How to Write an Account Based Marketing Plan

Account-based marketing (ABM) is a focused strategy used by B2B businesses to win high-value clients by targeting specific accounts with personalized campaigns. While many marketers understand the value of ABM, fewer know how to create a well-structured account based marketing plan that aligns marketing and sales, maximizes efficiency, and generates predictable growth.

This article provides a comprehensive, step-by-step guide on how to write an account based marketing plan that delivers results – whether you’re starting from scratch or looking to formalize your current efforts.

Table of Contents

Why You Need an Account Based Marketing Plan

An account based marketing plan isn’t just a document – it’s a strategic blueprint that guides how you identify, engage, and convert key accounts. Without a plan, ABM efforts often become inconsistent or disconnected from sales goals.

Having a structured plan helps you:

Align marketing and sales around shared targets
Prioritize high-value opportunities
Allocate budget and resources efficiently
Track performance at the account level
Create repeatable systems for scaling

Instead of casting a wide net, a well-defined ABM plan ensures your team focuses on the right accounts with the right messages, through the right channels.

Step 1: Set Clear ABM Objectives

Start your account based marketing plan by defining specific, measurable goals. These objectives should be aligned with business growth and revenue targets, not just marketing KPIs.

Common ABM goals include:

Increase pipeline from Tier 1 accounts by 30% over the next two quarters
Expand revenue from existing enterprise clients
Re-engage previously lost or dormant high-value accounts
Shorten the sales cycle for strategic opportunities
Improve conversion rates from engagement to opportunity

Every subsequent step in your plan should tie back to these core objectives. Be realistic about timelines and ensure stakeholders agree on what success looks like.

Step 2: Build or Refine Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

Your ideal customer profile is the foundation of your ABM strategy. It defines what types of companies your marketing and sales teams should prioritize.

When building your ICP, consider:

Industry and vertical
Company size (employees or revenue)
Geographic region
Technology stack
Regulatory environment
Common business challenges
Lifetime value or potential contract size

Review existing customers to identify shared traits among your most profitable and satisfied clients. Avoid basing your ICP solely on broad firmographic data; include behavioral and success-based insights where possible.

Step 3: Identify and Segment Target Accounts

Once your ICP is defined, move on to selecting actual companies to target. This is one of the most critical components of your account based marketing plan.

Use internal data (CRM, closed deals) and external sources (LinkedIn Sales Navigator, intent data tools) to build a list. Then, segment accounts into tiers:

Tier 1: High-value, strategic accounts requiring deep personalization
Tier 2: Promising accounts that receive moderately customized campaigns
Tier 3: Scalable accounts addressed through broader, one-to-many tactics

This tiered approach allows your team to balance personalization with scalability.

Step 4: Map the Buying Committee

In B2B, purchases are rarely made by a single person. Understanding who is involved in the decision-making process is key to building relevant campaigns.

For each account, identify:

Decision-makers (e.g., CEO, CIO, CFO)
Influencers (e.g., department heads, analysts)
End-users
Blockers (e.g., legal, compliance)

Use LinkedIn, sales notes, and customer data to map the buying committee. Assign roles and track engagement with each stakeholder throughout the funnel.

Step 5: Develop Account Insights and Custom Messaging

Before creating campaigns, gather insights on each account to craft meaningful, targeted messages.

Account insights may include:

Recent company news or product launches
Strategic priorities (based on press releases, earnings calls, etc.)
Pain points relevant to your solution
Competitor relationships or vendor history

Use these insights to develop custom value propositions for each segment or account. Tailor messaging based on role, industry, and stage in the buying process.

For example, a CMO may be focused on brand consistency, while a CFO may care about ROI and cost efficiency. Your messaging should reflect these priorities.

Step 6: Select Tactics and Channels

An effective account based marketing plan includes a mix of channels tailored to the preferences and behavior of each account tier and buyer persona.

Common ABM channels:

Email (personalized outreach sequences)
LinkedIn (sponsored content, InMail, profile engagement)
Web personalization (dynamic landing pages)
Direct mail (custom gifts, printed assets)
Events and webinars (invite-only or industry-specific)
Sales outreach (calls, social messages, calendar links)
Paid media (retargeting, programmatic ads)

Tier 1 accounts typically require a fully orchestrated multi-channel approach, while Tier 3 accounts may be reached through scalable digital tactics.

Step 7: Align Sales and Marketing Teams

ABM is not a marketing-only initiative. A strong account based marketing plan includes joint ownership of outcomes and responsibilities across sales and marketing.

Actions to support alignment:

Create shared KPIs (e.g., meetings booked, pipeline created per account)
Run weekly or biweekly syncs to review account progress
Use shared dashboards to track engagement and activity
Collaborate on messaging, sequences, and content
Ensure smooth handoffs from marketing engagement to sales conversations

The tighter the collaboration, the more consistent and impactful your campaigns will be.

Step 8: Create and Distribute Personalized Content

Content is a central piece of ABM – but only when it speaks directly to the needs of your target accounts.

Types of personalized content to include in your plan:

Case studies tailored to the account’s industry or pain points
Custom landing pages or microsites
Executive briefs and proposal templates
Product demos that address specific use cases
ROI calculators and cost-benefit tools
Videos with customized messaging for different roles

For Tier 1 accounts, you may even produce unique assets for individual companies. For others, industry-level personalization is often sufficient.

Step 9: Execute Campaigns and Monitor Engagement

Once your messaging, content, and channels are ready, launch your campaigns. Throughout execution, it’s critical to monitor engagement at the account and stakeholder level.

Engagement data to track:

Email open and response rates
LinkedIn ad impressions and clicks by company
Website visits and session duration
Content downloads or video views by role
Sales conversations initiated

Use this data to adjust messaging and prioritize accounts showing high intent.

Step 10: Measure and Optimize

Every account based marketing plan should include a measurement framework tied to your initial goals.

Key ABM metrics:

Pipeline generated per account or tier
Account engagement score (based on multi-channel touchpoints)
Deal velocity (how quickly accounts move through the funnel)
Win rate by tier or campaign
Customer lifetime value and expansion revenue

Review performance regularly and adjust tactics based on what’s working. Identify your highest-performing campaigns and use those insights to improve the next iteration of your plan.

Example Structure of an Account Based Marketing Plan

Here’s a simple outline you can follow when writing your ABM plan document:

Objectives and KPIs
Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
Target Account List and Tiers
Buying Committee Roles and Personas
Account Insights and Messaging Themes
Channel Strategy and Tactics
Sales and Marketing Alignment Plan
Content Strategy
Execution Timeline
Measurement Framework

This structure ensures your plan is comprehensive and easy for stakeholders to understand and follow.

Final Thoughts

Writing an account based marketing plan doesn’t have to be overwhelming, but it does require strategic thinking, cross-functional input, and attention to detail. By following the steps above, you can create a plan that aligns teams, targets the right accounts, and delivers measurable business impact.

A strong ABM plan sets the stage for repeatable, scalable success – whether you’re trying to close enterprise deals, grow existing accounts, or drive expansion into new verticals.