If you’re neck-deep in B2B marketing or sales, you’ve probably heard promises that "alignment" will solve all your account-based marketing (ABM) problems. And if you’re reading this, you’re either using Seismic—or thinking about it—and want real answers on how it actually helps. This isn’t a pep talk or a sales pitch. It’s a nuts-and-bolts guide for folks who want ABM to work without drowning in busywork or marketing fluff.
Let’s get into it.
Why bother aligning ABM in the first place?
You already know: ABM flops when sales and marketing don’t talk. Content gets made but never used. Prospects get spammed with the same deck three times. Sales blames marketing, marketing blames sales, and meanwhile, your target accounts ghost you.
Alignment means everyone’s rowing in the same direction. That’s where Seismic comes in—a sales enablement platform that's supposed to help you get content, insights, and messaging into the hands of sales, at the right time, for the right accounts. But just buying a tool won’t fix broken processes. Here’s what actually works.
Step 1: Map Your ABM Strategy to Seismic’s Features
Don’t just shove your existing content into Seismic and hope for magic. Before you even log in, get clear on:
- Who are your target accounts? (Named list, vertical, geography, etc.)
- What’s your content strategy? (Personalized vs. industry, stage in buyer’s journey, formats)
- How do sales and marketing currently interact? (Be honest)
What to actually do:
- List out your key ABM goals for the quarter. (E.g., “Increase engagement in top 50 accounts,” not “Be more aligned.”)
- Sketch a simple process: How will marketing create/use content? How will sales access it? Who owns what?
Pro tip: If you can’t explain your ABM process to a new hire in under five minutes, it’s too complicated.
Step 2: Clean Up Your Content (Seriously)
Seismic is only as good as the content you put in. Most teams dump everything in, then wonder why sales can’t find what they need.
What works:
- Audit your content library first. Kill or archive anything out of date, off-brand, or too generic.
- Tag content by account, vertical, buyer stage, and format. Don’t overdo it: pick a handful of tags that actually matter.
- Create “collections” or “playbooks” in Seismic for your top ABM campaigns. These should be tailored bundles—not just a folder with 47 PDFs.
What to ignore:
- Fancy content taxonomies that nobody understands.
- Uploading “just in case” decks or assets that haven’t been used in a year.
Pro tip: If a piece of content hasn’t been used in the last two quarters, archive it. If someone screams, they can make a case for reviving it.
Step 3: Set Up Targeted Content Experiences
Seismic’s “LiveDocs” and personalization tools can help you avoid the trap of one-size-fits-all content. But don’t go overboard—personalization for its own sake is a time sink.
How to use Seismic here:
- Build LiveDocs templates where sales can personalize key slides or sections for each account.
- Use Seismic’s dynamic content rules to surface relevant assets based on account tags, vertical, or deal stage.
- For your top ABM accounts, set up microsites or branded content portals so sales can send a one-link experience (instead of 17 email attachments).
What to skip:
- Over-customizing everything. Start with high-value accounts, not the full list.
- Forcing sales to fill out a 10-field form just to personalize a deck.
Pro tip: Ask your top two sales reps what they actually use. Build for them first, then scale up if it works.
Step 4: Train Sales—But Make It Useful
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Sales reps won’t use tools they don’t understand or see value in. One-off training won’t cut it.
What works:
- Run short, hands-on sessions—show how to find content for real accounts, not just a product demo.
- Build quick-reference guides (“If you’re talking to X industry, use these three assets.”)
- Set up feedback loops: Let sales flag missing or useless content right in Seismic.
What to ignore:
- Long PowerPoint trainings that cover every feature.
- Relying on email blasts to drive adoption.
Pro tip: Sales reps are busy and skeptical. Show them how Seismic saves them time or helps close deals, or they’ll ignore it.
Step 5: Measure What Matters (and Skip Vanity Metrics)
Seismic spits out a ton of analytics. Most of it is noise—page views, clicks, generic engagement stats. Focus on what actually matters for ABM alignment.
What to track:
- Which content is being used by sales for target accounts?
- Are those accounts engaging (opening, sharing, responding)?
- Is time-to-first-meeting or deal velocity improving?
- Are there gaps—accounts or stages where there’s no good content?
What to ignore:
- Total content downloads (unless you’re in a pure volume game).
- “Engagement” from outside your target accounts.
Pro tip: Meet monthly to review what’s working and what’s not—then actually kill off or update low-performing content.
Step 6: Keep the Feedback Loop Tight
ABM only works if marketing and sales are constantly sharing what’s resonating and what’s not.
How Seismic can help:
- Use built-in commenting or feedback features on content assets.
- Set up regular (short!) check-ins—half an hour every two weeks to review content gaps and real account feedback.
- Make it painless for sales to request new content or flag issues.
What to avoid:
- Big, quarterly review meetings that are all talk, no action.
- Letting the content library rot between campaigns.
Pro tip: If nobody’s giving feedback, something’s off—either people aren’t using the tool, or you’ve made it too hard to give input.
What Seismic Can’t Do (and What to Watch Out For)
A tool is just a tool. Seismic won’t fix broken relationships or make people care about ABM. Here’s what you shouldn’t expect:
- It won’t magically personalize content for every account—you still need a strategy.
- It can’t force sales and marketing to talk to each other.
- If your content stinks, Seismic won’t make it better.
Pitfalls to watch for:
- Overcomplicating your setup. The more layers you add, the less likely people are to use it.
- Making “alignment” someone’s part-time job. If nobody owns it, it’ll die on the vine.
- Chasing every new feature. Use what solves your real problems—ignore the rest.
Keep It Simple, Iterate, and Don’t Buy the Hype
Getting real ABM alignment with Seismic is about process, not just technology. Start small: clean up your content, set up a few targeted playbooks, and get sales using them. Build on what works, kill what doesn’t, and keep the feedback flowing. The rest is just noise.
No tool will save you from overcomplicated processes or bad content. But if you keep things simple and focused, Seismic can actually help you get sales and marketing on the same page—and finally make your ABM programs worth the effort.