ABM Design: Getting the most from your account-based marketing effort

1. Goal Setting: The Account-Based Marketing Program should be goal-oriented and milestone-driven, with a clear definition for success. Will the program achieve a specific amount of new revenue?  Deliver a specific return-on-investment (ROI)? Or are the goals more oriented toward specific new account acquisition, competitive takeaways, market share objectives or market penetration levels? This is the stage to determine all financial and market goals for your program.

2. Budget, Timeline and Tactics: How much budget are you willing to put at risk for the program, and what resources (human and other) are required for its execution? How long will the program last, and what factors will trigger program modifications, extensions or cancellations. Finally, what tactics do you plan to use, who will be involved at each stage of the program, and what may trigger changes to the tactical plan?

3. Program Monitoring and Tracking: What are the key conversion and progress metrics, and how will they be tracked and reported? What real-time dashboards and periodic reports are required to communicate program status and progress? How do the intermediate results inform tactical decisions to continuously improve results?

4. Program Refresh: In most cases, accounts will enter and exit the program as they experience their individual journeys. What is the criteria for adding or removing target accounts from your program?