An ABM strategy is the plan that decides which accounts you will pursue, who inside each account you need to reach, what each person hears, and how you will know it is working. Without that plan, ABM turns into a few personalized ads. With it, sales and marketing work the same list toward the same goal.
Definition: An ABM strategy is the written plan that sets the target accounts, the buying-group roles to reach, the plays and channels, the owners, and the measures for an account-based program.
What Is an ABM Strategy, and Why Do Most Programs Lack One?
Most teams run ABM tactics before they agree on a plan. For example, they buy an intent tool, launch account ads, and send a few personal emails. However, nobody has decided which accounts matter most or what counts as progress.
The data backs this up. The Momentum ITSMA 2023 ABM benchmarking study of 279 ABM heads and practitioners found that only 17% of programs are fully embedded in the go-to-market plan. In other words, most ABM still runs on the side.
That is why a written strategy matters. It turns ABM from a campaign into a way of working that both teams follow. If you need the basics first, start with our guide to what account-based marketing is.
The Six Stages of an ABM Strategy
Every stage below has one goal, one owner, and one output. As a result, nothing falls between marketing and sales.
| Stage | Goal | Owner | Output |
| 1. Set goals and fit | Agree on what the program must achieve and which companies qualify. | Marketing and sales leaders | Written goals and an ideal customer profile |
| 2. Select and tier accounts. | Choose accounts on fit and intent, then assign a tier. | ABM lead with sales | A tiered target account list |
| 3. Map buying groups | Name the roles to reach in each account. | ABM lead with SDRs | A role map and contact gaps per account |
| 4. Build account plans | Decide the message, offer, and proof for each account or cluster. | ABM lead, content and account executive | One-page account plans |
| 5. Run coordinated plays. | Reach several roles across channels in a set order. | Marketing, SDRs, and account executives | Live plays with owners and dates |
| 6. Measure and adjust | Track account progress and move effort to what works. | Marketing ops with sales leaders | A monthly account review and an updated list |
What Happens at Each Stage of an ABM Strategy
Stage 1: Set goals and fit. First, agree on what the program must produce, such as meetings, opportunities, or expansion revenue. Then write down the ideal customer profile, so both teams judge accounts the same way.
Stage 2: Select and tier accounts. Next, pick accounts that fit the profile and show signs of research. After that, place each one in a tier: 1:1 for a few strategic accounts, 1:few for clusters, and 1:many for the rest. Our guide shows how to build your target account list.
Stage 3: Map buying groups. Here you list the roles that shape each decision. Also note which roles you have no contact with yet, because those gaps decide your outreach plan.
Stage 4: Build account plans. Each 1:1 account and each 1:few cluster gets a one-page plan. It covers the business problem, the message for each role, the proof you will use, and the next step you want.
Stage 5: Run coordinated plays. Now marketing and sales work from the same calendar. For instance, ads and content warm up the account first, and SDR outreach follows once people engage.
Stage 6: Measure and adjust. Finally, review account progress every month. Then move effort away from accounts that stay quiet and toward accounts that start to move.
What Goes Into a One-Page Account Plan?
Stage 4 is where most programs cut corners. However, a short written plan keeps every person on the account working from the same facts. Each plan should answer six questions:
- What problem does this account have right now? Use recent triggers, such as a merger, a new leader, or a system change.
- Who are the roles we need to reach? List names where you have them and gaps where you do not.
- What does each role need to hear? For example, finance cares about cost, while IT cares about the effort to deploy.
- What proof will we use? Pick a case study, benchmark, or reference that matches the account’s industry.
- What is the next step we want? Usually, this is a first meeting with a named person.
- Who owns the account, and when do we review it? Name one marketer and one seller.
How an ABM Strategy Reaches the Whole Buying Group
B2B purchases are group decisions. Forrester’s State of Business Buying 2024 found that, on average, 13 people take part in a buying decision. So a program that reaches one contact per account leaves most of the decision untouched.
That is why coverage needs a target in every tier. A practical starting point looks like this:
- 1:many accounts: reach three to five people across at least two departments.
- 1:few accounts: reach six to ten people, including the likely budget owner.
- 1:1 accounts: map and reach the full buying group, including anyone who could block the deal.
Coverage also matters most late in the deal. For example, one champion can leave the company, and the deal often goes quiet with them. Our guide to single-threaded deals explains this risk, and our role matrix helps you map each buying group.
Which Channels Does Each Play Need?
Generally, no single channel can reach a whole buying group. Instead, each channel does one job, and the plan decides the order.
| Channel | Main job | Best tier |
| Intent-led display | Make your name familiar to every role before outreach. | 1:many and 1:few |
| Content syndication | Put useful content in front of target roles and capture opt-in interest. | 1:many and 1:few |
| Role-based email | Send each role the asset that fits its concerns. | All tiers |
| SDR calls and LinkedIn | Start conversations with people who are engaged. | 1:few and 1:1 |
| Webinars and roundtables | Bring peers together around a shared problem. | 1:few |
| Direct mail and executive events | Earn time with senior buyers. | 1:1 |
In practice, most plays run in three waves. First, display and syndicated content build familiarity. Then email delivers role-specific assets. After that, SDRs and account executives reach out to the people who engaged, with a reason to talk.
Who Owns What Between Sales and Marketing?
ABM fails when each team assumes the other one owns the account. So split the work clearly and write it down.
- Marketing owns account research, content, ads, syndication, email, and the engagement report.
- Sales owns the final account list, relationship insight, outreach to engaged contacts, meetings, and opportunity updates.
- Both teams own the account plans and the monthly review, because that is where decisions get made.
Also agree on a follow-up rule. For example, sales contacts any engaged person in a 1:few accounts within one business day. Without a rule like this, engagement fades before anyone calls.
How to Measure an ABM Strategy Without Fooling Yourself
Lead volume is the wrong scoreboard for ABM, because ABM targets fewer people on purpose. Instead, use your monthly review to answer three questions:
- Are we reaching more roles in each target account than last month?
- Are target accounts reaching meetings and opportunities more often than similar accounts outside the program?
- Where should next month’s effort go, and which accounts should leave the list?
Above all, the second question matters. It compares target accounts with a control group, so you can see what the program changed. Larger teams running enterprise ABM programs usually add win rate and deal size to this comparison.
How ColedaB2B Supports Your ABM Strategy
As a partner, we run each account-based marketing strategy with our own team, from account research to multi-touch plays. All execution stays in-house, so the same people who plan the program also run it.
Our intent data comes from our own network of B2B publishers, including TechsterHub, MarTechSpace, SalesTechSpace, and HRsTechSpace. When people from a target account read related content on these sites, we see which accounts are researching and which roles are involved. As a result, we can pick accounts, time outreach, and choose the message with real signals.
When the goal moves from reaching accounts to shaping every touchpoint they see, we extend the program into account-based experience (ABX).
Send us your target account list, or the start of one. We will show which accounts show intent across our publishers, which roles we can reach in each, and which plays to run first.
Get a target account engagement plan
FAQs:
Start with accounts that match your ideal customer profile, then rank them by intent signals and existing relationships. Sales should approve the final list, because sales will work it.
It depends on the tier. A practical starting point is three to five contacts in 1:many accounts, six to ten in 1:few accounts, and the full buying group in 1:1 accounts.
Most programs combine intent-led display, content syndication, role-based email, and SDR outreach. In addition, 1:1 programs often add events and direct mail for senior buyers.
Track how many roles you reach per account, then compare meetings and opportunities in target accounts with similar accounts outside the program. Review the numbers every month.
Marketing owns research, content, and engagement. Sales owns the final account list and outreach to engaged contacts and opportunities, while both teams share account plans and the monthly review.
