Account-based marketing (ABM) has been hailed as a game-changer for B2B and B2G companies. By focusing on high-value accounts rather than broad lead generation, ABM promises higher conversion rates, shorter sales cycles, and better ROI.
But what happens when your ABM marketing efforts don’t deliver the expected results?
If your B2B or B2G demand generation strategy is struggling, it’s time to pinpoint the gaps. Here are six common reasons why ABM strategies fail—and how to fix them using signal-based marketing and data-driven insights.
1. You’re targeting the wrong accounts
A successful ABM marketing strategy starts with precise account selection. If you’re not seeing traction, chances are your ideal customer profile (ICP) isn’t clearly defined—or you’re targeting accounts that aren’t in-market.
Why this happens:
- Your ICP is too broad, leading to wasted resources.
- You rely on static firmographics rather than real-time buying signals.
- Sales and marketing aren’t aligned on account selection.
How to fix it:
- Use signal-based marketing to identify accounts showing real purchase intent.
- Leverage tools like Bombora, 6sense, or ZoomInfo to track engagement signals.
- Work closely with sales to refine your ICP based on past closed deals.
- Pro tip: Don’t just target companies that fit your profile—focus on accounts that are actively researching solutions in your category.
2. Your personalization isn’t truly personalized
ABM is all about relevant, hyper-personalized outreach. If your messaging feels generic, your target accounts won’t engage.
Why this happens:
- Your content speaks to broad industry challenges rather than specific account needs.
- Your emails, ads, and outreach lack account-specific insights.
- You rely too much on templates instead of customizing by segment.
How to fix it:
- Use account intelligence data to tailor messaging to each company’s challenges.
- Personalize beyond just first names—speak to pain points, competitors, and goals.
- Leverage dynamic content to deliver personalized ads and landing pages.
- Pro Tip: Instead of sending a generic case study, highlight a success story from a company in the same industry and of similar size.
3. Your sales and marketing teams aren’t truly aligned
ABM requires tight coordination between marketing and sales. If these teams aren’t aligned, leads will fall through the cracks, and your campaigns will not drive pipeline.
Why this happens:
- Sales reps don’t trust or prioritize marketing-sourced accounts.
- There’s no clear handoff process between marketing and sales.
- Marketing tracks vanity metrics (impressions, clicks) instead of revenue impact.
How to fix it:
- Implement shared KPIs that measure pipeline influence and deal acceleration.
- Use ABM platforms like Terminus or Demandbase to track account engagement.
- Create a service level agreement (SLA) to define response times and follow-up actions.
- Pro Tip: Run weekly ABM stand-ups where sales and marketing teams review progress on high-priority accounts.
4. You’re relying on outdated engagement tactics
If your ABM marketing strategy depends on cold outreach, generic email nurtures, or standard display ads, you’re missing opportunities. Modern B2B demand generation requires an omnichannel approach.
Why this happens:
- You focus too much on email and neglect other channels.
- Your campaigns lack a cohesive, multi-touch engagement strategy.
- You aren’t leveraging intent-based advertising.
How to fix it:
- Adopt a multi-channel ABM approach across platforms like LinkedIn, conversational marketing, webinars, and direct mail.
- Use signal-based marketing to trigger engagement when accounts show buying intent.
- Retarget high-priority accounts with customized LinkedIn and display ads.
- Pro Tip: Use chatbots and AI-driven personalization to engage website visitors from target accounts in real time.
5. Your content isn’t aligned with the buyer’s journey
Even with the right accounts and engagement channels, if your content doesn’t resonate, your ABM strategy will stall.
Why this happens:
- You focus only on top-of-funnel (TOFU) awareness content.
- Your content doesn’t address specific pain points or objections.
- You lack mid-funnel and late-stage assets for deeper engagement.
How to fix it:
- Map content to different stages of the B2B demand generation funnel:
- Awareness: Thought leadership blogs and industry reports.
- Consideration: Case studies and competitor comparison guides.
- Decision: ROI calculators, product demos, and customer testimonials.
- Tailor content by vertical, company size, and persona for maximum relevance.
- Pro Tip: Use interactive content like quizzes, calculators, or assessments to increase engagement and collect valuable insights on target accounts.
6. You’re not measuring the right ABM metrics
If you’re only tracking clicks and impressions, you’re missing the full picture. ABM success is measured by pipeline growth, account engagement, and revenue impact.
Why this happens:
- Your reporting focuses on vanity metrics, not sales outcomes.
- You lack attribution models to track ABM-influenced deals.
- You don’t measure account progression through the funnel.
How to fix it:
- Track account engagement score (AES) to measure ABM impact over time.
- Use multi-touch attribution to understand which channels drive conversions.
- Measure pipeline acceleration—how ABM shortens the sales cycle.
- Pro Tip: Integrate your ABM platform with a CRM like Salesforce or HubSpot to get a unified view of account activity.
Fix the gaps and scale your ABM strategy
A failing ABM marketing strategy isn’t a lost cause—it just means something needs to be refined, realigned, or reimagined. By leveraging signal-based marketing, aligning teams, and adopting a data-driven approach to B2B and B2G demand generation, you can turn struggling campaigns into revenue-generating machines.
Ready to optimize your ABM strategy? Our agency specializes in ABM marketing, signal-based marketing, and demand generation for technology, government, and healthcare companies. Let’s build an ABM program that actually works. To learn more about ABM for B2G specifically, explore our white paper, “The B2G Marketing Playbook: ABM Strategies for Federal Success.”
