to buy.” Restricting your ABM marketing outreach to specific titles will also restrict your success. The most effective campaigns to Priority Engine active leads target the entire Buying Team, which is visible to you for any target account directly in Priority Engine. You never know how an individual contributor on the team of your prospect account will influence upper-level management in researching and evaluating your solution, so don't exclude them.
The most engaging ABM nurture tracks employ messaging that addresses a relevant need, pain point, industry trend or competitor activity to the prospect account, and creates a personalized experience. This approach makes each touch more pertinent to your buyer and will ultimately increase your response rates. Develop personalized messaging for prospects at your accounts based on their Top Interests. Create nurture streams based on their entry points.Here is a quick example of email copy that uses entry points from Top Interests to create a personalized message about solving a pain point better than a competitor:
Subject line: {Prospect's Company} vs. {Entry Point - Competing Vendor): See how we stack up
"Hello {first name},We've been working closely with companies similar to {Prospect's Company} to provide alternative options for {Entry Point}. Companies that have switched to {Your Company} for {Entry Point} typically see {Success Metric}, and we're confident that {Prospect's Company} could realize the same success with our solution.{Offer and CTA}"For more tips on ABM outreach emails, check out our article on How to Write Emails Tech Buyers Actually Want to Read.
There are more people involved in buying teams than ever before, so it's important to take advantage of all that Priority Engine has to offer to help you uncover, surround and break in to the buying team at your target accounts.
To learn more marketing tips and best practices, read our articles here. For additional guidance or questions regarding marketing best practices, contact your Customer Success Manager.