PART ONE
NOISE INCREASES, SIGNAL BECOMES. THE EDGE

PART ONE / INSIGHT ONE

NOT A STRATEGY,
BUT SORCERY

When ABM first hit the marketing scene, it seemed like magic. Unheard-of ROI, revenue results nobody thought possible. And it wasn’t a one-off success story. Teams far and wide experienced its wonders, making it a mainstay in marketing strategies.

So far, so good. Right? Not quite. Because while ABM has matured, the success playbook has gotten old and tattered.

The reality of running it in 2025 feels less like
a dream come true – and more like being thrown around in a tornado. Precarious budgets. Surging commercial pressure. And data that confuses,
not clarifies.

This is the storm we’re in. Chaotic. Disorienting. Dangerous for those who cling to old rules for dear life. So how do we come out the other side unscathed? By figuring out how to separate noisy data from true signals.

In the chapter ahead, we’ll dive into how to move from dashboards that mislead to data that directs (spoiler: first-party intent data plays a big role).

of businesses report revenue growth from ABM.
(Elevating ABM: Building Blocks for Long-Term Growth, Momentum ITSMA & ABMLA)

say they achieve a higher ROI from ABM
versus other marketing efforts.
(2025 AI + ABM Trends, Userled)

of marketing leaders say their teams have felt a sharp rise in revenue expectations over the last five years. (The Revenue Gap Report, Turtl)

of B2B marketers are battling unreliable data when deciding who to target.
(Account-Based Marketing Statistics 2025, G2)

PART ONE / INSIGHT TWO

LOST IN THE POPPY FIELDS

Every ABM team knows the feeling. Account lists piling up. CRM records overflowing. Engagement interactions coming from all angles. Sales insights streaming in thick and fast. The nuggets of gold are in there. But getting to them means sifting through a lot of dirt.

Informa TechTarget reports that data (quality, accuracy, and availability) is one of the top five challenges facing teams in EMEA and North America. And when we struggle to figure out not just who to target, but when, how, and with what message, confidence in our strategy erodes, sales efficiency suffers – and we’re left in a compromised position.

We need a better way of separating false positives from true signals. Because, right now, we’re being pulled in a million directions – without any idea which is the right road forward.

Demands are spinning out of control. Resources are more precious than ruby slippers. Every dollar, every asset, every channel has to pull its weight. So even though it’s essential to experiment with ABM, it’s got to be done with as little waste and as few mistakes as possible.

The difference between gambled resources and an iterative ABM program lies in how fast you can turn trial and error into learning. Turning dead-end alleyways into rapid improvements lifts your program’s impact and accuracy.

To speed up learning curves, you need two things: smart AI use (more on this one later) and strong signals. True, strategy-steering signals are hiding in plain sight – we just need to know where to look. The first port of call? First-party data.

Permission-based, proprietary, and real-time, first-party data is the truest source of buyer intent you can find. It gives context and clarity to who’s engaged, what they’re engaging with, and when to up the outreach for better journey outcomes.

To amplify it, bring third-party insights into the mix (Gartner’s Magic Quadrant is a solid way to choose a third-party data provider). Fill in the gaps. Build a 360º view of your target accounts. A rounded, accurate picture of who your audience is, what they want, and how to give it to them informs your ABM roadmap. That’s not guesswork – that’s ABM with direction.

Emma McClelland,
Global ABM Manager,
Cognite

With so much activity happening across digital channels, the real advantage comes from isolating the intent signals that actually matter. It’s not about chasing every click, it’s about spotting sales-ready leads who are actively researching relevant topics and keywords. When you zero in on high value accounts and launch campaigns triggered by intent data, sales and marketing finally rally around the same priorities.

Plugging these signals directly into your CRM or marketing automation means even anonymous web traffic turns into full buyer profiles your team can contact and close. The payoff is clear: shorter sales cycles, less wasted spend on low intent accounts, and new opportunities you may not have even realized were in market.

PART ONE / INSIGHT THREE

SIGNALS LIGHT THE ROAD AHEAD, SMART TARGETING MOVES YOU FORWARD

True ABM is a philosophy of engagement:
building real relationships face-to-face whilst harnessing AI-driven personalisation online, so every buyer feels uniquely seen, valued, and compelled to act.

This approach isn’t just about campaigns or content - it’s about creating genuine connection. ABM works best when marketing and sales are fully aligned, sharing insights and collaborating to understand what really matters to each account. With the right blend of human empathy and smart technology, we can tailor experiences that feel personal, relevant, and timely. When done well, ABM builds trust and opens the door to long-term partnerships. It’s about showing up in the moments that count, with something that truly resonates.

Oli Hammans,
Global ABM Leader,
EY

Traditional ABM leans too heavily on segmentation – which is likely why 36% of marketers struggle to identify the right accounts. Build a list, drop a couple of hundred names into
the same bucket, and call it targeting. Sounds efficient. Feels flat. The issue? Segmentation alone kills nuance.

Instead of speaking to individuals, you’re painting with broad strokes. The “personalization” that follows looks shallow – and shallow doesn’t spur conversions..

The fix isn’t to ditch segmentation altogether. It’s to find the balance. On one side: high-level segmentation (efficient but impersonal). On the other: white-glove, one-to-one campaigns (powerful but impossible to scale).

The real impact comes from blending live signals with clusters of accounts that have strong enough similarities to warrant collective targeting.

Combining cluster messages with individual-level tailoring (made possible by first-party data, AI tools, and modular personalization) unlocks a scalable ‘audience of one’ approach to ABM that delivers consistent pipeline
and revenue.

PART ONE / INSIGHT FOUR

FROM NOISE
TO NAVIGATION

ABM is at its most powerful when it’s orchestrated with a strategic partner, together as a joint approach. In fact, recent research shows that 65% of B2B organizations see higher ROI when partner activity is embedded within ABM campaigns.

Strategic partner engagement ensures you’re not just targeting accounts you are surrounding them with consistent, multi-channel value that accelerates consensus and drives measurable pipeline growth.

Ben Romberg,
Head of Strategy and Planning, Gilroy

If it’s not decoded, even gold-standard data is useless. That’s where tools like AI and platform integrations come in. They’re like a map to the Emerald City, transforming fragmented, misinterpreted data into navigational signals that reveal engagement, intent, and readiness. And feeding those signals into lead scoring models flags hyper-interested leads, funnels them to sales, and closes more deals. No magic wand needed.

Focus your tools and workflows on surfacing genuine buyer cues, not metrics like opens and clicks that traditionally benchmark ABM success. Revenue content platforms capture first-party intent indicators and send them to your CRM so sales have the intel they need to close more target accounts.

To amplify your ABM even further, consider pairing this deep buyer intelligence with strategic partnerships.
By tapping into partner networks and using signals to gauge their intent and interest, you'll get introductions into the right rooms – and have conversations that resonate when you get there.

Prioritizing signals over noise is the first brick on the road to ABM 2030 – because great things happen when first-party data, enriched by third-party insights, is used to power strategy and workflows.

The next question is: how does bringing AI into the mix impact the journey?

Read on to find out…