ABM, or Account Based Marketing, strategies are becoming more and more prevalent in business marketing strategies as companies find it’s sometimes easier to start with your goal customer list then find ways to target those customers. There are some platforms and tools out there that will allow you to roll out a very highly structured ABM strategy. But not everyone is ready for those types of tools. So I wanted to focus on how you can do it within your current PPC set up, without needing to reach into new channels or tools.
What Channels Can You Leverage
Let’s run through the most common ad networks and some short examples of how they can be used to employ an ABM strategy.
My favorite channel by far for ABM strategies is LinkedIn. The amount of information available in the average user’s LinkedIn profile can allow you to build highly targeted lists that get in front of exactly the people you’re needing to reach.
Here are just a handful of the targeting options you have a available in LinkedIn to narrow down to your specific audience list:
- Company Name: You can easily filter for the specific companies you’re wanting to target, which is a cornerstone of ABM campaigns.
- Industry: Should you not have a list of companies or if that list is too small, you can also look to target specific preset industries within the LinkedIn network to introduce yourself to companies that fit the type you’re looking for.
- Job Titles: You can then narrow down to those folks in the decision making process for your product/service within that company.
- Job Function: Should Job Titles be a little too narrowly focused for you, you’re able to take a step back and focus on specific job functions such as HR, IT, etc.
These are only a few of the ways you can hone in on your target accounts and influencers list. There are also Groups, Company Size, Years of Experience, and additional targeting options that can be layered in meaningful ways to reach your desired audience. Not to mention the recent announcements of some pretty sweet new tools that can help influence ABM strategies even more. (Teaser intended.)
A couple things to consider for LinkedIn:
This channel is known for being more expensive than most others. Although it’s a “display” type of model, CPCs can often range from $5 all the way up to $50. Be prepared to pay a pretty penny to get in front of your desired audience.
It’s also important to consider audience size when building out a LinkedIn campaign strategy. You’ll need to always have at least 1,000 users in a target list to advertise, but depending on your goals, narrower isn’t always better.
Facebook is the next best way to get in front of specific audiences based on their work. Unfortunately though, it’s certainly a few steps behind LinkedIn for just about anything larger than an SMB, which usually ABM is best suited for. That said, there’s still plenty that can be done here.
Here are just a couple examples of targeting options in Facebook that might be great ways to support your ABM strategies:
- Company Size: Although it doesn’t have as full of coverage in Facebook, there is a setting for company size ranging from anything from under 10 employees to 5,000+.
- Company Name: Like LinkedIn, you can also target company name within the Facebook interface.
- Industry: There are also a list of industries similar to those in LinkedIn.
- Job Seniority: There are a couple of segments for seniority within the B2B segment space highlighting Mid-Management & Executive/C-Suite.
Overall, Facebook typically costs far less in terms of CPC than LinkedIn does, though there are certainly some targeting lags in the FB platform. That said, Facebook can still be a great way to influence your target accounts if you’re strategic and specific with your campaigns.
Clearly Segmented Retargeting Lists
Don’t stop with just setting up campaigns in your social networks and call your ABM strategy complete. You’ve paid to get in front of those users (sometimes a hefty CPC), so don’t let your engagement stop there. Utilize retargeting lists and custom audiences in all the other major networks where it’s not as easy to target an account from a net new perspective, but also to get back in front of them in these original channels as well.
Depending on how you’ve set up your ABM campaigns, you can create your retargeting audiences based on custom URLs, UTM parameters, and more. Check out this strategy to learn more about building Ridiculously-Powerful Retargeting Audiences.
Have you dipped your toes into an ABM targeting strategy? What have you found to be successful? We’d love for you to share any/all feedback in the comments!
