Login

Accelerating Demand Generation with Paid Media and Account-Based Marketing

In today’s competitive B2B landscape, even the best demand generation strategies require an extra push to reach and engage the right audiences. Paid media and account-based marketing (ABM) offer that acceleration, helping brands amplify their message and directly target decision-makers. As Jesse Conflon, a seasoned demand generation expert, notes, “Paid media and ABM allow you to push your best content to the buying committees of key accounts, building trust and relationships faster.”

This article explores how to integrate these powerful tools into your demand generation strategy, combining actionable insights with external research to deliver measurable results.

Why Paid Media and ABM Matter

Both paid media and ABM focus on precision, ensuring that your resources are directed toward high-value targets. These approaches align perfectly with the principles of demand generation, which aim to build and capture demand across the buyer’s journey. Here’s why they’re essential:

  1. Amplification of Content: Paid media helps scale the reach of your educational and product-focused content, ensuring it reaches the right audience at the right time.
  2. Targeted Engagement: ABM allows for hyper-personalised campaigns tailored to specific accounts or buying committees, increasing relevance and impact.
  3. Efficient Resource Allocation: Both strategies ensure that your marketing spend is focused on accounts with the highest potential ROI.

Paid Media: A Catalyst for Content Distribution

Paid media campaigns use platforms like LinkedIn, Google Ads, and Meta to deliver targeted ads directly to your ideal customer profile (ICP). Jesse emphasises the importance of focus: “If you don’t have a big budget, make sure you’ve identified your target account list so you can show your content to the right people.”

Best Practices for Paid Media

  1. Focus on High-Performing Content: Amplify content that has already demonstrated success in organic channels. This could include blog posts, case studies, or webinars that resonate with your audience.
  2. Target the Buying Committee: Use platforms like LinkedIn to target specific personas within your ICP, such as decision-makers or influencers.
  3. Leverage Retargeting: Retargeting ads can re-engage users who have interacted with your content, keeping your brand top-of-mind as they move through the buyer journey.

Real-World Example

A LinkedIn study revealed that B2B companies using sponsored content saw a 33% increase in purchase intent. By promoting content like whitepapers and case studies to targeted audiences, these brands were able to nurture relationships and drive conversions.

Account-Based Marketing: Precision at Its Best

While paid media casts a wide net, ABM zeroes in on specific accounts, delivering personalised content and experiences designed to convert high-value prospects. Jesse suggests starting small: “If you’re new to ABM, begin with a pilot program targeting 10 to 20 accounts. Learn from these campaigns and scale up from there.”

Key Elements of ABM

  1. Customised Content: Create tailored messages and resources for each account. This could include case studies relevant to their industry or webinars addressing their specific pain points.
  2. Collaboration with Sales: ABM works best when marketing and sales teams align on target accounts, messaging, and metrics.
  3. Omnichannel Approach: Use a mix of email, direct mail, social media, and events to engage accounts across multiple touchpoints.

Real-World Example

According to ITSMA, 87% of B2B marketers report that ABM delivers higher ROI than other marketing initiatives. For example, a software company implemented ABM targeting Fortune 500 companies. By creating personalised microsites for each account, they achieved a 200% increase in engagement and significantly shortened their sales cycle.

Integrating Paid Media and ABM into Your Demand Generation Strategy

Combining paid media and ABM can create a powerful one-two punch. Here’s how to seamlessly integrate them into your demand generation efforts:

  1. Identify Key Accounts: Use data from your CRM and analytics tools to build a target account list based on revenue potential, industry, and engagement history.
  2. Align Messaging Across Channels: Ensure your paid media campaigns and ABM initiatives deliver consistent messages tailored to the buyer’s journey.
  3. Leverage AI for Personalisation: Tools like HubSpot and Demandbase can help create personalised content at scale, enhancing both paid media and ABM efforts.
  4. Measure and Optimise: Track metrics like engagement rates, conversion rates, and pipeline velocity to refine your campaigns.

The Road Ahead

Paid media and ABM are not just tactics; they’re accelerators for your demand generation strategy. By focusing on the right accounts and delivering personalised, high-impact content, you can drive faster results and higher ROI.

As Jesse succinctly puts it, “Paid media and ABM are about delivering the right message to the right audience at the right time. When done right, they can transform your demand generation efforts from good to great.”