Account-Based Marketing (ABM) has become a big deal in B2B. It’s all about focusing on high-value accounts and tailoring your marketing to meet their needs. But with so many businesses hopping on the ABM train, the challenge now is to take things up a notch and stand out. The next step in ABM involves even more personalization, using data in creative ways, and leveraging AI to deliver unique, valuable experiences.

In this guide, we will dive into some advanced ABM strategies you can use to stay ahead of the curve, backed by real-world numbers and case studies. Whether you’re new to ABM or just looking for fresh ideas, these insights will help you refine your approach.

1. From ABM to ABX: Elevating the Experience

What’s ABX, and Why Should You Care?

Account-Based Experience (ABX) is like ABM on steroids. Instead of focusing just on marketing and sales, ABX covers the entire customer experience—from the first time they hear about you to the day they renew their contract (and beyond). The idea is to make every touchpoint relevant and personalized, ensuring that customers feel valued throughout their journey.

Why Make the Shift?

• 70% of B2B buyers now expect personalized experiences, not just during the buying phase but throughout their entire relationship with your brand (Accenture).
• Companies using ABX report a 27% jump in annual revenue growth compared to those sticking with traditional ABM (Forrester).

How to Get Started with ABX:

1. Map Out the Customer Journey: Chart every step your customers take, from the initial discovery phase to post-sale interactions. This helps you identify where you can improve their experience.
2. Measure What Matters: Move beyond standard metrics like conversion rates. Track customer satisfaction, renewal rates, and loyalty to see how well your ABX efforts are paying off.
3. Teamwork is Key: Marketing, sales, and customer success teams need to collaborate more than ever. Sharing data and insights helps ensure a seamless experience for the customer at every stage.

Case Study: ABX in Action

A tech services company implemented ABX by bringing their marketing, sales, and customer success teams together. The result? They saw a 35% increase in renewals and a 25% boost in upsell opportunities over the next year. Plus, customer satisfaction scores jumped by 40%, proving that ABX pays off in more ways than one.

2. Hyper-Personalization: Taking It to the Next Level

What Is Hyper-Personalization?

It’s like personalization but way more advanced. Instead of just using a customer’s name in an email, hyper-personalization uses real-time data and AI to serve up content and experiences tailored specifically to their behaviors, preferences, and needs. Imagine a landing page that adapts based on what a visitor has clicked on in the past, or product recommendations that change in real-time based on their browsing habits.

Why Does It Matter?

• Emails that use hyper-personalization see a 93% increase in click-through rates compared to generic campaigns (Aberdeen Group).
• B2B companies using this approach see a 42% improvement in conversion rates from their target accounts (Forrester).

How to Get Started with Hyper-Personalization:

1. Dynamic Landing Pages: AI can create landing pages that adjust in real-time. For instance, if a CFO visits your site, they might see ROI-focused content, while a marketing director would get campaign performance data.
2. Real-Time Recommendations: Use AI to suggest products, services, or content based on what the visitor has already interacted with. The more relevant it is, the better your chances of converting them.
3. Personalized Outreach: Send emails, LinkedIn messages, or direct mail based on a prospect’s specific interests and needs, instead of generic outreach.

Pro Tip: Tools like Mutiny and Clear bit are great for implementing dynamic content and personalizing experiences with little coding effort.

Case Study: Real Results with Hyper-Personalization

A cybersecurity company used hyper-personalization on their website, tailoring content based on visitor behavior. They saw a 38% bump in demo requests and a 45% increase in engagement across the site. When they applied this strategy to email campaigns, open rates shot up by 55% and leads increased by 35%.

3. Using Intent Data to Nail the Timing

What’s Intent Data, Anyway?

Intent data shows you when companies are actively researching your solution (or your competitors). It lets you engage with accounts at the exact moment they’re most interested, improving your chances of converting them.

The Data Behind It:

• Companies using intent data see a 30% increase in account engagement (Demand Gen Report).
• Businesses that rely on intent data have a 31% higher win rate compared to those that don’t (Demand base).

How to Make the Most of Intent Data:

1. Layer Your Signals: Don’t just rely on one piece of data (like a web visit). Combine signals—like webinar attendance, whitepaper downloads, and social activity—to get a fuller picture of when an account is ready to buy.
2. Automate Outreach: Set up triggers that launch email sequences or targeted ads based on intent signals. This ensures your messaging hits at the right time.
3. Share the Wealth: Make sure both sales and customer success teams have access to this data. They can follow up on upsell or cross-sell opportunities as soon as intent spikes.

Pro Tip: Platforms like 6sense and Bombora help you track and make sense of intent data, so you can act on it quickly.

Case Study: Winning with Intent Data

A SaaS company wanted to target accounts showing interest in cloud migration. By identifying signals—like competitor content engagement, webinar attendance, and relevant downloads—they launched a multi-channel campaign that boosted engagement by 40% and opportunity creation by 33% within three months.

4. AI-Driven Predictive Sales: ABM’s Secret Weapon

Why AI is a Game-Changer in ABM

Artificial intelligence is becoming a must-have for predictive sales and marketing. AI can help you analyze data to figure out which accounts are most likely to convert, and even recommend the next best action for your sales team to take.

Here’s What the Numbers Say:

• Companies using predictive analytics see a 20% faster lead-to-deal conversion (Inside Sales).
• AI-driven insights can boost deal sizes by 35% by helping sales teams focus on the highest-value accounts early (McKinsey & Co).

How to Use AI in Your ABM Strategy:

1. AI-Driven Account Scoring: AI can look at a bunch of data points—like how often a prospect visits your site or engages with your content—and rank accounts by their likelihood to convert.
2. Next-Best Action Recommendations: AI can suggest what to do next, whether it’s sending a follow-up email, scheduling a demo, or offering a custom proposal.
3. Automated Chatbots: Use AI chatbots to engage with key accounts in real-time, offering personalized content or support as soon as they land on your site.

Pro Tip: XANT.ai is a great platform for integrating AI into your ABM strategy, especially when it comes to predictive insights and account targeting.

Case Study: AI in Action

An enterprise software company used AI to score accounts and predict which ones were most likely to convert. As a result, they saw a 22% improvement in lead-to-deal conversion and a 15% increase in win rates.

5. Account-Based Growth (ABG): Focusing on Upsells and Renewals

What is Account-Based Growth (ABG)?

While ABM usually focuses on landing new accounts, Account-Based Growth (ABG) shifts the focus to upselling, cross-selling, and expanding relationships with your current customers. It’s about maximizing value from your existing accounts by offering new products or services that meet their evolving needs.

Why You Should Care About ABG:

• 77% of B2B marketers say ABM has helped them improve their cross-sell and upsell efforts, resulting in a 35% revenue boost (Sirius Decisions).
• Businesses using ABG strategies see an 11x higher ROI than those focused solely on new customer acquisition (Marketa).

How to Implement ABG:

1. Segment for Growth: Look at your current accounts and identify those most likely to benefit from additional products or services.
2. Personalized Engagement: Create personalized marketing and sales campaigns aimed specifically at helping current customers grow with your brand.
3. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Make sure your sales, marketing, and customer success teams are aligned in driving growth within key accounts.

Case Study: ABG Success

A global IT solutions provider used ABG to grow relationships with its top clients. In just 12 months, they saw a 33% increase in contract values and a 27% higher renewal rate, thanks to focused upsell and cross-sell efforts.

Final Thoughts

Account-Based Marketing is evolving, and to stay