ABM ≠ cupcakes & podcasts

Hey, Paige here!

Before we get into today’s best marketing research… 

In today’s release: 

• Why 90% adoption doesn’t mean success

• What the latest benchmarks say about ROI, deal size, and sales cycle velocity from top-performing ABM programs

• 4 pillars of modern ABM

• 5-steps to transform ABM into a company-wide growth engine

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DEEP DIVE

Everyone’s doing ABM. But not everyone’s doing it well.

Over 90% of B2B orgs say they have an ABM program in place. But here’s the catch:

Too many are still treating ABM like a “nice-to-have” campaign, not a strategic revenue engine.

A few years ago, ABM was simple:

Reach out to a dream account, invite them to a podcast, feature them in a blog, maybe send a box of cupcakes—done. You’d check the ABM box, call it “personalization,” and move on.

But in 2025, ABM isn’t just about creative outreach.

It’s about data, orchestration, and cross-functional accountability. And the teams doing it right are seeing:

• Up to 200% higher ROI 

• Deal sizes 50% larger than non-ABM accounts

• Sales cycles cut by 80% in some verticals

That’s not luck. It’s not charm. It’s strategy.

What the data says: 

The difference between ABM in name and ABM in practice is massive—and the numbers prove it:

• 81% of marketers say ABM delivers higher ROI than other marketing strategies

• Top programs report ROI lifts of 21–50%, and 23% see up to 200% higher returns

• ABM accounts close bigger: One-third of orgs report 11–20% larger deal sizes, and another third report 21–50% larger deals

• SAP Concur achieved a +57% increase in average deal size and 4x faster funnel velocity through an orchestrated ABM program

• 47% of teams have integrated ABM with demand gen ops (a sign of real operational maturity that scales)

From touchpoints to orchestration

Old ABM was clever.

You identified a dream account, sent them something personalized, maybe invited them to an event, and crossed your fingers. It was outbound with a little lipstick—creative, yes, but mostly manual and episodic.

Modern ABM is different.

It’s operationalized, data-powered, and revenue-aligned. It doesn’t end after one campaign or one gift box. It lives across channels, across the funnel, and across teams.

Here’s how the best teams are executing ABM today:

1. Precision Targeting with Real-Time Signals

Forget static ICP lists. Today’s ABM leaders combine:

• Intent data (Check out Vector or RB2B, we’ve found they are a massive help)

• Technographics & firmographics

• Behavioral signals

To dynamically prioritize buying groups and adapt messaging based on where they are in the journey.

2. Orchestrated Buyer Journeys Across Channels

No more one-off plays. Modern ABM uses:

• Multichannel nurture (email, ads, LinkedIn, events)

• Personalized web experiences

• AI-driven content recommendations

All of it sequenced based on journey stage, signal strength, and account behavior.

3. Integrated Teams, Shared Accountability

ABM isn’t just a marketing motion anymore.
The best-performing orgs:

• Co-own pipeline targets with sales

• Align around shared revenue metrics

• Use marketing ops to scale orchestration and attribution

4. Content That Converts — Not Just “Engages”

2025’s ABM content is functional. Top-performing formats include:

• Short-form video

• Customer stories

• Interactive demos and tools

• LinkedIn-first 1:few programs

Psssst… 78% of B2B marketers already use video in ABM, and short-form social delivers the highest ROI across channels.

Action Items: Your ABM Game Plan

✅ 1. Audit Your ABM Operating Model

• Is ABM a campaign... or a company-wide motion?

• Who owns success? If it's not jointly owned by marketing and sales, it's not real ABM.

✅ 2. Reassess Your Data Foundation

• Are you using real intent, not just job titles?

• Can your team act on signal data in real time?

• Consider a crawl-walk-run approach to technographic and buying group intelligence.

✅ 3. Orchestrate, Don’t Just Execute

• Map content, channels, and plays to buyer journey stages.

• Use AI and automation to scale what works—across ads, email, and personalization.

• Build internal “ABM playbooks” to avoid reinventing the wheel.

✅ 4. Reframe Success Metrics

• Move beyond MQLs. Track pipeline velocity, account engagement, and revenue influence.

• Tie ABM impact to the metrics your CFO and CRO care about.

• Build confidence with an attribution model your exec team trusts.

✅ 5. Invest in the Right Content Formats

• Double down on video, customer proof, and LinkedIn-first formats.

• Prioritize content that helps sales move deals, not just fill the top of funnel.

• Test 1:few content frameworks for scalable personalization without the 1:1 effort.

Pro Tip for Leaders:
Elevate your ABM strategy by creating something like an ABM Council (club? Crew? Task force? Fun names are always better)… a cross-functional team that includes marketing ops, sales leaders, and customer success. Treat ABM like a GTM strategy, not a siloed function.

The big takeaway: ABM isn’t a tactic anymore. It’s a cross-functional, data-driven growth engine, and the teams treating it that way are winning bigger deals, faster.