Account-Based Marketing (ABM) has been a buzzword in the B2B marketing world for quite some time now. It is a strategic approach that involves targeting high-value accounts with personalised and relevant marketing messages to create a more meaningful relationship with them. On the other hand, programmatic advertising is a technology that automates the process of buying and selling digital advertising. Programmatic Advertising has become an essential tool for marketers to achieve their advertising goals, yet for too long, it hasn’t maximised its potential for B2B marketers – a problem which we have set out to solve here at FunnelFuel.

But have you ever heard of programmatic account-based marketing? It is the marriage of ABM and programmatic advertising. In this blog post, we will discuss what programmatic account-based marketing is and how it can help you achieve your marketing goals.

What is ABM?

Account-based marketing is a B2B marketing strategy that targets high-value accounts with personalised and relevant marketing messages. The idea behind ABM is to treat each account as a market of one and customize the marketing message to fit the specific needs and characteristics of that account.

The ABM approach is different from traditional marketing approaches that target a broad audience with a one-size-fits-all message. ABM focuses on specific accounts and crafts targeted messages that resonate with the account’s pain points, needs, and goals. As a result, ABM allows companies to create a more meaningful relationship with target accounts, drive engagement, and ultimately, win more business.

What is programmatic advertising?

Programmatic advertising is a technology-driven approach to buying and selling digital advertising. Programmatic advertising automates the process of buying and selling ad inventory in real-time using algorithms and data analysis. The technology allows advertisers to target specific audiences with precision and scale, making it more efficient and cost-effective than traditional advertising methods.

Programmatic advertising platforms use Artificial Intelligence and machine learning algorithms to analyse massive amounts of data and identify trends, behaviors, and patterns. This data analysis allows advertisers to deliver personalized ads to specific audiences at the right time and place.

Can you do ABM programmatically?

Yes, you can do ABM programmatically. Programmatic account-based marketing combines the targeting and personalisation capabilities of ABM with the scale and efficiency of programmatic advertising.

Programmatic ABM uses data and technology to help businesses identify and target high-value accounts with personalised ads at scale. It allows marketers to automate the process of identifying, targeting, and delivering personalized messages to a specific set of accounts.

How to run programmatic ABM?

Running Programmatic ABM involves the following steps:

1. Identify Target Accounts: The first step in Programmatic ABM is to identify the target accounts. You can use data analytics, website visitor tracking, and CRM data to identify the highest-value accounts. The idea here is to try and identify your Total Addressable Market (TAM) and then to use more scientific processes to whittle this into the most precise Target Account List (TAL), a list which contains the organisations which we’ll be targeting with our programmatic ABM campaigns.

2. Build Audience Segments: Once you have identified your target accounts, the next step is to build audience segments based on firmographic data, behavior data, and intent data. Audience segments allow you to deliver personalised messages to groups of accounts that share common characteristics. Here at FunnelFuel we take the approach that we should, behind the scenes in our ABM DSP, build a large bunch of 100s of individual audience segments consisting of named accounts and firmographic + intent combinations. This lets us test the marketing resonance, and the dial our media buying into precise segments with the strongest alpha performance.

3. Develop Personalised Ads: The next step in Programmatic ABM is to develop personalised ads for each audience segment. The ads should be tailored to the specific needs and pain points of each account. At FunnelFuel we use our advanced ABM Dynamic Content Optimisation product (DCO) to personalise the ads programatically – using macros in the creative which enable us to call out key features to the target segment. Example; if we know a key feature of your service resonates with segment A (e.g. banks, in the U.K, headcount greater then 5,000 and revenue greater then £1 billion) but not segment B (e.g. banks, in the U.K, headcount greater then 50,000 and revenue greater then £10 billion) then we can call that feature out to one segment and not the other. Using some of this firmographic data to make the ads more personally relevant can also dial up performance.

4. Deliver Ads with Precision: The final step in Programmatic ABM is to deliver ads with precision to the target accounts. Advertisers use programmatic advertising platforms to deliver personalised ads to the target accounts across multiple channels, using live data signals. The ability to use these signals and display ads at the right moment is key, and the DSP needs contextual awareness pertinent to B2B, a huge bidstream of biddable impressions (to cherry pick the right ITDM users from the Target Account List) and the ability to dynamically handle creative variances (DCO) to have the best chance of getting a positive action (ad engagement) from the needle in a haystack user when that user is located.

Does programmatic ABM scale?

Yes, programmatic ABM can scale. Programmatic advertising platforms allow you to reach a large audience with personalised messages at scale. The technology uses data analytics and machine learning algorithms to automate the process of identifying target accounts, building audience segments, and delivering personalised ads.

Programmatic ABM allows marketers to target the right accounts with the right message at the right time, creating a more meaningful relationship with the target accounts. The technology also allows you to track and measure the impact of your account-based marketing campaigns, making it easier to optimize and improve performance.

Conclusion:

Programmatic account-based marketing is a powerful tool that helps businesses target high-value accounts with personalised and relevant messages at scale. While ABM and programmatic advertising are different marketing approaches, they can be combined to create a more effective marketing strategy.

By leveraging the benefits of both ABM and programmatic advertising, businesses can create a more meaningful relationship with their target accounts, drive engagement, and ultimately, win more business. So, if you are looking to take your ABM strategy to the next level, consider incorporating programmatic advertising to achieve your marketing goals.