Account based marketing is whatever you want it to be

"More noise than action? Whilst there is a lot of noise around ABM, there aren't many visible examples of who is doing it well, and as Frederik Borestrom from Linkedin and Michael Wrigley from Verticurl respectively pointed out, many brands are doing bits of ABM but no one is doing it end to end. There are pockets of excellence, but they are definitely pockets for reasons we will explore."

"Now pop along to the other end of the spectrum. You have 100 plus accounts, and analysis from a company like Unrival reveals that there are 200 to 300 potential contacts. You can segment audiences by interest, industry and job role for mapping content and communications programmes, as well as email and events you want to engage through social channels and programmatic media."

Account-based marketing (ABM) predates recent vendor-driven attention and originates from sales-led account targeting. Marketing automation platforms and professional social networks have expanded the practical possibilities for ABM. Implementations range from pragmatic programs targeting a handful of key accounts and contacts using email, content, and events, to large-scale, data-intensive programs covering hundreds of accounts and thousands of contacts. Larger programs require segmentation by interest, industry, and role; account-based scoring; CRM integration; data management; personalization; behavioral segments; social and programmatic channels. The technical and organizational complexity explains why few organizations deliver fully end-to-end ABM and why initiation is difficult.

Read at The Drum