• LinkedIn hosted a roundtable where 15 B2B organizations shared their thoughts on executing an ABM strategy in Europe
  • Many Europe-based B2B organizations are increasing their emphasis on ABM
  • Over the course of four hours, the conversation flowed as we went deep into three key topical areas

I recently returned from a trip to Europe to visit account-based marketing (ABM) clients in England, France and Ireland.  During this visit, our clients at LinkedIn graciously hosted a roundtable discussion where members from 15 B2B organizations shared their thoughts on – and experiences with – developing and executing an account-based marketing strategy in Europe.

WhosDrivingYourCABOver the course of four hours, the conversation flowed as we went deep into three key topical areas:

  • ABM team structure, skills and future investment
  • ABM measurement and communication of measurement
  • ABM technology, tools and services and future investment

Here are some key takeaways from the roundtable:

  1. Many Europe-based B2B organizations are increasing their emphasis on ABM. The percentages of the different account models (named, large, industry and customer lifecycle) employed by these participants are in line with what we’ve seen globally. The majority stated that named/industry and large accounts are the most widely utilized models for ABM. 
  2. European organizations are taking a deliberate approach to staff their teams with team members who are analytical, strategic thinkers with great communications skills and strong relationships with sales.  Most roundtable participants had between one to five team members working in ABM; in most cases, it was not their only responsibility. Many organizations had placed a resource in different markets (e.g. U.K., France, Germany) to focus on the accounts in their markets. They are considering future expansion (and team investment) in other markets as the program matures. Most of these resources will most likely come from internal staff reallocated to ABM work.
  3. Measurement ranged from traditional demand creation “waterfall” metrics (marketing qualified leads, sales accepted leads, sales qualified leads, pipeline closed) to very progressive measurement approaches that included cost-per-pipeline entry for target accounts vs. non-target accounts, revenue per ABM head – and everything in between. The good news is that people understood that ABM is more than just lead generation.  We also discussed the SiriusDecisions Aligned Measurement Framework and the key metric classes, with examples of ABM measures in each to ensure clients are focusing measurement and communication on short-term, mid-term and long-term impact (because organizations can’t afford to wait 12 to 18 months to show program results)!
  4. Many of the participants are currently using a wide variety of tools and services to help with their ABM efforts – from account and contact data acquisition to profiling to using ad tech to reach target accounts and appointment-setting services. Organizations that were not currently using any of these external tools or services asked a lot of questions of those that had deployed the tools, as they are planning to invest in the very near future. One thing we did not see often, however, was participants with dedicated full-time employees doing account and contact profiling as their full-time responsibility.

It’s clear there is a growing number of committed B2B organizations in Europe that are thirsty to push their organizations’ efforts in ABM to new heights.  Many participants vowed to continue to stay in touch, and a handful offered their location for our next European ABM roundtable.  Thanks to all the participants – especially to LinkedIn for their generosity – and we look forward to seeing you all next time!

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