If you’re in B2B marketing and tired of “spray and pray,” account-based marketing (ABM) is probably on your radar. But even if you’re sold on the idea, setting up campaigns that actually work—without a pile of wasted hours or hype-driven tools—is another story. This guide is for marketers (and founders, honestly) who want to set up ABM in Mutiny and don’t have time for fluff.
You’ll get a practical, honest walkthrough—from picking target accounts to launching your first personalized campaign. I’ll flag what matters, what doesn’t, and where people trip up.
Step 1: Get Your Target Accounts Straight (Don’t Skip This)
Before you even log in to Mutiny, you need a list. Not just any list—the right list. This step is boring but critical: your campaign is only as good as the accounts you pick.
Where people mess up: - Grabbing every company over a certain size in your CRM (“enterprise” ≠ “good fit”) - Letting sales pick accounts without marketing input (or vice versa) - Relying on outdated firmographic data
How to do it right: - Work with sales: Get agreement on which accounts matter now, not last quarter. - Limit your list: Start with 20–50 accounts, not hundreds. You can always expand. - Use real triggers: Look for signs like recent funding, tech stack, job postings, or website visits. - Clean your data: Make sure you’ve got correct domains, industry, and company size.
Pro tip: If you’re using Salesforce or HubSpot, sync only your target account list to Mutiny, not your entire database. Trust me, you’ll thank yourself later.
Step 2: Connect Mutiny to Your Data Sources
Mutiny’s power comes from knowing who’s on your site. That means connecting your CRM, marketing automation tool, and analytics—otherwise, you’re flying blind.
Connect these (if you use them): - CRM: Salesforce, HubSpot, or whatever else you’re using. - Marketing automation: Marketo, Pardot, or similar. - Website analytics: Google Analytics or Segment.
How to do it: - Go to Mutiny’s Integrations section. - Authenticate each tool—usually OAuth, sometimes you’ll need an API key. - Map fields so Mutiny knows what’s what (e.g., match your “Industry” field to Mutiny’s).
What to ignore: Don’t get hung up on integrating every last data source at first. Start with your CRM and analytics. Add the rest when you have actual use cases.
Step 3: Set Up Segments in Mutiny
Now you’ve got data flowing in, you need to tell Mutiny who to personalize for. This is where Segments come in.
Segments let you group visitors by things like: - Company name or domain - Industry or vertical - Company size - Funnel stage (if you’re feeling fancy)
How to set up a Segment: 1. In Mutiny, go to the “Segments” tab. 2. Click “Create Segment.” 3. Give it a clear name (e.g., “Target Accounts Q2 2024”). 4. Define your filters—usually company name, industry, or a custom field synced from your CRM. 5. Save.
What works: Get specific, but not so granular you’re building a segment of one (unless it’s a mega account). For most, segmenting by company + industry is plenty to start.
What doesn’t: Don’t build 50 segments just because you can. You’ll end up overwhelmed and with watered-down messaging.
Step 4: Build Personalizations That Actually Matter
This is where most ABM campaigns get off track. Mutiny lets you personalize just about anything on your site. The trick is not to overdo it—focus on changes that make a real difference.
Effective personalizations: - Hero headline: Call out the company or industry directly. (“See why Acme Bank trusts us with their payments.”) - Logos: Show their company logo or logos of similar companies. - Case studies: Swap in case studies from their industry. - CTA tweaks: Change the call-to-action to reflect their business need.
How to do it: 1. In Mutiny, pick a page to personalize (start with your homepage or pricing page). 2. Click “New Personalization.” 3. Choose your Segment as the audience. 4. Edit the content blocks—copy, images, CTAs—right in the Mutiny editor. 5. Preview changes and QA (Mutiny’s preview isn’t perfect; check live if you can). 6. Publish.
What to ignore: Resist the urge to rewrite entire pages for every account. It’s not worth it. A handful of high-impact tweaks beat a mountain of busywork.
Pro tip: Always have a “fallback” version—what everyone else sees if they’re not in your segment. No one likes a broken or generic experience.
Step 5: Set Up Measurement and Alerts
If you can’t measure it, you can’t improve it. Mutiny tracks who’s seeing your personalizations, but you need to set up reporting that actually tells you something.
Track: - Visits from target accounts - Engagement with personalized content (clicks, time on page) - Down-funnel metrics (form fills, demo requests)
How to do it: - Use Mutiny’s built-in dashboard to monitor segment performance. - Set up alerts for when a target account hits your site (email or Slack). - If you’re using Salesforce, push activity back to the account record so sales can see what’s resonating.
What works: Keep your metrics simple. Don’t drown in vanity stats. Track pipeline, not just page views.
What doesn’t: Don’t expect instant pipeline from your first campaign. ABM is a longer game.
Step 6: Roll It Out—Then Iterate
You’ve built your segments, personalizations, and reporting. Time to go live.
Checklist before you launch: - QA your personalizations—check every segment, on desktop and mobile. - Make sure your fallback content looks good. - Tell your sales team what’s happening—they’ll want to know when their accounts visit. - Launch.
What to watch: - Are target accounts visiting? If not, maybe you have a traffic problem, not a personalization problem. - Are they engaging with the right content? - Does sales see a difference in account conversations?
Iterate: - Double down on what’s working (hero copy, case study swaps, etc.). - Kill or fix what’s not. - Don’t be afraid to simplify. The best ABM campaigns are usually the least complicated.
Honest Takes & Common Pitfalls
- Don’t overthink the tech. Mutiny is pretty user-friendly, but it’s easy to go down a rabbit hole with integrations. Get the basics working, then layer on.
- Keep it simple. Fancy doesn’t mean effective. Basic personalizations (headline, logo, CTA) do most of the heavy lifting.
- Alignment beats automation. If sales and marketing aren’t on the same page about target accounts, no tool can save you.
- Data quality is everything. Garbage in, garbage out. Period.
Wrapping Up: Start Simple, Learn, Repeat
ABM in Mutiny isn’t magic, but it’s powerful if you stick to the basics: pick the right accounts, personalize what matters, and watch what happens. Don’t let perfect be the enemy of done. Start with a handful of accounts, keep your tweaks focused, and build from there. You’ll learn more by doing than by over-planning. Good luck—and don’t let the hype distract you from what works.