So, you want to run account based marketing (ABM) campaigns in Profound and actually know if they’re working. Good call. ABM isn’t magic—it takes some real setup, real tracking, and a willingness to adjust as you go. If you’re tired of vague advice and just want a practical guide, you’re in the right place. This walkthrough is for marketers, sales teams, and anyone who needs more than just a pretty dashboard.
Let’s get into it.
1. Get Your Accounts List Right
Before Profound can help, you need a solid list of target accounts. Here’s where most ABM efforts flop—people get too ambitious or too vague. Here’s how to avoid that:
- Be picky, not greedy: Focus on 20–100 accounts you actually can win, not a wish list of Fortune 500s.
- Do your homework: Make sure you have enough data—name, decision makers, industry, and what makes them a good fit.
- Sales input isn’t optional: If your sales team isn’t in the loop, you’ll waste time on the wrong accounts.
Pro tip: If you don’t have a good list yet, don’t bother setting up campaigns. Nail this step first.
2. Set Up Your ABM Campaign in Profound
If you’re new to Profound, it’s a marketing platform aimed at making ABM less painful. It’s not going to do your thinking for you, but it does handle the ops pretty well.
Step-by-step:
- Create a new campaign:
- Log in and find the “Campaigns” tab.
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Hit “New Campaign” and choose “Account Based Marketing” as the type.
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Import your account list:
- Upload a CSV or connect your CRM.
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Map the fields—double check that company names and domains are accurate. Profound can’t fix garbage data.
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Define your campaign goals:
- Don’t skip this. Are you trying to book meetings? Drive demo signups? Pick one or two metrics that matter.
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Set a realistic timeline (e.g., 60–90 days).
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Choose channels and tactics:
- Profound supports email, LinkedIn, display ads, and even direct mail—if you believe in that.
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Don’t use every channel just because you can. Start with the ones you can actually manage.
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Personalize (but don’t overthink it):
- Build templates for emails and ads, customize for industry or role.
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True 1:1 personalization is nice, but most teams don’t have the bandwidth. Focus on relevance over perfection.
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Assign owners:
- Make sure someone’s responsible for each account (usually sales or SDRs).
- Profound lets you assign owners—do it now, not “later.”
3. Launch and Warm Up Your Campaign
- Test before you blast: Send yourself or your team every email and ad variant. Check for broken links, weird formatting, or embarrassing typos.
- Schedule for sanity: Stagger outreach. Don’t email 100 accounts at 9 AM Monday—unless you want chaos.
- Monitor for replies and errors: Profound will surface bounced emails and failed ad impressions. Fix issues fast.
What not to do:
Don’t get caught up in endless A/B tests at launch. Get your first version live, then improve.
4. Monitor What Actually Matters
Profound has plenty of reports, but not all metrics are worth your time. Here’s what to focus on:
Key Metrics:
- Account engagement: Are people at your target companies opening emails, clicking ads, or visiting your site?
Profound’s “Account Engagement Score” is useful, but look beneath the surface—see who is engaging. - Meetings booked or demos requested: This is why you’re running ABM. Don’t settle for “increased awareness.”
- Sales team feedback: If your reps say the leads are junk, believe them over any dashboard.
Ignore:
- Vanity metrics like impressions or “likes” on LinkedIn.
- Open rates that don’t lead to conversations.
- Any number that isn’t tied to pipeline or revenue.
Pro tip:
Set up a weekly review—15 minutes tops. Look at which accounts are moving, which are stuck, and adjust. Don’t wait for a monthly “campaign review” to make changes.
5. Iterate and Adjust (Ruthlessly)
ABM is never “set and forget.” Most campaigns need tweaks every week or two. Here’s what to watch for:
- Unresponsive accounts: Pause outreach or try a new angle if nobody’s biting after a few touches.
- Channel fatigue: If your emails start tanking, shift to LinkedIn or direct mail, or vice versa.
- Success signals: Double down on what’s getting replies or meetings, even if it wasn’t in your original plan.
What usually doesn’t work:
- Long nurture tracks. Most B2B buyers will ignore you after two or three generic messages.
- Overly complex scoring models. Keep it simple—a real conversation beats a “score” any day.
6. Work With Sales (or You’ll Fail)
You can’t measure ABM success without sales. Here’s how to keep things tight:
- Weekly syncs: Bring marketing and sales together. Share what’s working and what’s not.
- Immediate feedback: Set up a Slack channel or quick form so reps can flag bad leads or ask for help.
- Closed-loop reporting: Profound can push campaign data to your CRM—use it, so everyone sees the same numbers.
If you skip this:
You’ll waste months on pretty reports that don’t turn into pipeline.
7. Common Pitfalls (and How to Dodge Them)
- Overcomplicating things:
Don’t try to run 10 tactics at once. Start with one or two. Get them working, then expand. - Ignoring data hygiene:
Bad data = bad results. Review your account list every month. - Chasing “engagement” over real outcomes:
If you’re not booking meetings or generating pipeline, change something.
Keep It Simple, Stay Flexible
ABM in Profound works best when you keep your list tight, your tactics simple, and your focus on real outcomes. Don’t drown in dashboards or chase shiny features. Launch quickly, check results every week, and don’t be afraid to kill what’s not working.
You’ll get the best results by treating ABM like a living experiment—ship, measure, adjust. Start small, be honest about what’s working, and you’ll actually see impact. Good luck.