2021 ABM Benchmark Survey: Personalization & Engagement Data Becoming Top Drivers For Account Selection, Segmentation, Messaging & Other GTM Key Strategies

Spoiler alert: ABM strategies have dramatically shifted over the past year.

While previous editions of Demand Gen Report's (DGR) ABM Benchmark Survey indicated sales and marketing alignment as the biggest ABM-related challenge, the 2021 version knocked alignment off its throne and crowned personalization at scale as the primary area marketers struggle with — it jumped 10 percentage points from the 2020 survey to catapult to the No. 1 spot.

The growing influence of personalization and more narrow targeting of ABM campaigns reflects an overall shift, as practitioners turn to campaign customization to better identify and meet accounts where they are to increase engagement. This trend also reflects increased adoption of ABM, as more than 98% of respondents indicated they currently utilize or plan to implement an ABM strategy.

Throughout this report, we will examine the advancements in ABM strategies through the lens of mature and emerging account-based strategies, with specific topics of discussion including:

• The factors influencing account selection;
• New challenges marketers are grappling with and what they can expect in the future;
• The most popular channels ABM practitioners are currently using and plan to use for targeting;
• New content assets and delivery forms; and
• The refined toolkits fueling data generation and action.