ABM is a complex process, heavily rooted in gaining in depth insights using data and analytics, and drawing from sales experience and relationships within the accounts. So why when it comes to account selection is this so often overlooked?
Anyone who has ever been involved in Account-Based Marketing (ABM) will tell you that measurement is one of the most challenging aspects to get right.
‘ABM isn’t like other types of B2B marketing. It involves marketers working side by side with the account team and sales colleagues towards the same goals. And although marketers don’t close deals, they certainly help to tee them up, so it can be hard to pull out their individual contribution from what is essentially a team effort. The best ABM-ers identify their impact on the levers that drive long term growth in accounts: building stronger reputations, broadening and deepening relationships with buyers and influencers, and supporting opportunities to increase revenue.’
Bev Burgess
SVP ITSMA Europe & ABM Practice Leader
No two organizations measure ABM in the same way, mainly because they value different things, but also because they deploy different systems to carry out the measurement. Some use spreadsheets, whilst others use complex BI tools – some don’t even measure the impact of ABM at all.
Now when you consider the myriad of available data sources that organizations have access to, the technical skills required to uncover insights and the different stakeholders each requiring access, it becomes obvious why this is such a challenge many struggle with.
Back in June we announced a global strategic partnership with the ITSMA; aimed at focusing on the advancement of best practice ABM. Through this partnership, Agent3 and the ITSMA have collectively sought a solution to the challenge of measuring ABM. We’ve asked the difficult questions:
- How can we create a standardized approach to ABM measurement?
- How can a solution be flexible enough to adapting to different organizational use cases
- How can you integrate data sources and sort the wheat from the chaff; what should be measured?
- Who will produce the ABM dashboard? In-house team or 3rd party Partner?
- How can insights be identified, captured and delivered?
- How can we collectively support the client pre and post delivery?
Today at the ITSMA Marketing Vision event in Boston we’re pleased to announce an approach that answers these questions, addresses the challenge and facilitates a simple and standardized approach to ABM measurement, getting to measurement nirvana is a journey, now there is a road-map to success.
Based on industry experience, best practice and peer learning, the ITSMA Approved ABM Measurement Framework is based on the three Rs: Reputation, Relationship and Revenue. It enables organizations to simply and effectively measure ABM, whilst providing the framework to easily communicate the value of ABM to the wider organization.
Measuring ABM was and still is a challenge, but through this approach we are confident that we’ve made it easier and would be happy to have an initial discussion to take you through the end-to end approach in detail to see how the ITSMA Approved ABM Measurement Framework applies to your organization.
Visit this page for a closer look at the ITSMA Approved ABM Measurement Framework and for more information about the ITSMA / Agent3 Partnership and click here to sign up to the exclusive ABM: the long and short of it content series.