Let’s get this straight: B2B marketing is complex. You deal with long sales cycles, partner relationship management and the constant sales-marketing alignment challenge. The continuous search for more effective engagement strategies brings us to an important crossroads. 

While Account-Based Marketing (ABM) has traditionally been favored for its targeted approach to high-value accounts, the maturing digital environment and growing customer expectations demand a broader strategy. It's time to extend ABM principles to create account-based experiences (ABX) across the entire account spectrum.

Evolving your ABM programs to ABX requires you to think of it not as a strategy that applies to core account, but as a core philosophy you must adopt. This shift enables us to deliver consistent, compelling narratives at every touchpoint with potential customers, ensuring a seamless experience from the CEO to the newest intern.

ABX transcends the notion of mere targeted emails or personalized landing pages. It's about orchestrating a series of experiences that resonate throughout your target accounts. Every interaction, from the first ad to your nurture emails, should be a harmonious part of a well-orchestrated journey.

The transition to an ABX-centric organization is daunting to say the least and clearly won't happen without significant operational transformation. It isn’t solely the marketing department’s burden either: embracing ABX means fostering tight collaboration across all teams.

With that in mind, organizations need to get their data and technology aligned to support this transformation. Enriched and accurate data must be available to empower both sales and marketing teams. When data is used at key moments and in the right places, you can craft impactful messages that reachcustomers and prospects wherever they are in their lifecycle.

Let’s look at 4 critical components you should evaluate as part of your ABX stack.

1. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems: The Operational Core

I cannot overstate the importance of a well-structured, mature CRM environment to function as the operational core ABX programs. CRMs will be the point where all your sales and marketing engagements merge into a central profile. In this profile, we should be looking to enable the following types of activity: 

• Capture of Lead and Account Data

• Account and Individual Engagement Data

• Sales Enablement 

• Account and Lead Assignment   

   

2. Customer Data Platforms (CDP): The Unified Data Nexus

While the B2C marketing space has embraced the benefits of CDPs for years, it was not until recently that B2B brands unlocked the power of CDPs. . Many CDP vendors now give B2B marketers the ability to execute on ABX programs through: 

• Single view of people & accounts 

• B2B data enrichment (intent & firmographics)

• Account scoring 

• Account-based segmentation

• Account-based media activation

   

The CDP serves as a key orchestration point between your CRM and marketing automation platform (MAP) to ensure all touchpoints are unified into a single account-based record. [Read our full e-book on B2B CDPs]

3. Marketing Automation Platforms: The Engagement Engine

These platforms harness insights from both CRM and CDP to drive personalized marketing actions. They automate and tailor marketing efforts, leveraging the rich data from CDPs and specific insights from CRMs. This synergy enables timely, relevant engagements, essential for a unified ABX narrative across various touchpoints. Marketing Automation Platforms should be leading the charge to deliver: 

• Lead scoring

• Content management

• Journey orchestration

• Campaign management

• Channel activation

   

As these elements are delivered, the MAP must integrate back into your CDP and CRM to ensure that all touchpoints and engagements are recorded.

4. Data Warehouse: The Foundation for Data Management and Enrichment

An organization’s data warehouse plays a pivotal role in ABX by acting as the central repository for all enterprise data. The data warehouse serves as the foundational layer where comprehensive data aggregation, management, and enrichment occur. This integration is crucial for maintaining data integrity, ensuring accurate and up-to-date information feeds into the CRM and CDP. 

The adoption of ABX is not just a marketing adjustment but a strategic overhaul that impacts the entire organization. By prioritizing data, technology, and collaborative alignment, companies can craft a seamless, impactful customer journey that stands the test of time and technological change. It's a bold step toward the future of B2B customer relationships—one that promises a more connected, insightful, and effective engagement with every account.