How to Implement Account-based Marketing: 7 Real-Life Examples

Your team spends long hours on perfecting every piece of content for your campaigns, but what if the right decision-makers don’t notice most of the effort?

That’s the reality for many B2B companies that are still using broad-based marketing approaches.

Smart businesses use proven customer management strategies to focus their resources where they matter most, and account-based Marketing (ABM) has become essential. 

Making this shift isn’t simple. You need a clear roadmap and examples to guide you. And we’ll make it easier for you to get started.

Read on to discover inspiring account-based marketing (ABM) examples showing how leading companies win target accounts through personalized, account-focused marketing.

What Is Account-Based Marketing (ABM)?

Here’s what differentiates an account-based marketing strategy from regular B2B marketing: You’re not just blasting generic messages, hoping something sticks. You study your target audience’s needs, challenges, and goals in detail. Then, you craft content for a CRM campaign that speaks directly to their specific situation.

Think of account-based marketing like hosting a series of intimate dinner parties instead of one huge buffet. Rather than casting a wide net, you’re carefully selecting specific companies and creating personalized experiences just for them.

Key Benefits of ABM

Account-based marketing packs a punch when it comes to results. Here’s a deep dive into why ABM delivers such impressive returns:

• Personalized marketing that works: Account-based marketing helps you create highly targeted content that speaks directly to decision-makers. You build stronger connections with potential buyers by focusing your targeted ads and direct mail on specific pain points
• Better marketing and sales efforts: Your CRM process becomes more effective when sales and marketing teams work together to identify and pursue key accounts. This partnership leads to faster deal cycles and higher conversion rates
• Clear ROI tracking: Since you’re focusing on specific accounts, measuring success becomes straightforward. You can easily track how your outreach affects website traffic and engagement for each target company
• Higher returns: By concentrating resources on accounts most likely to convert, your service company can reduce wasted spend and improve customer acquisition costs
• Improved customer growth: The account-based marketing approach isn’t just about landing new accounts—it also helps you grow existing relationships. By delivering personalized experiences to current customers, you open doors for account expansion

How to Implement ABM in Your Organization?

Building a successful account-based marketing strategy requires tight coordination between sales and marketing. It also needs granular tracking of specific accounts and personalized outreach at scale. 

Here’s how you can set up your ABM strategy:

1. Identify high-value accounts

Start by researching and selecting accounts that align with your business goals. Look at industry trends, past sales data, and firmographics to pinpoint your ideal customer profiles (ICPs).

To build this:

• Look at past wins. What types of companies tend to close fast and stick around?
• Analyze churn. Which accounts struggled or left, and why?
• Assess lifetime value (LTV). Which customer types tend to expand and renew?

Your ICP might include criteria like:

• Industry (e.g., fintech, SaaS, healthcare)
• Company size (employees, revenue)
• Tech stack (if you’re selling software)
• Geography (regional sales teams might need specific targets)
• Growth stage (startups vs. mature enterprises)

Use CRM for marketing to categorize, track, and manage specific accounts, ensuring your team always focuses on the right opportunities.

, the everything app for work, combines project management, knowledge management, and chat in one powerful AI-backed platform, helping you derive the best results from your customer relationship management efforts.

With CRM, you can unify your CRM, sales pipeline, and customer interactions in a single platform—driven by AI to speed up deals, boost retention, and increase revenue. It gives your team a centralized view of high-value accounts, including all touchpoints, tasks, and stakeholders.

You can create Custom Fields and choose from 15+ Views (including Lists, Boards, and more) to track ICP fit, deal stage, and engagement across marketing and sales. With AI-powered automation and insights, it’s easier to prioritize outreach, personalize campaigns, and coordinate efforts across teams.

Don’t want to start from scratch? Organize your sales pipeline and customer relationships with the CRM Template.

Its offers:

• Centralized account details: Store all essential client information in one place
• Detailed contact management: Track contact details and interaction history at a glance using Custom Fields and Custom Task Statuses
• Engagement history tracking: Monitor every touchpoint with your leads and customers using automations, reminders, and customizable notifications
• Real-time CRM reporting: Gain insights into your sales performance with clear reports and custom Dashboards

2. Conduct deep account research

Once your ICP is clear, use tools like ZoomInfo, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, or Bombora to identify real companies that match the profile. Understanding each account’s needs is key to crafting personalized outreach strategies. Go beyond basic demographics—analyze company size, industry trends, past engagements, decision-maker roles, and business objectives.

Firmographic filters help narrow your search, while intent data shows which accounts are actively researching solutions like yours.

Also, gather insights from previous interactions, social media activity, and competitor analysis to build a well-rounded strategy tailored to each account’s pain points and goals. When launching a new product, use ABM to sell into existing accounts first.

You can store and structure this research in Docs, creating a centralized knowledge base with nested pages, embedded links, tables, and templates.

Docs let you collaborate in real time by converting text into actionable tasks. Tag team members, leave comments, and assign action items. This prevents key insights and edits from being lost in endless email threads.

Plus, with , there’s no need to feed your research documents into an external AI client to extract key details. Brain, the native AI assistant, lets you leverage AI-powered insights to summarize large datasets, extract key findings, and even generate personalized outreach content.

It’ll help you brainstorm messaging ideas for your campaigns, refine the tone of the content generated, or even automate parts of your research process—all within the context of your existing work in .

It also helps reduce random pings and distractions by empowering teams to access critical information independently through AI-powered insights. A win-win!

3. Align sales and marketing efforts

ABM is a delicate dance between sales and marketing teams. Marketing warms up the account with tailored content and campaigns, while sales steps in with personalized outreach and relationship-building. Both teams need to share data, goals, and feedback in real time to move accounts through the funnel in sync. 

Misalignment can cause inconsistent messaging and missed opportunities, so keeping both teams in sync is essential. This way, they can deliver a unified message, streamline outreach, and maximize engagement with high-value accounts.

for Marketing Teams provides a centralized space for sales and marketing to collaborate seamlessly. 

’s Project Hierarchy is tailor-made to support seamless ABM collaboration between sales and marketing teams by organizing work from the ground up—from big-picture strategy down to granular tasks. 

Here’s how it plays out:

🏢 Workspace

The entire company operates within a shared Workspace—so both sales and marketing teams are under one virtual roof, making collaboration frictionless.

🗂️ Spaces

Create separate Spaces for Sales, Marketing, and even a dedicated ABM Program. This keeps department-specific work organized, while still allowing cross-functional visibility when needed.

📁 Folders

Within each Space, you can create Folders like:

• Target Account Lists
• Campaign Plans
• Sales Playbooks
• Content Calendars

Each folder contains Lists and tasks aligned to specific ABM objectives.

📋 Lists & Tasks

Lists can represent account tiers (e.g., Tier 1, 2, 3) or campaign stages (e.g., Pre-engagement, In Pipeline, Post-sale). Within those, Tasks can track individual actions—like outreach cadences, content assets, stakeholder mapping, or ad campaign launches.

Delegate responsibilities, set deadlines, and monitor project completion in one place. The teams can align their workflows on one platform, ensuring follow-ups and coordinated outreach don’t slip through the cracks.

🔄 Custom Fields & Views

Track ICP attributes, engagement scores, deal stages, personas, and campaign status using Custom Fields. Use Views—like Board View for account status, Table View for data tracking, or Calendar View for launch timelines—to give each team what they need, without duplicating effort.

The result? Marketing and sales can operate in lockstep: sharing intel, tracking progress on shared accounts, and adjusting strategy in real time, all from one centralized command center.

4. Execute personalized campaigns

Once you have locked in and researched your target accounts, craft customized marketing campaigns that address their pain points—whether that’s through tailored ads, relevant case studies, or one-to-one emails. Use messaging that mirrors their language and shows you understand their world. The more relevant your outreach, the more likely it is to resonate, spark engagement, and move the deal forward.

Watch this video to learn how Brain can help you personalize campaign content👇🏽

Use Dashboards’ real-time data visualization to assess the performance of ABM campaigns and the success of your CRM strategy.

Here are some suggestions for tailored cards and charts to use in your marketing dashboards:

• 📊 Bar Charts to track engagement by account tier (e.g., Tier 1 vs. Tier 2 response rates)
• ✅ Task Lists showing campaign progress by channel or stage (e.g., email sequences, LinkedIn ads)
• 📈 Line Charts tracking deal velocity or pipeline growth over time
• 💡 Custom Cards for ICP match scores, campaign ROI, or sales-marketing handoff efficiency

These visuals keep everyone aligned and responsive to what’s working—and what’s not.

You can also surface the riskiest customer segments within your target accounts, enabling proactive intervention and personalized outreach to mitigate potential churn.

Next, use no-code Automations to automate follow-ups, lead assignments, and content approvals. Cut down on manual work and keep engagement with target accounts right on schedule.

For enterprise marketing automation, integrate with tools like HubSpot or custom webhooks to trigger personalized email sequences. With timely, relevant notifications, you stay on top of every account action.

The Campaign Tracking & Analytics Template provides a centralized hub for managing all aspects of your marketing campaigns, from budget and creative assets to performance metrics. 

With over 10 Custom Statuses and 10 Custom Fields—including those for recording the budget, CPA, CPC, clicks, conversion rate, and more—you can track all your KPIs in one place. This simplifies CRM reporting.

7 Real-Life Account-based Marketing Examples

Personalized outreach at scale—that’s what makes account-based marketing activities stand out. But what’s the best way to put this approach into action? Let’s look at these ABM examples that got remarkable results.

1. LiveRamp’s hyper-focused strategy

Ever heard of LiveRamp? They’re the wizards of identity resolution, helping businesses blend offline customer data into their online marketing magic. This fusion gives marketers a 360-degree view of their customers, enhancing analytics, targeting, and personalized content.

LiveRamp decided to up their game with a laser-focused account-based marketing (ABM) strategy. They handpicked 15 top-tier clients that fit their ideal customer profile like a glove. 

The takeaway? Zero in on your most prized accounts and craft your efforts to dazzle those select few.

2. GumGum’s comic book win

If account-based marketing efforts are all about personalization, GumGum didn’t just embrace it—they took it to superhero levels.

When they set their sights on T-Mobile as a dream client, they didn’t go the usual route of cold emails or sales calls. Nope. They went straight to the top—the CEO himself.

How? With a comic book. 🎭

By digging into John Legere’s Twitter feed (T-Mobile’s then-CEO), they discovered he was a massive Batman fan. So, instead of sending a boring pitch deck, they created a custom comic book called ‘T-Man and Gums.’

3. DocuSign’s content strategy success

DocuSign—the electronic signature software—eases paperwork. With clients across six diverse industries, managing leads was a huge challenge for them—it was like juggling six different playbooks at once.

That’s where account-based selling became their secret weapon.

Instead of a one-size-fits-all approach, DocuSign built detailed customer personas and went all in, targeting 450+ enterprise-level accounts with hyper-specific messaging.

They didn’t just send out ads—they spoke directly to each industry’s needs through:

• Customer testimonials tailored to each sector
• White papers that hit the right pain points
• Case studies that proved real results

The key? Personalization at every touchpoint—from ads to emails—tailored to each industry and buying stage.

4. Kyndryl’s brand revamp 

After spinning off from IBM, Kyndryl faced a tough road ahead—revenue was slipping from $18 billion to $16 billion in 2024, largely due to shedding unprofitable contracts. But that wasn’t the only hurdle. Even among existing customers, brand recognition was weak. 

To turn things around, Kyndryl went all in on building a successful ABM strategy. They focused on their top 300-400 customers, who made up 80% of their revenue and used customer and market data to pinpoint high-value opportunities.

The ABM rollout started small—testing with just seven accounts, then scaling to 50 in year one and doubling to 100 by year two.

5. Spotify’s ABM approach to keep you hooked

Spotify’s marketing strategy is all about knowing its listeners inside out. Using account-based marketing (ABM), Spotify identifies, engages, and personalizes the experience for its target users.

It analyzes user preferences, behaviors, and needs to target the right listeners with the right content.

Features like ‘Discover Weekly’ and ‘Daily Mix’ aren’t randomly generated—they’re part of a strategic ABM approach that ensures users get fresh content tailored to their tastes.

Your listening history fuels hyper-personalized recommendations, making sure you’re always discovering songs that feel like they were picked just for you.

6. Schneider Electric’s positive pipeline impact

Schneider Electric takes a targeted, data-driven approach to account-based marketing (ABM) by leveraging Informa TechTarget’s Priority Engine and Lead Generation programs. 

These tools provide access to high-intent buying groups within their target accounts, ensuring their marketing efforts directly impact the pipeline and ROI.

Their ABM strategy is built around account-based targeting to drive revenue growth. It focuses on specific strategic accounts and uncovers key contacts within buying groups for precise contact mapping. 

The leads generated through Priority Engine are high in both quantity and quality, and deliver strong engagement throughout Schneider Electric’s marketing programs and follow-ups.

7. Aprimo’s focused ABM strategy

Aprimo, a well-known name in marketing, faced a major challenge after re-emerging in 2016 with zero brand awareness following five years under a different name. Despite having a solid customer base, they operated as a startup.

Initially, Aprimo relied on firmographics, ICP data, and sales instincts to determine which accounts to pursue—without knowing which were actually in-market. 

They turned to intent data and predictive analytics to refine their account-based sales strategies, prioritizing high-intent Tier 1 and Tier 2 accounts. 

Best Practices for ABM

By focusing on high-value accounts with personalized strategies, brands can maximize their ABM efforts and create impactful customer lifecycle marketing campaigns. 

Here are some best practices, inspired by ABM examples and success stories from top companies, including those in the media industry:

• Identify high-value accounts: Use data-driven insights to target accounts that align with your ideal customer profile (ICP) and are actively in-market
• Personalize engagement: Tailor content, messaging, and outreach based on each account’s unique needs, pain points, and buying journey
• Align sales and marketing teams: Ensure collaboration between sales and marketing departments to nurture leads effectively and accelerate the sales cycle
• Leverage intent data: Use predictive analytics to identify accounts showing interest in your solutions and prioritize them in your ABM efforts
• Go for omnichannel outreach: Engage prospects through multiple touchpoints, including email, LinkedIn, webinars, and targeted ads, to stay top-of-mind
• Measure and optimize: Track KPIs like engagement rates, pipeline velocity, and revenue impact to refine your strategy and improve results

Common Challenges in ABM and How to Overcome Them

ABM is a highly effective strategy, but it has its hurdles. This is especially true regarding targeting high-value accounts and strengthening relationships with existing customers. 

To get the most out of your ABM efforts, you need to anticipate these challenges and have a strategy in place to tackle them head-on. Here are a few:

Identifying the right accounts

🔴 Challenge: Many companies struggle with pinpointing which accounts to prioritize. Without accurate data, they may end up targeting businesses that aren’t actually in-market or ready to buy, leading to wasted resources and missed opportunities.

Engaging decision-makers

🔴 Challenge: Even when targeting the right accounts, reaching the key decision-makers and stakeholders within them can be difficult. Decision-makers are often bombarded with marketing messages, making it harder for brands to break through the noise.

Retaining and expanding existing customers

🔴 Challenge: Many companies focus so much on acquiring new accounts that they overlook growth opportunities within their existing customer base. Without a clear customer lifecycle marketing strategy, businesses risk losing long-term revenue potential.

Supercharge Your ABM Efforts with

Getting started with ABM takes planning and the right tools to execute your strategy effectively. But with a solid foundation and smart use of technology, you can create targeted campaigns that resonate with your ideal accounts.

The key is having a central hub where your team can plan campaigns, track progress, and measure results. That’s where comes in. With it, you can organize your ABM efforts using dedicated Spaces for Marketing and Sales and customizable dashboards, automate repetitive tasks, and keep everyone aligned on priorities. You can also partner with ’s built-in AI to extract account insights and create personalized campaign content faster.

Why juggle multiple tools when you can manage your entire ABM strategy in one place? Create your success story today—sign up for now!

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