🕵🏻‍♂️ 6 Proven ABM Playbooks

Dear Trenchers,

In today’s newsletter, we'll unveil 6 content-led ABM playbooks designed to transform the way you engage with your target accounts. 

Discover how to create personalized buyer experiences that drive real results.

Let’s dive in!

Playbook 1:  One-to-one Awareness Content Playbook

Your first step is making sure your target accounts are aware of who you are—and it starts by understanding who they are and what they need.

Step 1: Research & Survey Target Accounts and Buyers: Before you create any content, understand the specific challenges your buyers face. A simple approach is to directly ask them. For example, reach out to a target account you’re connected with on LinkedIn and ask something like:

Step 2: Create Content Addressing Their Challenges: Use their feedback to craft content that directly speaks to their pain points. This content should be informative and valuable—think blog posts, videos, or LinkedIn posts that showcase your knowledge in addressing the challenges they mentioned.

Step 3: Use Insights to Start a Conversation: Once you have relevant content, reach back out and share it, positioning yourself as a partner who’s truly listening. This content is your icebreaker to drive meaningful conversations.

2. The “I Want What They Got” Demand Generation Playbook

As buyers move further along their journey, they need to see proof that your solution works for companies like theirs. The goal here is to create desire by showing them tangible results others have achieved.

Step 1: Showcase Case Studies & Success Stories: Share case studies and guides that highlight how similar businesses solved their challenges using your solution. But don’t just push out a basic testimonial—focus on telling the story of the problem, process, and outcome in a way that feels relevant and relatable to your target account.

Step 2: Create FOMO (Fear of Missing Out): Use content that naturally builds interest by demonstrating what your customers achieved. When prospects see someone similar succeeding with your solution, they’re more likely to think, “I want what they got!”

Step 3: Align Content to Their Buying Stage: As you share this content, tailor it to where they are in their journey. Are they still evaluating? Give them success stories that speak to due diligence. Are they narrowing options? Highlight the results and ROI your solution delivered.

3. Insider Account Info 1:1 Playbook

If you're sharing content on LinkedIn and content hubs, you’ll be able to identify engaged buyers, continue the conversation, and book discovery calls.

4. Personalized 1:1 Solution Playbook

Steps:

1. Run Deep-Dive Research: For accounts showing strong interest, dig deeper. Understand their business objectives, KPIs, and challenges. Then, map your value proposition specifically to their needs.

2. Tailor Content to Support Your Message: Identify the content assets that best communicate how your solution can drive results for them. Whether it’s case studies, ROI calculators, or industry reports, make sure the content is hyper-relevant.

3. Distribute via Personalized Channels: Share this content through targeted channels like direct mail (e.g., sending a personalized gift or booklet), social selling (e.g., customized LinkedIn outreach), and personalized content hubs that offer a curated experience for each account.

5. Bring Over the Fence 1:1 Playbook

Steps:

1. Collaborate with AEs to Analyze the Pipeline: Work closely with your account executives to identify deals that are stuck in the pipeline. Focus on accounts that share common challenges or objections.

2. Host a ‘Live Case Study’ Webinar: Organize a webinar featuring a current customer with similar challenges to your pipeline accounts. The key is to make it interactive—personally invite your target accounts and ask them what they’d like to learn from the session.

3. Follow Up with Personalized Content: After the webinar, share relevant takeaways, clips, or resources directly tied to the objections your pipeline accounts raised. This keeps the momentum going and provides value beyond the event.

6. Account Advocate 1:1 Playbook

Work with AEs and CS to collect account insights, and book interviews with champions to discuss the value created by your product.

For expansion, prioritize regions and/or departments, run additional research, and start engaging target buyers (see 1 above).

Create a dedicated webinar with the champion and promote it internally, following a similar approach to Playbook #5.

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ABM is not about building target lists, running programmatic ads, and adding engaged accounts to automated cadences.

ABM is about creating personalized experiences for target buyers across their buying journey.

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QUESTIONS FROM FELLOW TRENCHERS

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See you in Trenches 😉

Adé Odjo 😎