If you’re reading this, you probably don’t need a lecture on “why ABM matters.” You just need a clear, real-world guide to building an account based marketing campaign in Ctd—without the fluff, the hype, or the endless jargon. This is for marketers, sales leaders, or growth folks who want step-by-step instructions that actually work, not vague strategy slides.
Let’s get you up and running, minus the headaches.
Step 1: Set a Goal (and Make It Real)
Before you click a single button in Ctd, get specific about what you want out of this campaign. “Drive more pipeline” isn’t a goal. “Get 12 meetings with target accounts in Q3” is.
What works: - Pick a goal you can actually track in Ctd (meetings booked, deals created, revenue influenced). - Make your sales team part of this conversation. If they don’t care about your goal, they won’t help.
Skip this: Vague “awareness” goals. If you can’t measure it, it’s just noise.
Step 2: Build a Tight Target Account List
This step makes or breaks your campaign. ABM isn’t about spraying messages at everyone. It’s about picking the accounts worth your effort.
How to do it: - Pull your best-fit account list from your CRM, sales, or customer success teams. - Use Ctd’s filters to segment by firmographics (industry, size, geography), intent signals, or product usage if available. - Aim for a list you can actually give attention to—think dozens, not thousands.
Pro tip: No tool, not even Ctd, can fix a bad list. Spend the time here; it’s worth it.
Step 3: Map Contacts and Buying Committees
ABM lives or dies by whether you reach the right people inside your target accounts.
In Ctd: - Import or sync contacts for each account. Make sure you’ve got buying committee roles covered (influencers, champions, decision makers). - Fill in gaps: Use LinkedIn, sales notes, or tools like ZoomInfo to find missing names or emails.
What to ignore: Don’t waste time hunting every possible contact. Focus on the 3–5 people per account who actually drive deals.
Step 4: Build Relevant Messaging and Assets
Don’t overthink this. You don’t need a different whitepaper for every company, but “Dear [FirstName]” mass emails won’t cut it.
What works: - Tailor your outreach by segment or industry, not by individual account (unless it’s a huge whale). - Use Ctd’s personalization features to swap in company names, priorities, or pain points. - Build a simple content kit: a landing page, a relevant case study, and a short intro email.
What doesn’t: Over-customizing. It burns time and rarely moves the needle unless you’re targeting Fortune 100s.
Step 5: Set Up Campaigns in Ctd
Now you’re ready to do the “work” part.
In Ctd: - Create your campaign and assign your target accounts. - Set up multi-channel sequences: email, LinkedIn, and (if Ctd supports it) ads or direct mail. - Assign owners to each account—someone needs to be responsible for follow-up.
Checklist: - Are your contacts mapped and up to date? - Are your sequences short and punchy (no 10-step spam-fests)? - Is tracking enabled for all channels?
What to skip: Don’t bother with every possible channel. Pick 2–3 that your buyers actually use.
Step 6: Sync with Sales (for Real)
If sales and marketing aren’t aligned, ABM turns into a dead dashboard. Get everyone on the same page.
Tips: - Share the account list and campaign plan with sales before launch. - Set up a weekly 15-minute check-in (not a meeting marathon) to review progress, stuck accounts, and feedback. - Use Ctd’s reporting to show real movement—meetings booked, replies, deals created.
What works: Tie campaign activity to the metrics sales cares about. If you can’t, you’ll lose support fast.
Step 7: Launch—and Watch Like a Hawk
Put your campaign live, but don’t walk away.
What to do: - Monitor early results daily in Ctd. Are emails bouncing? Is anyone clicking? - If you see zero engagement after a week, pause and fix. Bad data or messaging kills campaigns. - Move fast on hot engagement—route interested leads to sales immediately.
What doesn’t: “Set and forget.” ABM isn’t a crockpot meal.
Step 8: Measure, Learn, and Tweak
ABM is never perfect out of the gate. The real value comes from iterating.
Track: - Meetings or demos booked per account - Pipeline or revenue influenced (not just clicks) - Engagement by channel and message
How to iterate: - Cut what’s not working after 2–3 weeks. If no one opens your emails, rewrite them. - Double down on accounts that respond. Don’t waste cycles on the totally cold ones. - Share honest results with the team—good, bad, or ugly.
Ignore: Vanity metrics (impressions, “likes,” or downloads that don’t tie to revenue).
Step 9: Celebrate Wins, Document Fails
Don’t just move to the next project. Take 30 minutes to record what actually happened.
- What accounts moved forward, and why?
- Which messages or channels worked (and which flopped)?
- What would you do differently next time?
Share this with your team—even a messy Google Doc is better than nothing. It’ll save you hours on the next campaign.
Wrap-Up: Keep It Simple, Keep Moving
ABM isn’t magic, and Ctd won’t do the thinking for you. The best campaigns are the ones that actually launch and get iterated, not the ones that live on whiteboards forever. Start with a tight list and clear goal, keep your messaging simple, and be relentless about learning and fixing as you go.
Don’t wait for the perfect campaign. Ship it, learn, and make the next one better. That’s how you actually win with ABM in Ctd—or anywhere else.