Improve Account-Based Marketing Strategies Via Social Media Channels

The focus of an account-based marketing (ABM) strategy is to create quality and valuable leads that convert fast.

You would generally not shout across the street to whisper something to someone, so you may be cynical when we tell you to use social media channels to vocalise your point and help strengthen ABM strategies. Typically, social media is designed for the wider audience, while ABM strategies are created to target individuals and improve their user experience.

But social media marketing and account-based marketing aren’t exclusive from one another. Social media channels can strongly benefit ABM marketers in their quest for lead generation.

In this article, we are going to look at some of the main objectives for a successful ABM strategy and how social media channels will help you reach those goals.

Understanding An Account-Based Marketing Strategy

An account-based marketing (ABM) strategy is when you get a lead and treat that lead as its own market rather than clustering lots of leads together and treating it as one. It's the highest point of personalising. The main focal point of ABM strategies is to target fully on quality leads and put at top of you marketing funnel and aiming to build a solid relationship that encourages conversions and retention.

Outreaching On Social Media Channels To Generate Valuable Leads

With account-based marketing, you should target big companies and try and make contact with decision-makers.

How Does Social Media Help?

Creating multiple social media accounts gives you a chance to target different people within each company.

By looking at followers, likes, comments, and other engagement metrics, you’ll have a sense of which accounts gain the most traction.

Various social media platforms will also allow you to segment your message.

For example, if you’re on Facebook and you want to post something that will appeal to leads in a particular region or industry, use Facebook’s segmentation tool to send a message to just those leads. This way, you’re not sending messages that make other leads feel alienated, but you’re making those targeted leads feel much more appreciated and seen.

Either way, leads will feel like you’re taking the time to respect their time.

Funneling Leads Quicker with Social Media

The longer a lead stays in the funnel, the more likely they are to fall out.

This is why ABM attempts to blend marketing and sales to create a seamless funnel that guides leads through the process, shortening timelines and increasing conversion rates.

It accomplishes this in two main ways:

• Providing content geared towards every stage of the funnel.
• Targeting leads more likely to convert (and more sure of what they want).

How Does Social Media Help?

Social media can provide a platform through which to promote all of your content. If you’ve implemented an influencer strategy, your partners can promote your content as a means of generating increased interest.

You can also use social media as a means of identifying the personas of those more likely to engage, and more likely to convert. By creating multiple accounts with different targets in mind, and segmenting your audience accordingly, you can start to separate the wheat from the chaff.

As you notice different engagement patterns emerge, you’ll be able to then target the rest of your marketing strategy toward the more engaged audience.

Cost Effective ABM Strategy Using Social Media

Outside of the product itself and overhead, marketing is where a company spends its money. Sales is where it makes it back (and then some, hopefully). It’s important, then, for companies to know where that money is going to, and how effective they are at getting it back.

Account-based marketing gives you the means of tracking which channels are costing you a lot of money with little to show from it in terms of quality leads or conversions.

ABM is also responsible for higher returns in 85% of cases, according to Optimisely.

How Does Social Media Help?

Social media helps cut costs in three main ways:

• It highlights higher-quality leads through their levels of engagement, making targeting easier and more effective.
• It costs as little as none dollars, meaning increased brand awareness for nothing.
• It lets you test messaging for different audiences before you use that messaging in more expensive channels, preventing costly potential missteps.