Best of LinkedIn: Account-based Marketing CW 36/ 37

00:00:00: Provided by Thomas Allgeier and Frennus, based on the most relevant posts on LinkedIn about account-based marketing in.

00:00:06: CW-FRE.FRE.FNUS is a B-to-B market research company working with enterprises to optimize their campaigns with account and executive insights far beyond AI.

00:00:16: Welcome, deep drivers.

00:00:18: We've gathered the most impactful account-based marketing trends buzzing on LinkedIn over the last couple of weeks, and we're ready to really unpack them with you.

00:00:25: our focus today.

00:00:27: Cutting through the noise, looking at operational discipline, not just hype.

00:00:30: We'll explore human-led creative and how AI fits in as a serious force multiplier.

00:00:36: That's right.

00:00:36: This deep dive is really designed to help you as a B to B marketing pro figure out what's genuinely moving the needle in ABM right now.

00:00:43: We're aiming to go beyond just summaries and find those actionable insights you can actually use in your own strategies.

00:00:49: So we'll be looking at what works, what's changing, and maybe most importantly, why it matters to you and your business.

00:00:55: Let's get into it.

00:00:56: Okay, so let's dive straight into our first big theme.

00:00:59: This one's all about ABM as more of a business transformation and getting those strategic foundations right.

00:01:06: What really jumped out from LinkedIn was the significant reframing of ADM.

00:01:10: It's clearly less about just one campaign, you know, a quick fix.

00:01:14: Right.

00:01:15: And much more about a fundamental shift in how businesses operate strategically.

00:01:19: Yeah, and what's fascinating here is how many posts really drive that idea home.

00:01:23: You take something like Super Manium Krishna.

00:01:25: He views ABM not just as like a campaign tactic, but as a core business transformation discipline.

00:01:33: And then Ryan Hall adds another interesting layer.

00:01:35: He frames ABM as a powerful set of tactics, sure, but within a broader sales engine.

00:01:39: He really emphasizes it shouldn't, you know, dominate your entire sales playbook.

00:01:43: It's one effective lever used correctly.

00:01:46: I think that clarification is really crucial.

00:01:48: It shifts the view from ABM being the strategy to ABM enabling the strategy.

00:01:53: So what does this actually mean for people trying to start or maybe improve their ABM?

00:01:58: Deanna Graves pointed out a common and pretty costly mistake.

00:02:02: Companies buying ABM tech say like six cents before they've actually built a clear tailored strategy.

00:02:09: The classic tech first approach.

00:02:12: And the result, as Deanna explains it, often zero impact.

00:02:16: You waste the investment.

00:02:17: And maybe worse, the sales team just doesn't buy in.

00:02:20: Exactly.

00:02:21: So the message is crystal clear.

00:02:23: Strategy first.

00:02:24: Build it.

00:02:25: Get agreement on it.

00:02:27: Then think about expanding the tech's reach.

00:02:29: Otherwise you're putting the cart before the horse.

00:02:31: So if tech isn't the starting point, that begs the question.

00:02:35: How do you figure out the best strategy for your specific

00:02:38: company?

00:02:38: Right.

00:02:39: Samara Donald offered some really good guidance here.

00:02:41: She stressed that generic best practices.

00:02:44: Well, they aren't always best for your unique situation.

00:02:46: Exactly.

00:02:46: You need a customized rubric.

00:02:48: Samara suggests evaluating things like customer centricity, strategic alignment, repeatability, scalability, and even regional adaptability.

00:02:57: It's about tailoring the approach to your business context, not just copying someone else.

00:03:02: That makes sure your ABM strategy is actually sustainable, not just chasing a trend.

00:03:05: And that emphasis on customization is so important, especially when we look at why ABM sometimes fails.

00:03:11: Declan Mulkeen really hammered home the root causes.

00:03:14: Yeah, what did he highlight?

00:03:15: Things like a lack of leadership buy-in, maybe no clear link to the big business objectives, rushing the implementation steps, and often just wildly unrealistic expectations right at the beginning.

00:03:27: Yeah, Declan goes further.

00:03:28: He basically says ABM only truly works when it's treated as a new way of doing business.

00:03:34: It can't just be quick fix or some three-month pilot program, it needs that long-term commitment, that mindset shift across the organization.

00:03:42: It's foundational.

00:03:43: Right.

00:03:43: It's structural.

00:03:44: And connecting this to what's actually happening out there, Alexei Joven's audit of over fifty B-to-B companies.

00:03:51: Really eye-opening.

00:03:52: What

00:03:52: did it find?

00:03:52: Only a tiny fraction, about three percent, are doing what he calls true one point one ABM.

00:03:59: You know, that super ultra personalized approach for maybe fewer than twenty five accounts.

00:04:03: Wow, three percent.

00:04:05: That's remarkably low, isn't it?

00:04:06: It really

00:04:07: is.

00:04:07: It suggests that while one point one ABM might be the ideal everyone talks about, maybe many companies are over-aiming or just don't meet that strict definition.

00:04:16: This audit helps us see the whole spectrum, right?

00:04:18: From intense one to.

00:04:21: to more programmatic styles, and even what Alexi calls targeted demand, Jan.

00:04:25: Yeah, it shows there isn't just one way.

00:04:27: There are many effective flavors of ABM.

00:04:29: Exactly.

00:04:30: Not everyone needs to be doing true one point one.

00:04:32: Okay, so moving from those strategic foundations, our next theme really drills down into precision.

00:04:38: There was a huge focus on LinkedIn about how we define and target accounts with, well, much greater accuracy, less broad strokes, more surgical.

00:04:47: Indeed.

00:04:48: The discussion really highlights moving away from those, let's say, generic ideal customer profiles towards deeply understanding problem-fit segmentation.

00:04:56: And then intentionally selecting those real priority accounts.

00:04:59: Favosarresti's ABM Playbook, for instance, it emphasizes really studying your existing customers to build back-tested ICP models.

00:05:07: Back-tested models, okay.

00:05:08: Yeah, and meticulously mapping your total addressable market.

00:05:11: It's dynamic, data-driven, forget static lists.

00:05:14: And this precision, it's not just theory.

00:05:17: it directly impacts results.

00:05:19: Right.

00:05:20: Jonathan Bland's analysis showed, get this, a thirty-three percent increase in click-through rates and a thirty-one percent jump in conversion rates.

00:05:29: Wow.

00:05:29: Just by using target account lists on LinkedIn compared to their native audiences, that's a huge boost from just refining the target.

00:05:36: Well,

00:05:36: it makes sense, doesn't it?

00:05:38: When your messaging is crafted for a list, you've really vetted accounts that genuinely fit your criteria, is going to resonate more, it speaks directly to their needs, every impression just counts more.

00:05:49: Okay.

00:05:49: And here's where it gets really practical for building that targeting strategy.

00:05:52: Mason Cosby offered this like multi-layered approach.

00:05:55: Oh, interesting.

00:05:56: How does that work?

00:05:57: He recommends starting with your absolute best customers, find those common threads, then layer in insights from customer success

00:06:05: to avoid churn risks.

00:06:07: Exactly.

00:06:07: Avoid accounts likely to churn quickly and then.

00:06:10: even pressure test it with finance data to make sure they're not just winnable but actually profitable accounts.

00:06:15: I

00:06:16: really like that approach from Maison.

00:06:18: It's not just about who could buy, but who should buy and who's likely to be a good long-term partner.

00:06:23: Good

00:06:23: point.

00:06:24: And crucially, he emphasizes targeting isn't set it and forget it.

00:06:29: Right.

00:06:29: It needs refreshing.

00:06:30: Every

00:06:31: six months or so, you need to fold in win-loss insights, track market shifts, adapt to product changes.

00:06:37: It has to be a living roadmap for sales and marketing.

00:06:39: That continuous refinement is key, especially in fast-moving markets.

00:06:43: And we also saw Wendy Lee highlighting regional differences.

00:06:47: Exactly.

00:06:48: She noted that in APAC, for example, localization often beats those one-size-fits-all global playbooks.

00:06:54: A good reminder that even the sharpest ICP needs local tuning.

00:06:58: Absolutely.

00:06:58: Cultural context matters.

00:07:00: Okay, so the discussion around who we target naturally flows into how we engage them.

00:07:04: And the LinkedIn posts were just buzzing about signals and understanding buying groups.

00:07:08: This is really where the rubber meets the road.

00:07:10: Yeah, what's striking here is this strong consensus building around buying groups.

00:07:14: They're seen as the core unit for planning and pipeline, not just individuals, not even the whole account in the abstract.

00:07:21: Gabe Rogel made a really compelling point.

00:07:23: What was

00:07:23: that?

00:07:23: He said pipeline maps directly to buying groups, not the account itself, that shift in perspective.

00:07:30: It's critical for making ABM operational and predictable.

00:07:33: So if buying groups are the core, what's the risk or the cost of not listening to the signals they send out?

00:07:41: Offman Codrie painted a pretty vivid picture of that.

00:07:44: He described how ignoring clear buyer signals, you know, like a VP of sales, heating your site multiple times with no follow-up.

00:07:51: Yeah, happens all the time.

00:07:52: Right.

00:07:53: It leads to massive wasted resources, completely missed opportunities, and ultimately your performance just declines.

00:08:00: He even offered a practical five-step plan to fix that kind of issue in thirty days.

00:08:04: Shows the direct impact of just acting on those clues.

00:08:07: It's

00:08:07: about closing that gap between seeing interest and actually doing something proactive about it.

00:08:12: And building on that, Sammy Goetze shared some frankly incredible results.

00:08:16: They combined AI with intense signals and raised positive reply rates for their LinkedIn outreach from the typical maybe one, two percent up to over twenty percent.

00:08:28: Twenty

00:08:28: percent, that's huge.

00:08:29: And get this, they closed six figure deals in less than three months using this approach.

00:08:34: Wow.

00:08:35: Beyond just tracking signals, Sammy actually breaks down the different types, first, second, third-party signals they monitor.

00:08:41: It really highlights that AI plus intent isn't just future talk, it's delivering these kinds of massive results now.

00:08:48: But it's important to be clear about what intent signals actually are, right?

00:08:51: Debjit Sen reinforced this point.

00:08:53: What was his take?

00:08:54: He

00:08:54: stated very clearly, intense signals are not leads, they're not definitive buying intent, they're just clues.

00:08:59: Ah,

00:09:00: okay.

00:09:00: An important distinction.

00:09:01: The

00:09:01: real value, he says, comes from how you act on those clues.

00:09:04: Precisely, DebGee's advice is basically, choose your signals wisely, define with sales what's actually worth acting on.

00:09:10: Collaboration is key.

00:09:12: Absolutely.

00:09:12: Bring all those insights together in one place, and then plan value-adding plays that actually make the conversation easier for the sales team.

00:09:20: It's the strategy around the signals that unlocks the power.

00:09:24: And Vladimir Blagojevich goes even deeper on this.

00:09:26: He argues that those true buying intent signals, the obvious hand raises, they're actually pretty rare.

00:09:33: Interesting.

00:09:33: So what's the role of other signals then?

00:09:35: He sees them as... eliminating that black box in the middle of the funnel, helping you move accounts from just passive engagement towards a real opportunity.

00:09:44: OK, so guiding them along the journey.

00:09:46: Exactly.

00:09:47: Vladimir provides this framework for defining signals, like is it about awareness, a business trigger, a product need?

00:09:54: And then aligning specific sales and marketing actions to each signal type.

00:09:58: He cautions against treating all signals the same, reinforcing Divjit's point about context.

00:10:04: Yeah, understanding the why behind the signal is crucial to avoid wasting effort.

00:10:08: Okay, moved on.

00:10:09: Our deep dive also showed a really clear, powerful emphasis on orchestration across channels and making sure every single interaction feels deeply personal.

00:10:19: This is where ABM can really deliver those tailored experiences.

00:10:22: Okay, let's unpack that.

00:10:24: JLL reminds us that true ABM really is multi-touch orchestration.

00:10:28: across sales and marketing.

00:10:30: Right, breaking down silos.

00:10:31: Totally.

00:10:31: We're talking email, LinkedIn, direct mail, SDR outreach, events all meticulously aligned around the same account journey.

00:10:40: No more disconnected campaigns.

00:10:42: It needs to be a cohesive system speaking with one voice.

00:10:45: In that holistic approach, it translates directly into needing serious personalization.

00:10:50: Romeo Man shared that hyper-personalized landing pages.

00:10:54: Okay.

00:10:54: The ones that reference a prospects brand colors may be recent hires.

00:10:57: their strategic priorities, they convert at an astounding fifteen-twenty-five percent.

00:11:02: Fifteen to twenty-five percent?

00:11:03: Wow, that's an incredible uplift for a landing page.

00:11:06: It's

00:11:06: phenomenal.

00:11:07: How are people even achieving that kind of personalization at scale?

00:11:10: Well, Romeo actually detailed how they're doing it.

00:11:12: They're using AI plus tools like clay, that's a data enrichment tool, and WebSlow, the website builder.

00:11:19: They use these to dynamically generate Hundreds of unique landing pages.

00:11:24: Hundreds.

00:11:24: Wow.

00:11:25: Yeah.

00:11:25: It basically makes every prospect feel like they're your only prospect, drastically boosts relevance and, well, obviously conversion.

00:11:34: Okay.

00:11:34: And here's a really interesting angle on the content side.

00:11:37: A bit of a flip on traditional content marketing.

00:11:40: Michael Leibovich introduced this powerful idea, prospect stories.

00:11:45: Prospect stories.

00:11:46: What does that mean?

00:11:47: It means creating content with your actual target accounts, giving them the spotlight.

00:11:52: Oh, I see.

00:11:53: Like featuring them.

00:11:54: Exactly.

00:11:54: Imagine featuring a target account in an interview or maybe a mini case study where they are the hero of the story, not just the customer.

00:12:01: That's a really fresh take.

00:12:02: Yeah.

00:12:02: It must build incredible trust, makes them feel seen, right?

00:12:05: Totally.

00:12:06: And it shapes the pipeline by elevating them as partners, not just targets.

00:12:10: Content becomes collaboration.

00:12:13: And if we connect that to how people consume information, Ziv Scheinfeld and Dorothea Gosling both highlighted something powerful.

00:12:21: People listen to people more than brands.

00:12:23: So true.

00:12:24: Ziv's thought leader adds strategy, for example.

00:12:26: It leverages personal profiles over generic brand pages, build authenticity, builds trust.

00:12:31: Which

00:12:32: translates directly into opportunity.

00:12:33: Exactly.

00:12:34: That authentic storytelling.

00:12:35: Yeah.

00:12:35: From real people.

00:12:37: It creates belief.

00:12:38: It often decides who wins.

00:12:40: And for those maybe smaller, super-targeted audiences, Joshua Stout recommended ultra-personalized messaging.

00:12:46: Yeah.

00:12:46: Like rotating ads and content to create a really bespoke journey.

00:12:51: Calling out the specific company or role, maybe using their logo, directly hitting their pain points, deep relevance for maximum impact.

00:12:58: Making every touch point incredibly specific.

00:13:01: Got it.

00:13:01: Okay, now.

00:13:02: We can't talk ABM today without talking AI.

00:13:05: It's unavoidable.

00:13:06: The posts from the last two weeks make it absolutely clear.

00:13:08: AI isn't just the future anymore.

00:13:10: It's here, now.

00:13:12: And it's a massive force multiplier for ABM.

00:13:14: Yeah, what's fascinating is the consistent message coming through.

00:13:17: like from Lorenzo's Pinozi.

00:13:19: He says AI enhances the ABM method.

00:13:21: Enhances not replaces.

00:13:23: Exactly.

00:13:23: It accelerates mapping, personalization, timing.

00:13:26: It makes existing ABMs smarter and faster.

00:13:28: And Dan Rowe even envisions AI platforms learning in real time, predicting intent before humans could even spot it.

00:13:35: Predicting intent.

00:13:37: That's a potential game changer.

00:13:39: And for anyone listening who's wondering, OK, how do I actually use AI right now?

00:13:43: Good question.

00:13:43: Cut to a terrible sky, shirt five, really practical AI workflows.

00:13:47: Like what?

00:13:47: Covering everything from enhanced account discovery and targeting using tools like Clay, HubSpot, Zapier.

00:13:55: OK,

00:13:55: the tech stack.

00:13:56: Right.

00:13:56: To crafting hyper-personalized content with tools like, I think it was Cloud MCP, and even predictive pipeline optimization.

00:14:04: And the results she reported.

00:14:06: for this, a four hundred and fifty-four percent ROI using these methods.

00:14:10: Wow,

00:14:10: four hundred and fifty-four percent.

00:14:12: Yeah,

00:14:13: that number alone should be a wake-up call for every B to B marketer.

00:14:16: Start experimenting, start integrating AI strategically.

00:14:19: It's not just efficiency, it's significant ROI.

00:14:22: Okay, that four hundred and fifty-four percent is huge.

00:14:25: If someone listening wants to start, what's maybe the lowest-hitting fruit, the quickest win to get buy-in?

00:14:31: Well, Looking at Conti's example, starting with that intelligent account discovery and maybe the hyper-personalized content generation, those often show tangible results fastest.

00:14:41: It leverages AI for scale and relevance where it's already strong.

00:14:45: That makes sense.

00:14:46: But, you know, Ombracash Group and N offered a really great nuanced view on where AI truly shines in Enterprise ABM.

00:14:52: Where's that?

00:14:53: Sharper customer intelligence, better competitive insights, personalization at scale.

00:14:58: Definitely.

00:14:59: But also optimizing content for AI searches and even creating custom GPTs as strategic assets.

00:15:04: Custom GPTs?

00:15:05: Interesting.

00:15:06: But he also added a caution, right?

00:15:07: You did.

00:15:08: A wise one.

00:15:09: He clarified that Enterprise ABM cannot be fully automated.

00:15:12: Why not?

00:15:12: Because that crucial alignment across marketing, sales, CS, leadership, it still absolutely requires human judgment, empathy.

00:15:21: AI amplifies, but it doesn't replace the human touch.

00:15:24: Got it.

00:15:24: AI assists doesn't take over strategy.

00:15:27: Precisely.

00:15:27: And Aaron Carpenter really drives this point home.

00:15:29: He says, AI isn't the future of ABM.

00:15:32: It's right now.

00:15:34: But then his data shows this critical gap.

00:15:36: Only thirty-six percent of teams actually have a concrete plan for AI.

00:15:40: Only thirty-six percent.

00:15:41: That's a big gap.

00:15:42: It's

00:15:42: a massive opportunity and a clear call to action.

00:15:45: Get strategic about AI, folks.

00:15:47: And building on that idea of influence, Michael Hardy suggested something interesting, the new B to B influencers.

00:15:53: They aren't just people anymore.

00:15:55: Who

00:15:55: are they then?

00:15:55: LLMs, large language models.

00:15:57: Ah,

00:15:57: the AIs themselves.

00:15:58: Yeah,

00:15:59: he outlined this playbook where LinkedIn thought leaders combined with ABM, maybe using tools like funnel fuel, can leverage this credibility.

00:16:06: How so?

00:16:07: Turning that human influencer investment into powerful ad creative seeding citations for long term gains.

00:16:14: It's this blend of human and machine influence, recognizing how trust and info spread now.

00:16:19: Fascinating.

00:16:20: Okay, for our final theme, but arguably the most foundational one, let's zero in on sales and marketing.

00:16:25: how they truly work together and how we measure impact that actually matters to the business.

00:16:30: This is often where ABM succeeds or fails.

00:16:32: Okay, let's unpack this.

00:16:34: Dean McGinnis was very, very direct on this point.

00:16:37: How direct?

00:16:38: He basically said, if sales isn't involved, you're not running ABM.

00:16:42: You're just doing targeted marketing and calling it ABM.

00:16:46: Ouch.

00:16:47: Pretty blunt.

00:16:47: But clear.

00:16:49: He emphasizes real ABM works only when sales and marketing move together, co-creating plays, coordinating outreach.

00:16:56: That alignment is an optional, it's fundamental.

00:16:59: And that sentiment was echoed by others too, like Makayla Munetsk and Fred Diamond.

00:17:03: They both stressed alignment is crucial.

00:17:06: Their focus was on building deep trust between the teams and deploying customized messaging together at every stage of the buyer journey.

00:17:13: It's an ongoing rhythm, right?

00:17:14: Not a one-off project.

00:17:15: Exactly.

00:17:16: Continuous collaboration.

00:17:17: So if that's the model, what does this alignment mean for measurement?

00:17:22: What should we actually track?

00:17:23: Devel, L, and Gabe Rogel were very clear here.

00:17:26: The shift is definitely away from being MQL-centric.

00:17:29: Okay, so less focus on MQLs.

00:17:31: Much less.

00:17:31: Instead, the focus is on things like account engagement, buying committee coverage, stage progression, and ultimately direct pipeline impact.

00:17:39: What?

00:17:40: Yeah.

00:17:41: Gabe Rogel put it powerfully.

00:17:42: ABM isn't the goal.

00:17:44: Pipeline is.

00:17:45: And buying groups are the bridge between the two.

00:17:47: That's a great quote.

00:17:48: Shift the focus from activity to outcome.

00:17:51: Critical distinction, moving from lead quantity to engagement quality within key accounts.

00:17:57: However, Andrei Zinkovich offered a bit of a challenge to the common advice of just ditching MQLs completely without a replacement.

00:18:05: Oh, what was his perspective?

00:18:08: He suggested the problem isn't necessarily the MQL definition itself, but rather the broken playbook often associated with

00:18:15: it.

00:18:15: Ah, so fix the process, not just the metric.

00:18:17: Kind of his recommendation.

00:18:19: Refine the playbook.

00:18:21: Treat MQLs as just one engagement signal among others.

00:18:24: Pair it with strong account engagement metrics.

00:18:26: Track velocity.

00:18:27: Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater, maybe.

00:18:29: Okay, a more nuanced view.

00:18:30: And Oliver Marshall will put it very simply in the end.

00:18:33: What truly matters?

00:18:34: Does sales believe the account is worth their time and effort?

00:18:37: The ultimate test.

00:18:38: If it passes that test, your measurement framework is probably doing its job.

00:18:41: Makes sense.

00:18:43: Okay, so tying a lot of this together, here's a final thought for you to mull over.

00:18:46: As AI gets better and better at automating personalized outreach, at uncovering buying signals, how do we, as B to B marketers, make sure we're not just driving efficient campaigns?

00:18:56: How do we also foster that deep human trust, that genuine partnership that ultimately differentiates a brand and secures those really big, long-term, high-value deals?

00:19:07: Something to think about.

00:19:08: If you enjoyed this deep dive, new additions drop every two weeks.

00:19:12: Also check out our other additions covering field marketing, channel and partner marketing, AI in B to B, Martek, go to market and social selling.

00:19:20: Thanks so much for diving deep with us into the latest ABM insights from LinkedIn today.

00:19:24: We really hope this gave you some valuable takeaways and some truly actionable ideas for your own B to B marketing strategies.

00:19:30: Yeah, we really appreciate you spending your time with us.

00:19:32: And hey, don't forget to subscribe so you don't miss our next deep dive.