Revolutionizing Manufacturing Marketing and Sales with ABM  

Traditional manufacturing sales and marketing approaches are falling short. The time-honored practices like door-to-door sales and trade show networking are becoming increasingly unsustainable as companies expand their global reach. 

The modern marketplace demands a more sophisticated, efficient, and targeted approach — one that Account-Based Marketing (ABM) provides.  

By using robust data and enhanced personalization, a well-executed ABM strategy pinpoints high-priority accounts and facilitates tailored engagement strategies, making every interaction with prospects relevant and impactful. 

In this post, we’ll explore how embracing ABM can propel your business forward. 

Hidden Opportunities in Your Website Traffic  

As a manufacturer, your website is a goldmine of potential leads. But tapping into this resource presents a significant challenge: 97% of site visitors remain anonymous. These visitors navigate your website without filling out forms, contacting your sales team, or leaving any trace of their identity. 

That means a potential customer could visit your website, browse multiple product pages, and read reviews — then leave without revealing who they are or where they work. This anonymity creates a substantial blind spot for your marketing and sales teams: 

1. They can’t identify which accounts are actively researching your products. 
2. Even if they know a particular account is shopping for products like yours, they can’t pinpoint which specific products interest them most. 

These invisible buying signals form what we call the Dark Funnel™ — a black box of buyer behavior that traditional marketing tools fail to illuminate. This Dark Funnel conceals a wealth of information about your potential customers’ interests, needs, and purchasing intentions.  

However, advanced ABM strategies and tools can shed light on the Dark Funnel, uncovering the hidden behaviors of site visitors and turning anonymous traffic into actionable insights. 

Implement a Manufacturing ABM Strategy  

You don’t have to start your new ABM program at a sprint. You can start small and gradually progress to more sophisticated strategies.  

The Crawl Phase:  

In the crawl phase, the focus is on laying the groundwork for your ABM strategy.  

Here’s how to execute this phase:  

1. Identify Target Accounts in Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP):  Use firmographic data like company size, industry, and location to create your ICP. Leverage existing customer data to identify common characteristics of your best clients.  
2. Listen for Intent Signals: Use ABM platforms to monitor online behavior, such as website visits, content downloads, and search patterns. Pay attention to surges in activity related to your products or services.  
3. Develop and Deploy Targeted Messaging: Create thought leadership content addressing common industry pain points. Tailor your messaging to specific roles within the target accounts. Use a mix of channels, including email, LinkedIn, and targeted advertising.  
4. Track Success Metrics: Monitor engagement metrics like email open rates, click-through rates, and time spent on your website. Track the number of engaged contacts within each account.  

The Walk Phase  

As you become more comfortable with ABM, progress to the walk phase, which involves more sophisticated targeting and personalization: 

1. Refine Your Ideal Customer Profile: Use insights from the crawl phase to refine your ICP. Consider incorporating technographic data into your ICP criteria.  
2. Differentiate Between Branded and Generic Intent Signals: Monitor searching and engagement specific to your brand name and product lines. Track interactions with your channel partners’ content and websites.  
3. Develop Brand-Specific Campaigns and Messaging: Create co-branded content with your channel partners. Develop case studies and success stories featuring your branded solutions. Craft personalized outreach referencing specific products or brands the account has shown interest in.  
4. Implement Advanced Orchestration: Coordinate multi-channel campaigns aligning messaging across email, social media, advertising, and sales outreach. Use dynamic content in your communications that adapts based on the account’s engagement level and interests.  

In our recent webinar, Crawford McCarty, VP of Marketing at Lead Coverage emphasizes the importance of evolving your strategy: “As you graduate over time with more advanced orchestrations, you can focus on things like your partnership network, expanding your reach via partnerships and brand equity that’s already been built in your network, and going from there.”  

Measuring ABM Success in Manufacturing  

As you implement ABM, tracking the right metrics is crucial to gauge your success and guide your strategy. KPIs to monitor include: 

• Account reach and engagement rates  
• Qualified engaged accounts (QE)  
• 6sense Qualified Accounts (6QA)  
• Influenced form fills  
• Opportunities created  

Turning Data into Action Plans  

Since ABM technology like 6sense can identify anonymous web traffic and tie it to specific accounts, you can spot more opportunities. 

With these insights, manufacturers gain the ability to:  

• See which pages top accounts are visiting most frequently.  
• Uncover new accounts just starting their buying journey.  
• Target sales and marketing efforts towards the accounts and products showing the most activity  

Improving Your Sales and Marketing Strategy with ABM 

While traditional sales and marketing tactics still have their place, they’re no longer enough in today’s B2B marketplace. You need smarter ways to increase effectiveness and reach buyers when they’re ready to make a purchase. 

With ABM, you can: 

• Unmask anonymous website visitors: Gain insights into who’s showing interest in your products, even if they don’t fill out a form. 
• Spot in-market accounts early: Identify potential customers at the beginning of their buying journey, giving you a competitive edge. 
• Engage decision makers with targeted outreach: Craft personalized messages based on the specific interests and behaviors of each account. 

Marketing and selling in manufacturing and logistics are changing because buying behaviors are changing.  

Long sales cycles and hidden prospects no longer need to hinder your growth. By enhancing your current tactics with ABM, you can boost your revenue and stay ahead of the competition.