Momentum Itsma’s Annual Abm Benchmarking Study Shows No Signs of Slow Down for Account-Based Marketing
Now in its sixth year, in partnership with the ABM Leadership Coalition, this qualitative and quantitative study builds on contributions from 279 ABM leaders and practitioners from around the world.
ABM has grown from an unfamiliar acronym to one of the most successful marketing initiatives in history for B2B companies. This study tracks what works, what doesn’t, and how ABM is evolving. The findings, presented in our report, Advanced ABM: The Platforms for Building Long-Term Growth, show ABM’s key trends and reveal ABM’s key priorities for success in 2023 and beyond.
#1 B2B Marketing Priority in 2022
Research shows that ABM continues to be a B2B priority with significant commitment and investment. According to research by Momentum ITSMA, B2B marketers continue to put ABM at the center of their marketing strategies, with ABM topping the priority list for the fourth year in a row.
Investment growth and impact
Research shows that more and more companies are shifting more of their budgets to ABM.
28% of marketing budgets in 2022 are spent on ABM, and 71% of companies will increase their ABM spending by 2023, up 13.1% year-over-year.
Companies invest in ABM because it works; most programs have a significant impact on business operations.
The value of ABM goes far beyond lead generation. Most programs see measurable improvements across multiple accounts, sales, and organizational goals.
- 84% pipeline growth and 77% revenue growth
- 72% say ABM delivers higher ROI than other types of marketing
- 66% say ABM is significantly improving marketing and sales alignment
Cross-organizational alignment continues to be a top issue
Some companies get mixed results, and the research provides clear indicators of why.
Despite the advancement and impact of most ABM programs, the most common challenges remain primarily organizational, as they have been for many years:
measure, customize, and customize by size, relationship with sales, and resources.
The technology portion of ABM is also still in the early stages of development for most programs. Few companies have built a full technology stack for ABM. Much relies on basic marketing systems, and even these are not optimal for the impact of ABM. Investment plans for 2023 highlight a mix of basic and specific tools.
ABM program managers focus on scale, efficiency, and people
The study identified “ABM Leaders” as comprising a group of top-performing programs that deliver far greater business impact than other programs.
ABM leaders excel in three key areas:
Insight and relevance: Leverage performance insights and personalize messages for greater relevance
Expanded team development: invest in the development of groups and arrange their extended ecosystem
Integrate an account-based strategy: enhance their programs as a business growth priority and actively prioritize account opportunities
Where are you on the ABM adoption ladder?
Momentum ITSMA has identified four stages of ABM adoption:
Explore, test, develop, and integrate. As ABM continues to gain ground in B2B, the community is expanding but maintaining the preponderance of programs in the early stages of development. Currently, only 17% of programs are fully integrated as a fundamental pillar of the Go-to-Market strategy. This leaves the vast majority still working on their ABM strategy or refining their approach.
