2017 ABM Benchmark Survey Report 2
The buzz around ABM has been so loud for the past 18 months, it’s
understandable that some industry watchers have quickly categorized it as
overhyped. However,
Demand Gen Report’s Second Annual ABM Benchmark
Survey
served as a good reality check for naysayers, as it highlighted that the
majority of companies are still in the early stages of deploying account-based
tools and strategies.
More than half of respondents (52%) said their ABM strategy has only been in
place less than six months, and 56% categorized their efforts to date as in the
“early stages of and testing our ABM program.”
However, despite relative immaturity of ABM deployments, the study supported
the positive impact account-focused strategies are having on businesses, with
74% of respondents indicating their ABM efforts are meeting or exceeding their
organizational expectations.
A majority of
companies are still
in the early stages of
deploying account-
based tools and
strategies.
Executive Summary
HOW SATISFIED ARE YOU WITH THE IMPACT YOUR ABM EFFORTS ARE
HAVING FOR YOUR ORGANIZATION
6%
14%
54%
4%
22%
Greatly exceeding organizational expectations
Exceeding organizational expectations
Meeting organizational expectations
Underperforming organizational expectations
Greatly underperforming organizational expectations
2017 ABM Benchmark Survey Report 3
The survey also showed a signifcant boost of adoption of ABM, compared to
results from the inaugural survey in 2016, which showed that less than half (47%)
of respondents had an ABM strategy in place, 33% planned to implement it within
18 months and 20% had no plans to implement ABM at all.
The following report will present a deeper dive into the full survey results, including:
The processes and tools companies are using to build and optimize their
account lists, with 34% planning to work with a predictive analytics provider
to build a list of likely buyers;
The technologies B2B marketers are prioritizing to support their ABM strategy,
with web personalization (42%) and account-based advertising tools (41%)
topping the list of planned deployments;
The type of content offers/experiences B2B brands are offering as part of
their ABM initiatives, with targeted executive events (54%) and interactive
content tailored by industry/role (46%) topping the list;
How brands are integrating traditional demand generation efforts with an
ABM processes, and
The top challenges marketers are encountering as they look to expand their
ABM strategies, with sales and marketing alignment (45%), ROI/attribution
and lack of internal resources (both 36%) ranking as the biggest hurdles.
The survey also
showed a signifcant
boost of adoption of
ABM, compared to
results from the
2016 survey.
2017 ABM Benchmark Survey Report 4
Underscoring that ABM is still a new discipline and technology stack for most
B2B organizations, the survey found 76% of respondents have had their ABM in
strategy in place for less than a year. Only 13% of respondents said they have been
doing ABM for more than two years, and 12% said they have had ABM in place
between one and two years.
In another question that addressed ABM maturity, 56% described themselves in
the early stages of testing account strategies. Many are still equally early in their
utilization of dedicated ABM tools, with 23% saying they are using their current
stack (CRM, MAP, etc.) to target specifc accounts, and only 7% saying they have a
dedicated ABM platform integrated into their tech stack.
Some respondents added that the lack of dedicated tools is making early pilots
more challenging, with one respondent calling their current approach “shotty,” and
adding “we rely on several databases that aren’t synched and waste hours pouring
over combined Excel sheets to segment and target our audience.”
76%
of respondents said
they have had their
ABM strategies in
place for less than
a year.
Adjusting Expectations On ABM Maturity
HOW LONG HAS YOUR ABM STRATEGY BEEN IN PLACE
1-6 months6 months-1 year1-2 years2+ years
51%
24%
12%13%。