Account-based marketing (ABM) established its place as a business imperative, with many modern B2B organizations doubling down on the strategy in our new, digital-first world. With that in mind, both ABM veterans and newcomers will have something to look forward to at the 2021 B2B Marketing Exchange: Next-Level ABM.
This year’s online #B2BMX event – taking place June 7–10, 2021 – will focus on the nuances of account-based strategies, with 50+ sessions that will expand on growing trends to help organizations enter the next level of their account-based strategies and programs.
The event itself will be divided into six separate tracks: ABM Alignment, Campaign Execution, Targeted Content, Strategy & Outcomes, Precision Partnering and Audience Insights. Attendees will learn about the most pressing topics in these account-based areas, including how to build impactful account-based experiences (ABX), the benefits of leveraging intent and signal data, the best ways to create targeted omnichannel content offers and much more.
“We consistently hear from B2B marketing practitioners that they are trying to advance their ABM programs to be more effective in connecting with targeted buyers and accounts,” said Andrew Gaffney, Editorial Director at Demand Gen Report. “We’re really proud of the extensive program we put together, with a ton of great use case examples and a ‘who’s who’ of thought leaders demonstrating how to better customize messaging, orchestrate programs across marketing channels and ultimately be more relevant and valuable to their buyers.”
ABM-Focused Keynotes Explore Account Alignment, Content, Engagement & More
As with every B2BMX event, Next-Level ABM is packed with keynote presentations from top influencers sharing their experiences and best practices with ABM.
- Andy Crestodina, Co-Founder and Strategic Director of Orbit Media, will kickstart the event with a keynote on how research-backed outreach encourages buyers to interact with a website, and the best ways to decided which content form best fits with your ABM program;
- Best-selling author of “microMARKETING” Greg Verdino will take the virtual stage to discuss the importance of catering directly to the buying group the importance of catering directly to the buying group and share some best practices for putting key accounts — and the people behind them — first in the buying process;
- Demandbase‘s Jon Miller will discuss how marketers can leverage an ABX model to align with buyers at each stage of their journey. He will also provide tips for data insight implementation to improve marketing and sales actions and further drive ABM success for future account interactions;
- Forrester VP Principal Analysts Nicky Briggs and Phyllis Davidson will highlight custom content’s impact on ABM by sharing pitfalls marketers might face when scaling and managing their ABM content;
- A panel of revenue leaders, including Darryl Prail of VanillaSoft, James Gilbert of CRMNext and Sangram Vajre of Terminus will touch base on the current state of ABM and discuss new ways to evolve future go-to-market strategies;
- In another panel keynote, Christelle Flauhaux of FortressIQ and Karen Sage of Syncron will join Andrew Gaffney to discuss the shifting structures of revenue teams and the current roadmap for building multichannel ABM engagement programs; and
- ON24 Mark Bornstein will discuss how personalized digital experiences and targeted content can build stronger engagement strategies that enhance ABM programs for highly targeted audiences.
Breakout Sessions Analyze What Works To Build Stronger ABM Programs
In addition to the keynotes, attendees could watch 50+ sessions, ranging from case studies, labs, breakouts and lunch & learns, presented by some of the top B2B voices in the industry. In these sessions, B2B experts and practitioners will explore various ABM-centric topics, ranging from unique account engagement strategies to creating account-centric ABM programs.
Rob Leavitt of ITSMA and Gemma Davies of ServiceNow will explore the best ways to bring ABM tactics and strategies into customer-centric organizations. Leavitt and Davies will also discuss how to innovate and expand existing ABM strategies to ensure long-term ABM success.
Corrina Owens and Taylor Young of Profisee will break down how 1:1, 1:few and 1:many ABM programs work, and how each program functions when engaging executive accounts. The duo will also recommend tools and solutions marketers can leverage to scale their ABM programs for the executive stage.
Kelvin Gee of Oracle will tackle the concept of a centralized approach to ABM. Gee will discuss how having a center of excellence can help improve the maturity of ABM programs and share four separate approaches marketers can take to create a centralized hub that supports ABM strategies.
Some other interesting sessions to check out include:
- Building Your Partner Ecosystem & Channel Strategy, where Theresa Maragol of AchieveUnite highlights the critical components for building successful channel strategies that scale; and
- David Bruno of Aptos will explore the harsh reality of content creation for ABM programs in Confessions Of An Overworked Content Marketer: Satisfying The Relentless Demands Of ABM.
Next-Level Activities For Hands-On Learning & Networking
For attendees looking for new hands-on ways to learn and network with peers, #B2BMX Next-Level ABM will host a plethora of workshops designed to help attendees overhaul their ABM strategies, programs and conversations, with many famous B2B faces providing new tactics and best practices for attendees to learn from.
One workshop presented by Pam Didner, titled: ABM Sales Motions: How To Maximize Sales Enablement For Key Account Strategies, will highlight account-specific sales enablement opportunities that can support existing ABM programs. She will also work with attendees to brainstorm creative ways to align with sales teams for stronger account-based plans and engagement.
Jon Russo of B2B Fusion will also host a workshop titled: Using Leads, Piloting ABM — Argh, How Do I Measure Everything?, where he’ll cover the questions marketers should ask, as well as the necessary tools for measuring ABM successfully. Russo will explore the idea of having a separate funnel strictly for leads as a means for measuring account readiness to engage.
Other workshops include:
- Positioning ABM As A Growth Lever In Your Revenue Engine with David Lewis of BDO Digital;
- Precision Demand Marketing: Response To Revenue with Integrate‘s Stephanie Swinyer and Danny McKeever;
- ABM Targeting & Segmentation: A Hands-On Strategy Workshop, with Mark Ogne, ABM Consortorium;
- It’s Complicated: Marketing/Selling To, Through & With Your Channel — An ABM Story with Spark Your Channel‘s Heather Margolis;
- Strengthening Executive Engagement: 5 Keys To ABM Success with ITSMA’s Rob Leavitt; and
- Connecting The Dots On Content & Audience: Building Messaging Strategies That Support Targeted Programs For Specific Buyers & VerticalsConnecting with Lisa Wallace and Kelly Zahoudanis of Content4Demand.
The event will also feature additional hands-on activities for attendees to share their ABM experiences and learn from their peers, including:
- 1:1 “Speed Dating” sessions that allow attendees to network with likeminded individuals, matching people by their preferences and interests for an engaging conversation;
- Roundtable discussions where attendees can discuss specific topics during conversations facilitated by industry experts;
- Certification courses on topics such as ABM Foundations, Digital Experiences and Virtual Events; and
- The chance to connect with sponsors and learn about the top ABM martech tools available.
This only covers a small portion of the information and activities at #B2BMX Next-Level ABM. Check out the website for the full agenda and save your seat today! All sessions will be available on-demand to registrants after they air.