Looking to run account-based marketing (ABM) for your business but don't know where to start? Maybe you plan to run a small pilot to see what ABM can do for your bottom line, or maybe you're already seeing great results ABM program and now want to scale up. Hey, we hear you. ABM is having a moment, and your marketing team and sales team will benefit from a fully developed account-based marketing strategy.

Uberflip's got you covered with this comprehensive account-based marketing template designed to help you plan and execute a successful ABM strategy from building customer profiles to activating hyper-relevant content to optimizing your existing campaigns. By focusing on your ideal customers and tailoring your outreach efforts, you can achieve significant business growth even in challenging times.

Download the ABM template below.👇

Why an account-based marketing template?

ABM is all about personalization, so you might be asking why it makes sense to start with an account-based marketing template. The answer is simple: a well-structured template provides a solid foundation for organizing and streamlining your ABM efforts. A template allows you to maintain a systematic approach, which is crucial for identifying patterns and trends in account behavior, making data-driven decisions, and (most importantly) scaling your ABM strategy over time. Ultimately, using an account-based marketing template doesn't detract from the personalized nature of ABM.

What you'll find in this ABM template

In this ABM Quick-Start Guide, we'll walk you through the essential steps to create a high-performing ABM strategy using a template and downloadable spreadsheet you can take with you. It covers everything you need to get started, and from there you can begin to plan out your first (or second, or third...) account-based marketing campaign.

In the Uberflip ABM Quick-Start Guide, we break down the process into simple steps:

1. Define your ideal customer profile (ICP) - Understand who your best-fit customers are and what they have in common.
2. Identify and prioritize target accounts - Use your ICP criteria to determine the most promising candidates for ABM.
3. Sort your accounts into tiers - Organize your target accounts based on the number of resources required for each tier (1:1, 1:Few, or 1:Many).

Once you've laid the foundation for your ABM strategy, it's time to launch your campaign:

4. Establish your campaign goals - Tie each campaign to a specific audience and business goal, and track KPIs.
5. Map out your campaign flow - Use the Identify, Attract, Engage framework to plan a journey for your target accounts.
6. Set a reminder to check back in - Regularly monitor your campaign's performance and adjust as needed for continuous improvement.

To successfully implement ABM, you need a well-structured template that outlines your strategy and keeps your team organized. The ABM template and accompanying Google Sheet above will get started, but if you need a little more detail, keep reading.

Getting started with this account-based marketing template

We've designed this ABM template to give you everything you to get started. Follow the steps and fill out the sheet in order to launch your first campaign!

In the rest of this post, though, we'll guide you through designing an effective account-based marketing program that includes account selection, research, messaging, channels, metrics, and evaluation. (If you're already feeling overwhelmed, bookmark this bit for later.)

Step 1: Account Selection

Your account-based marketing template should start with a clear process for selecting and targeting the right accounts. Here are a few factors to consider as part of this first step:

• Ideal customer profile (ICP): Define the characteristics of your ideal customer, such as industry, company size, revenue, location, and tech stack. This is generally the responsibility of the product marketing team, though ownership will vary depending on your organization.
• Revenue potential: Identify accounts with high potential for revenue generation, either through new business or expansion opportunities.
• Alignment with your solution: Choose accounts that can benefit the most from your product or services, and are most likely to be interested.
• Existing relationships: Use any existing relationships or connections with the target account to improve the chances of account engagement.

Step 2: Research and Account Insights

Once you've identified your target accounts, conduct in-depth research to gather insights about each account and start building a target account list. When doing this research for your account-based marketing plan, you should consider:

• Key decision-makers: Identify the stakeholders who make purchasing decisions and understand their roles, pain points, and priorities.
• Organizational structure: Familiarize yourself with the target company's structure, including departments, teams, and hierarchies. Sometimes the type of ABM campaign you employ will depend on how purchase decisions get made by your target customers. (Remember, for instance, that high-ticket purchases often involve multiple teams or team members acting as a buying committee.)
• Business objectives: Understand the target company's short- and long-term goals, challenges, and potential roadblocks. If you've already engaged with this account, your salespeople can provide insight.
• Recent news and events: Stay updated on any significant news or events related to your target account, such as mergers, acquisitions, or product launches. Visit the company blog or "virtual newsroom" or do a simple Google search to find this information.
• Competitor analysis: Identify the target account's main competitors and their unique selling points (USPs) to better position your offering.

Step 3: Personalized Messaging

Create personalized, highly relevant messages for each target account based on the insights gathered during the research phase. Tailor your value proposition to address the specific needs and pain points of each account. Your ABM template should include:

• Messaging framework: Develop a messaging framework that addresses the target account's specific pain points, showcases your solution's benefits, and highlights your USPs.
• Account-specific content: Create customized content tailored to each account, such as blog posts, whitepapers, case studies, or webinars. With Uberflip, you can quickly and easily create personalized content streams for key accounts you plan to target on a 1:1, 1:few, or 1:many basis.
• Personalized outreach: Craft personalized emails, social media messages, or direct mail campaigns to engage key decision-makers where they live. Use the insights and research you've already done to ensure you're connecting with the right person at the right time in a way that speaks to them.

Step 4: Run Multichannel Campaigns

Choose a mix of marketing channels to attract your target audience and deliver personalized messages. The ABM template above includes a section to help you outline your multichannel approach. Here are a few channels worth considering:

• Email marketing: Use targeted email campaigns to nurture leads, share valuable content, and stay top of mind with decision-makers.
• Social media: Connect with key decision-makers on platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook, and share relevant content that highlights your expertise.
• Content marketing: Publish high-quality, high-value content that addresses your target account's pain points and showcases your thought leadership. Bundle them together in Uberflip marketing streams to ensure that once you get their attention, they stay engaged.
• Events and webinars: Host or participate in industry events, conferences, or webinars to establish credibility and engage with your target audience.
• Digital advertising: Run targeted ads on platforms like Google Ads, LinkedIn, or Facebook to reach your target accounts and decision-makers.

Step 5: Metrics and Evaluation

As with all marketing activities, it's important that you establish clear metrics to measure the success of your ABM efforts and track progress toward your goals. Your ABM template includes a section for tracking and evaluating performance, but here are a few different types of metrics you'll want to consider tracking:

• Engagement metrics: Monitor the level of engagement with your content and campaigns, such as email open rates, click-through rates, interactions with Uberflip streams, and content downloads.
• Conversion metrics: Track the number of target accounts that move through the sales funnel, from lead to opportunity to closed deal. Data enrichment can help you go a step further in qualifying precisely where people are in the funnel. Pairing a content experience platform with tools like Demandbase or 6sense can be an effective way to accelerate your sales cycle.
• Pipeline metrics: Measure the impact of your ABM efforts on the sales pipeline, such as the total value of opportunities generated or the average deal size.
• ROI metrics: Calculate the return on investment for your ABM campaigns by comparing the revenue generated to the costs incurred. Because 1:1 and 1:few marketing campaigns can be quite time-consuming and costly, it's important that you ensure the investment is justified by stellar ROI.
• Account penetration metrics: Assess the level of account penetration by tracking the number of key decision-makers engaged, the depth of engagement, and the number of departments or divisions reached.

Step 6: Optimize for Continuous Improvement

Your ABM program should also include a section for continuous improvement. Review your campaign performance regularly, identify areas for improvement, and make data-driven adjustments to optimize your strategy:

• A/B testing: Test different messaging, content formats, and campaign elements to determine what resonates best with your target audience.
• Feedback loops: Establish feedback loops with your sales team to gain insights into what's working, what's not, and how your campaigns can be improved.
• Benchmarking: Compare your performance against industry benchmarks or historical data to identify gaps and opportunities for growth.
• Post-mortem analysis: Conduct a thorough analysis of completed campaigns to identify lessons learned and inform future strategies.

This account-based marketing template is just the beginning...

Planning an effective account-based marketing program before you begin is crucial to the success of your ABM efforts. By following Uberflip's ABM template and guide, you can create a plan of action that ensures your team stays organized, focused, and data-driven.

Remember to keep refining your approach based on performance data and feedback, and always strive for continuous improvement!

More ABM Resources from Uberflip

1. Dynamic vs. static: Why dynamic personalization always wins
2. How to dynamically personalize ABM destinations at scale with Uberflip
3. Case Study: The ABM campaign that generated $3.4M in pipeline in three months