Account based marketing (ABM) sounds fancy, but it boils down to this: focus your marketing on the companies that actually matter to your sales team. If you’re tired of spraying campaigns everywhere and hoping the right people see them, ABM is where you want to be. This guide is for marketers, sales folks, and anyone rolling up their sleeves to run targeted campaigns using Vinna.
No fluff—just clear steps, honest advice, and a few pitfalls to dodge. Let’s get going.
Step 1: Get Clear on Who You’re Targeting
Before you touch a single tool, you need a list of accounts that actually matter. This is the #1 mistake teams make: diving into platforms without a clear target list.
How to build your list: - Work with sales. Don’t just pull a random list from LinkedIn. Sit with your sales leads and ask: “Which accounts do we care about this quarter?” - Use criteria that matter. Think about revenue potential, industry, location, tech stack—whatever actually moves the needle for your business. - Keep it tight. Starting with 20-50 accounts is plenty. ABM is about focus, not volume.
Pro tip: If you can’t get your sales team excited about the list, you picked the wrong accounts.
Step 2: Set Up Your Accounts in Vinna
Now that you know who you’re after, it’s time to set up those accounts in Vinna. This is where things get real.
Here’s how: 1. Log in to Vinna and navigate to the “Accounts” section. 2. Import your account list. You can do this manually, but if you’ve got a CSV, save yourself the headache and import it. - Double-check that your data matches Vinna’s required fields (usually company name, domain, and key contacts). 3. Fill in the blanks. Vinna will try to enrich contact info, but it’s rarely perfect. Spot-check a few accounts—missing a key contact at this stage can kill your campaign later. 4. Tag and segment. Use Vinna’s tags to group accounts by priority, industry, or sales owner. This’ll save you a ton of time when you run campaigns later.
What to ignore: Don’t waste hours perfecting every data field. Get the basics right (company, main contact, segment) and move on.
Step 3: Map Stakeholders and Buying Committees
ABM isn’t just about companies—it’s about the people who call the shots. Vinna lets you add multiple contacts per account, which is actually useful (not just a checkbox feature).
Do this: - Add all known stakeholders. Start with decision-makers, then influencers (IT, finance, etc.). - Use job titles and roles, not just names. It’s easier to spot gaps if you see you’ve got five “Marketing Managers” but no “VP of Marketing.” - Note buying stage if you know it. Are they just curious, or actively shopping?
Reality check: You’ll rarely have all the right people on day one. That’s normal. Fill in the blanks as you go.
Step 4: Build Targeted Campaigns in Vinna
Here’s where most ABM efforts go sideways—teams try to run a thousand different campaigns and end up with a mess. Start simple.
In Vinna, set up your campaign like this: 1. Go to the “Campaigns” tab and click “Create New.” 2. Choose your campaign type. Vinna supports email, LinkedIn, ads, and even direct mail (if you’re feeling bold). Pick one or two channels you can actually execute well. 3. Name your campaign clearly. “Q2 ABM: SaaS CFOs” beats “Spring Push.” 4. Select your target accounts or segments. Use those tags from earlier. 5. Load your creative and messaging. Make it specific to the account or at least the segment (“Hey Acme Corp” beats “Dear Valued Customer” every time). 6. Set your cadence. Don’t fire everything at once. Stagger emails, ads, and calls over a few weeks.
Pro tip: Don’t overcomplicate things. One solid, tailored message per account beats a dozen generic touchpoints.
Step 5: Personalize Without Going Overboard
Personalization is the ABM promise everyone loves to hype. But there’s a line between “relevant” and “creepy” (or just a waste of time).
What actually works: - Company-specific messaging. Reference pain points or goals you know are real for that company or role. - Relevant content offers. “Here’s a case study from your industry” is way better than “Check out our whitepaper.” - Light touches, often. You don’t need a custom video for every account. A well-written, relevant email works just fine.
What to ignore: You don’t need to mention their dog’s name. Focus on business problems, not forced familiarity.
Step 6: Launch and Monitor
You’ve set up your accounts and campaigns—now it’s time to hit “go.” But don’t just set it and forget it.
In Vinna: - Monitor campaign results by account and contact. The dashboard shows opens, replies, ad engagement, and more. - Look for patterns. Are certain industries or messages landing better? Is one channel outperforming? - Flag hot accounts. Set alerts for high engagement (multiple opens, fast replies), so sales can jump in while interest is high. - Adjust quickly. If no one’s biting, don’t wait a month—tweak your message or switch up the channel.
Pro tip: Marketing and sales should be talking every week about what’s working and what’s not. No platform replaces real feedback.
Step 7: Hand Off to Sales—Smoothly
ABM falls apart if marketing and sales aren’t aligned. When an account shows engagement, make sure sales knows exactly what happened.
Use Vinna’s handoff features: - Assign accounts to the right rep. Don’t just dump a list in Slack. - Share context. Include which campaign they engaged with, which content they saw, and any notes from your outreach. - Track follow-up. Vinna lets you see if sales is actually following up—gently nudge if things stall.
What to ignore: Don’t worry about building a 40-slide “handoff deck.” A clear note in Vinna is usually enough.
Step 8: Review, Learn, Repeat
ABM isn’t “set it and forget it.” The best teams treat every campaign as an experiment.
After each campaign: - Look at win/loss data. Which accounts moved forward? Which ones ghosted you? - Talk to sales. Was the targeting right? Did the messaging resonate? - Adjust your list. Drop dead accounts, add new ones, refine your criteria. - Update your process in Vinna. Tweak tags, segments, or campaign steps as you learn.
Reality check: You’ll never get it perfect. Small, regular tweaks beat a giant “strategy reset” every six months.
Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)
- Trying to boil the ocean. If you’re targeting 500 accounts, you’re not doing ABM—you’re just doing email blasts.
- Overengineering. Don’t get lost in data hygiene or fancy automation. The basics—right accounts, good message, steady follow-up—win every time.
- Ignoring sales feedback. If your team isn’t closing the accounts you’re targeting, something’s off. Fix it fast.
Keep It Simple, Stay Close to the Ground
ABM in Vinna isn’t magic—it’s just focused marketing and sales, done well. Start small, keep your lists and messaging tight, and don’t be afraid to tweak as you go. The best campaigns are the ones you actually launch, not the ones stuck in planning forever.
You don’t need to reinvent the wheel. Follow these steps, skip the hype, and you’ll be ahead of most teams already. Good luck.