How much has the MarTech around ABM platforms evolved since the wrap on the ABM Innovation Summit 2018?

 The ABM landscape is constantly innovating as new technologies develop and evolve. From completely new features to product integrations that improve ABM alignment, we’ve seen a lot of change since last year’s ABM Innovation Summit.

First, ABM was recognized by independent research firm, Forrester, as a new technology category in May 2018. Then, in September, the way B2B marketers measure the performance of their ABM investments changed fundamentally. B2B advertising took on a new meaning with the arrival of Demandbase’s next-generation Targeting Solution. The AI-based technology dramatically improves how B2B advertisers and marketers reach their buyers, processing over 150 billion intent signals every month to help companies target the right buyers to optimize engagement.

The new solution also provides an increased level of transparency on media cost, publisher performance and business results across the funnel. Meanwhile, new product integrations, such as the one we have with Salesforce Pardot, unifies the three core pillars of a high-performing marketing strategy — CRM, Marketing Automation and ABM — and provides B2B marketers with an even more efficient, integrated ABM experience.

What were the major challenges and opportunities for the ABM community in 2018?

In a “2018 ABM Benchmark Study” by Demandbase and ITSMA, we found that 77 percent of B2B marketers believe ABM has driven greater success for their target accounts. However, while marketing and business leaders clearly believe in the potential of ABM, understanding how best to implement and expand programs remains a challenge for many.

Respondents listed their top five challenges in getting started with the strategy as:

• Getting the data and reports needed to track results (35 percent)
• Personalizing and tailoring marketing to the key contacts at each account (34 percent)
• Developing campaign assets that are mass customizable (30 percent)
• Getting adequate budget to support programs and resources (30 percent)
• Educating sales on the process and value of ABM (26 percent)

However, the study highlights eight opportunities marketers should consider implementing to increase ABM impact and further elevate their programs as key contributors to corporate growth:

• Leveraging technology to support account-based approaches
• Increasing impact within each of the three types of ABM: One-to-One, One-to-Few, and One-to-Many
• Moving to a blended strategy with more than one type of ABM to scale programs, optimize investment and achieve greater key business outcomes
• Balancing coverage of new and existing accounts to use ABM for all of your accounts
• Getting the metrics right to focus on quality and prove success
• Investing in teams to ensure across a set of marketing resources the team has mastered the full complement of required skills to fulfill this different way of marketing
• Mastering storytelling to create relevant, compelling messaging and content at scale
• Orchestrating across different departments within the organization including continuing to strengthen the essential partnership with sales

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How does a B2B event such as ABM Innovation Summit 2019 benefit the full-funnel Sales and Marketing practices? Why should one attend the event?

The ABM Innovation Summit is the only marketing conference exclusively focused on Account-Based Marketing. The event provides a unique mix of inspirational keynotes, practitioner-led track sessions and expert-level ABM Certification. Attendees will gain fresh insights on how to go “all in” on ABM through presentations from more than 20 thought leaders and innovators, while also gaining first-hand knowledge and best practices on how leading companies are leveraging ABM to execute successful programs at every stage of the funnel.

Additionally, Summit attendees will be the first to get their hands on our new book on ABM, “Account-Based Marketing: How to Target and Engage the Companies That Will Grow Your Revenue,” which provides a practical guide on how to identify accounts, how to execute campaigns across the funnel and across channels, how and when to engage your sales team, how to measure results and how to sell ABM across your organization.

What are the opportunities and risks you foresee in the way Big Data is shaping ABM and B2B Data Management landscape for 2020-2025? How does ABM Innovation Summit prepare attendees for these disruptions?

The combination of Big Data and Artificial Intelligence has the opportunity to move ABM and B2B Data Management toward the next phase in B2B marketing: implementation of a fully automated next “best action” based on where a prospect is in the buying cycle. Triggering a next best action will allow B2B marketers to deliver the right message, at the right time, to the right person at the right company.

At the ABM Innovation Summit, we’ll walk through use cases that will show attendees how they can use intent data to inform their programs and drive specific actions to help build stronger pipelines and close more deals. We’ll also dive into data that will show attendees the near and long-term future of marketing. Attendees will learn how to benchmark their programs to see where they currently stand on the marketing maturity spectrum and how their jobs will change as AI becomes a new team member.

What’s your prediction on the MarTech ecosystem witnessing all the innovations around automation, intent data and AI?

 With all the innovations in MarTech, the ecosystem will become increasingly interconnected. Connected data will become invaluable as marketers seek to gain a complete view of their customer. And ABM is quickly becoming an important part of the B2B Marketing stack alongside CRM and Marketing Automation.

There’s still time to register for the ABM Innovation Summit from March 14-15 in San Francisco. Use promo code MTS40 to save big on your registration. Can’t make it to the conference? Join Demandbase for the keynote livestream on March 14 from 9:00 – 10:45 a.m. PT.

What’s your benchmark in making ABM “the” go-to-market technology for your customers?

ABM is fast becoming business as usual for B2B marketing organizations. According to recent research we conducted with ITSMA in collaboration with the ABM Leadership Alliance, ABM programs now account for more than a quarter of total marketing budgets, and B2B marketers are deploying more sophisticated ABM strategies, with 46 percent targeting accounts across multiple tiers, up from 35 percent in 2017. This research confirms that more and more companies are adopting ABM, and deploying more sophisticated ABM strategies, but there’s still great potential for marketers to drive better business results.

What is the state of AI and Data Science in ABM technology? How do you enable ABM customers to benefit from Demandbase’s advanced expertise in innovations?

The evolution of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning is having a huge impact on ABM. At Demandbase, we have AI capabilities across our entire platform, driving everything from account selection and targeted advertising to personalized website experiences and sales insights. Our new Targeting Solution leverages AI-powered intent data to more accurately identify and reach target buying committees. By combining the scale of Google with the precision of LinkedIn to deliver superior business results, Demandbase’s Targeting Solution is fundamentally changing how B2B marketers measure the performance of their ABM investments.

Tell us about the ABM roadmap you propose to the ABM community in 2019-2020.

Artificial Intelligence will continue to play a significant role in the innovation of ABM technology. While many point solutions have emerged, the decisioning across these solutions becomes overwhelmingly complex for any B2B marketer. I expect AI to take on this task and dramatically simplify how B2B marketers achieve greater marketing performance. The next phase of ABM is truly about being able to execute across channels and across different points of the buyer’s lifecycle. A complete platform with AI at the core will simply be a must-have.

Also Read: Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is Your Growth Opportunity in 2019

Thank you, Christopher for speaking to MarTech Series