Most B2B marketing campaigns could drive faster, more reliable results while spending less – all they have to do is focus exclusively on their highest-value buyers. That is what account-based marketing (ABM) promises, and with the right HubSpot setup, you can achieve it with confidence.
This article draws on our experience working with 50+ B2B companies to show you exactly how to leverage HubSpot for powerful ABM strategies that drive unparalleled marketing ROI.
Expect to learn:
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is a strategic approach that aligns marketing and sales efforts to target high-value accounts with personalized campaigns. The net result? Deeper relationships, faster sales cycles and higher ROI. In fact, 70% of B2B marketers reported increased revenue after implementing ABM in 2023.
B2B companies often operate within a limited Total Addressable Market (TAM), with many companies competing over a handful of high-value customers. Account-based marketing solves this problem, enabling B2B marketers to:
All of these factors make ABM a no-brainer for B2B marketers. But how can you actually realize all these benefits?
Account-based marketing requires extensive data and the ability to understand your target accounts at a granular level. This is the most common hurdle for most B2B marketers: how would I actually go about reaching individual buyers at specific companies?
HubSpot offers a robust suite of tools specifically designed for ABM, addressing many of the challenges that B2B marketers face:
To start tunning ABM campaigns within HubSpot, you’ll need the following:
HubSpot offers a variety of tools specifically designed for ABM:
This feature provides an overview of your target accounts, showing engagement levels and key metrics. The dashboard serves as a centralized hub where both marketing and sales teams can monitor account activity, ensuring seamless collaboration. You can track engagement touchpoints, such as email opens, ad clicks, and website visits, to assess which accounts are ready for outreach or require further nurturing.
Custom properties like Ideal ICP Tier and Buying Role help you categorize and prioritize accounts. These properties allow you to assign specific roles to key stakeholders within each account, ensuring that your team knows who the decision-makers and influencers are. By segmenting accounts based on tiers, you can focus more resources on high-priority accounts while still nurturing lower-tier prospects.
This allows you to create highly targeted ad campaigns for decision-makers within your target accounts. The integration lets you upload your target account lists directly into LinkedIn, ensuring your ads reach the right audience. Additionally, you can track ad performance within HubSpot to measure engagement and refine your targeting strategy for better ROI.
This allows you to automate and personalize communication based on account activity and preferences:
Planning is critical for ABM's success. Here’s how to get started:
Use your ICP criteria to select accounts that offer the highest value potential.
Begin by reviewing your CRM data to identify companies that closely match your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). Leverage tools like HubSpot’s AI-powered account recommendations to discover hidden opportunities within your database.
Identify decision-makers and influencers to target within each account. Understanding the internal structure of your target accounts is crucial. Assign buying roles such as Decision Maker, Budget Holder, and Influencer to ensure your campaigns address the right people at the right time.
Determine what you want to achieve, such as increased engagement, meetings booked, or deals closed. Clear, measurable goals will help align your team and guide campaign execution. For instance, specific KPIs can be set, such as achieving a 30% increase in account engagement or booking ten new meetings with key stakeholders within the first quarter.
Tailor your messaging to address the unique challenges and goals of each account. Use insights from your ICP and stakeholder mapping to craft highly relevant content, such as case studies, personalized email sequences, or industry-specific whitepapers. Personalized content demonstrates your deep understanding of the account’s needs, increasing the likelihood of engagement.
Deploying an ABM campaign in HubSpot involves several steps:
The Target Accounts Dashboard provides a real-time view of each account’s engagement and activity, helping you prioritize follow-ups. Populate it with your selected accounts and use it to track key metrics, such as:
These will help your team stay on top of the most promising opportunities.
Automate outreach based on specific triggers, such as website visits or email interactions.
HubSpot’s workflow automation allows you to tailor your messaging based on a lead’s behavior, ensuring timely and relevant follow-ups. For instance, if a contact downloads a whitepaper, the workflow can automatically send a follow-up email offering a related case study or webinar invite.
Use LinkedIn Ads integration to reach decision-makers in your target accounts. This feature enables precise targeting by syncing your target account list with LinkedIn’s audience data. You can create ad campaigns that highlight your value propositions and directly address the pain points of decision-makers, driving them to engage with your brand.
Leverage HubSpot’s email tools to nurture your accounts with relevant content and offers. Craft email sequences that are tailored to the recipient’s role and stage in the buying journey. HubSpot’s sequencing tools also provide performance insights, helping you refine your messaging and improve open and click-through rates over time.
Companies that regularly optimize their ABM campaigns report 208% more revenue contribution compared to those that don’t. HubSpot provides the tools you need to continuously improve:
Use HubSpot’s reporting features to track email opens, ad clicks, and website visits.
Tracking these metrics helps you identify which accounts are engaging most actively with your content. HubSpot’s detailed reports allow you to see engagement at both the account and individual contact levels, giving you a clearer picture of which strategies are working and where improvements are needed.
Use the Target Accounts Dashboard to gain a real-time view of where each account stands in the buyer’s journey. Track key milestones, such as lead conversions, meeting bookings, and deal advancements. By regularly reviewing account progress, you can prioritize high-value accounts that are close to making a purchasing decision and allocate resources accordingly.
Experiment with different messages, subject lines, and content formats to see what resonates best. HubSpot’s A/B testing tools allow you to compare performance across multiple versions of your content. For example, test two different subject lines to determine which drives higher open rates or compare call-to-action designs to see which yields more conversions.
Use data-driven insights to refine your approach and improve campaign outcomes. HubSpot’s analytics provide actionable recommendations based on campaign performance. Whether it’s shifting focus to higher-performing channels or revising underperforming messaging, leveraging these insights ensures your ABM efforts remain agile and effective.
ProperExpression is a full-stack B2B marketing agency that helps companies of all sizes deliver winning ABM strategies. We are a HubSpot Platinum Partner and use our platform expertise to increase the efficiency, precision, and ROI of your campaigns.
Want to learn how we could help you find, nurture and convert your ideal buyers?