5 ABM Benefits of Synchronizing Programmatic with Lead Gen Campaigns

For B2B marketers, launching a successful ABM campaign comes with unique challenges. And while Gartner states 70% of B2B organizations have or plan to assemble account-based programs this year, ABM strategies often falter due to numerous siloed efforts. Siloed channels – especially programmatic and lead gen campaigns – create roadblocks that drain resources, decrease conversion rates and deplete ABM program impact.

If you’re only running programmatic display campaigns to get in front of target accounts, you’re likely not getting the decision-maker contact data you need. And if you’re only running lead gen campaigns, you’re probably not surrounding the entire buying committee. For ABM programs to achieve maximal impact, B2B marketers must effectively orchestrate all engagement efforts, and that requires synchronizing account-based programmatic with lead generation channels.

Here’s a list of the top 5 reasons you should tie programmatic to demand gen today:

1. Increases Program Impact

When ABM-engagement channels are synchronized, there’s a much greater chance that your messaging and content will get in front of targeted audiences.

For example, IP-targeted display impressions rarely convert to actual contact data (i.e., leads), which your demand gen and BDR teams need to nurture accounts into sales opportunities. According to SiriusDecisions, “Average-performing digital display ads tend to have CTRs in the range of .03 to .06 percent.” There’s little to no pipeline generation from programmatic investment alone – it must be used in tandem with other account-focused lead gen channels to provide big ROI gains.

“It’s important to ensure your lead gen channels are fully integrated with your ABM program. Content syndication feeds ABM. If you have contacts that have a high-heat index and are repeatedly downloading your content from numerous sources, it really signifies intent, and gives you the ability to add another group to your ABM program.”

– Pamela Guyton-Micheles, Sr. Manager of Demand Generation Marketing and International Programs at Avalara

On the other hand, lead gen campaigns, such as content syndication or LinkedIn Lead Forms, are great for acquiring necessary decision-maker contact data, but they still require these individuals to find your content. Thus, lead gen campaigns alone often can’t surround the entire buying committee. Synchronizing programmatic with lead gen campaigns ensures the holistic account-level engagement your ABM programs need to be successful.

2. Enables Consistent Messaging

When your demand generation channels are siloed, it makes it very difficult to maintain consistent messaging to your target accounts and decision-making personas. That’s why 82% of CMOs say that they struggle with cross-channel performance.

According to the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), consumers viewing a consistent message across a variety of channels improves purchase intent by 90% and brand perception by 68%. By integrating programmatic campaigns with lead gen channels, you can ensure your target-account decision-makers are always consuming relevant, timely content and messages.

For example, Integrate’s enterprise Account-Based Demand Gen solution allows you to sync programmatic and lead gen channels so that when a decision-maker at a target account downloads a piece of content through a lead gen campaign, relevant, dynamic ads can be immediately served to target personas at that account – surrounding the buying-committee with consistent messaging.

3. Improves Program Measurement and Optimization

Effective program optimization depends on marketers’ ability to make apples-to-apples comparisons. When engagement channels are siloed, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to gain the holistic visibility needed to make such comparisons.

A recent Ascend2 survey found that “Analyzing campaigns by channel” was the No. 2 top priority for B2B marketing leaders. Though second to “Defining an attribution strategy,” the survey found that analyzing campaigns by channel was a bigger barrier to success.

When you unify your ABM channels into one holistic, integrated program, you gain a complete picture of how the combined strategy is working – rather than wasting time and resources trying to piece together reports from different vendors and data sources. The resulting analytics will be more accurate and timelier, enabling you to make better optimization decisions.

4. Ensures an Always-Evolving Approach to Your ABM Strategy

Keeping pace with market trends and shifts is vital for today’s B2B marketing teams. ABM strategies and account-engagement tactics must be agile, adapting quickly to changing audience needs. Unfortunately, most organizations are falling behind, and that’s why nearly 9 out of 10 marketers say their digital marketing mix isn’t keeping pace with audience needs.

By synchronizing programmatic display and lead gen channels, you enable each to learn from one another, helping your ABM strategy to evolve as required. For example, via Integrate’s ABM solution, higher display ad clickthrough rates among specific targeted accounts will automatically update your target-account list for lead gen campaigns. Similarly, content downloads via your lead gen campaigns will signal which accounts to focus display impressions on.

5. Enables Full-Funnel Engagement Tactics

B2B marketing teams are responsible for far more than top-of-funnel engagement. Growing pipeline and revenue goals mean marketers must support the entire customer lifecycle by providing content and messaging relevant to each account’s stage. Here, too, synchronizing engagement channels is key.

“84% of B2B marketers say that ABM should provide significant benefits for retaining and expanding current client relationships.” –SiriusDecisions

For example, if an individual at a current customer account downloads a white paper on a new product or service, with synchronized ABM engagement channels you can then easily serve display impressions about the same product or service to the entire buying-committee at that account, supporting cross-sell efforts.

A Playbook for Account-Based Demand Gen

Convinced that unifying your programmatic and lead gen channels will result in big gains for your ABM strategy, marketing team and company? Take the next step and find out how Integrate can help. Get the latest addition to Integrate’s Revenue Marketing Strategy Series: “The Enterprise Playbook to Account-Based Demand Generation.”