Getting account-based marketing (ABM) off the ground can feel daunting. Where do you start, which tactics actually work, and how do you get sales and marketing pulling in the same direction?
The good news: you don’t need theory, you need practical plays. This article breaks down proven ABM tactics we use at Cognism to engage enterprise accounts, win over buying committees, and turn intent signals into pipeline.
If you’re building your ABM programme or looking for inspiration to refine it, these examples will show you what works in practice.
Here are the ABM tactics that drive results 👇
ABM fails fast without sales–marketing alignment.
Picture your B2B marketing and sales teams as two halves of a dynamic duo, each wielding their own particular set of skills. Just as Sherlock Holmes relies on Dr Watson’s steadfast support to crack the toughest cases, sales teams depend on the marketing team’s insights and resources to close deals effectively.
However, with an ABM approach, the insights also flow in both directions.
It is not enough to agree on a target account list once a quarter. True alignment means both teams working from the same data, sharing the same goals, and adapting together in real time.
How we make alignment work:
Joint account selection: Marketing brings the data — ICP analysis, closed-won trends, intent signals. Sales adds ground knowledge from live conversations and relationships. Together we co-sign account lists so both teams are accountable.
Shared dashboards: One system of record, one set of definitions. Sales and marketing see the same signals and the same metrics, from early engagement through to revenue.
Real-time signal sharing: Surges in website traffic, repeat ad engagements, or webinar attendance flow straight to reps so they can act fast.
Feedback loops: Bi-weekly reviews at the 1:few level and monthly reviews at the 1:many level ensure both teams stay focused on where buying potential is real.
What alignment delivers:
Consistent ICP focus with no wasted spend on irrelevant accounts.
Faster cycles as prospects already feel “known” by the time they meet a rep.
Joint accountability for pipeline creation and revenue progression.
Stronger adoption of ABM assets by sales, because they see the value in practice.
When alignment works, ABM stops being “just another marketing campaign” and becomes a joint go-to-market strategy. The outcome is sharper focus, higher-quality pipeline, and faster, more predictable revenue.
Learn more about how we run ABM at Cognism from our DG Playbook Course. 👇
Every successful ABM campaign starts with a targeted account list.
The next step is to segment them for greater personalisation.
By focusing on a select group of accounts that align with your ideal customer profile, you can tailor your messaging and offerings to address their specific needs and pain points. This will maximise the impact of your account based marketing strategies.
Here's our own internal process for building account lists to target enterprise with ABM:
Even the most creative ABM tactic fails without accurate, compliant data.
Data is what turns a good idea into a scalable play. With the right contact and account intelligence, you can be confident every touchpoint lands with the people who matter most inside your target accounts.
How data multiplies your ABM impact:
Verified contacts: LinkedIn campaigns land directly with real buying committee members, not lookalikes.
Accurate emails: personalised gifting, nurture sequences, and webinar invites reach the right inboxes every time.
Location data: out-of-home plays, like lift ads or office-based displays, align with HQs and regional offices.
Signal enrichment: intent data, job joiners, and competitor renewals help you trigger the right plays at the right time.
This is where Cognism makes the difference. Our GDPR- and CCPA-compliant data gives you the confidence to execute these plays at scale, knowing your campaigns are reaching the right people in the right markets.
When data is precise, your channel mix expands. You can orchestrate more touchpoints with greater confidence. From hyper-personalised microsites to curated dinners and direct mail. The richer the data, the harder it is for competitors to displace you inside an account.
That is why data is the real ABM multiplier: it ensures every tactic reaches the right person, at the right moment.
💡You might be interested in learning more about Cognism's data story.
ABM campaigns speak to the pain points and challenges of the prospects you're trying to target.
At Cognism, we've developed a layered approach to ABM. As we spoke a bit about in the targeted account list section, we're constantly evolving, moving our accounts in and out of our 1:many, 1:few, and 1:one campaigns.
We operate on these three levels (each a different layer):
💡Check out these account based marketing examples to inspire your next campaign!
Tailored landing pages are personal to visitors from your ABM campaigns.
We've even gone as far as creating personalised microsites for our 1:one lists. Remember, these are accounts that have open opportunities with us, so we really want to pull out all the stops to make sure it's closed-won!
These microsites speak directly to the company, here's what we include:
ABM engagement is essential for a successful campaign. And what better place to achieve it than your own website?
Targeted paid ads deliver more attention, higher click-through rates, and deeper engagement at the 1:1 level.
While paid campaigns are often dismissed as “too broad” for ABM, at the 1:1 level they become a precision channel. We design ads using real signals such as Gong call notes, website behaviour, and past engagement so each account sees messaging that speaks directly to its challenges.
Our approach includes:
The impact:
The result: more attention, more clicks, and deeper engagement where it matters most.
Our ABM email nurtures consistently outperform standard rep outreach in both open and engagement rates.
Microsites only work if people visit them, so we reinforce them with tailored email nurture sequences at the 1:one and 1:few levels. Rather than leaving reps to rely on generic outreach, we equip them with templates designed to add value by:
Pointing prospects towards personalised microsites.
Surfacing relevant insights tied to their role or situation.
Connecting each message back to the account’s specific context.
This approach is powered by our “bucket accounts by signal” process, with each signal triggering a defined nurture path:
Job joiners: New decision-makers or influencers automatically enter a job-change nurture. These emails welcome them into their role with benchmarking content, playbooks, or insights, while positioning Cognism as a strategic partner from day one.
High intent & high engagement accounts: When an account activates across multiple signals, they move into a bottom-of-funnel nurture. Here we emphasise proof points such as case studies, deep-dives, and “date-a-vendor” assets to accelerate progression.
Competitor renewals/closed-lost reactivations: These nurtures focus on the pain points behind the previous choice, paired with assets that show why Cognism is the safer, more compliant alternative.
The outcome is a win-win: reps gain confidence in their outreach, and buyers feel we truly understand their context.
Enterprise deals are won by engaging the full buying committee, not just one champion.
Enterprise decisions are rarely made by a single person. Buying committees usually include 6–10 stakeholders across functions, each with their own priorities, objections, and influence. Ignoring even one voice can slow or stall a deal.
That is why our 1:one ABM plays are built to map, engage, and win over the entire committee. This means, everyone:
Our approach:
Identify the players: SDR and AE pairings map champions, decision-makers, blockers, and influencers to plan activation moments and select the right channels.
Tailor the narrative: Each persona receives a story that speaks to their goals, from RevOps leaders focused on clean data to CMOs focused on growth efficiency.
Map channels to sub-personas: Decision-makers respond best to high-touch tactics like direct mail and curated networking events. Individual contributors engage with scalable plays such as our virtual Cold Calling Live webinar series. Wider account penetration is driven through broad-reach tactics like LinkedIn ads, landing pages, and content hubs.
Create surround sound: Multi-channel engagement across LinkedIn, email, direct mail, events, webinars, and sales outreach ensures the whole committee experiences Cognism’s value from multiple touchpoints.
Enable multi-threading for sales: Reps use tailored assets and plays to connect with multiple stakeholders and build influence across the committee instead of relying on a single contact.
By using these tactics, we achieve true surround sound in ABM. Each stakeholder experiences Cognism’s value in a way that resonates with their role, creating the momentum needed to move enterprise deals to closed-won.
In enterprise ABM, face-to-face experiences often create the strongest impact.
Digital channels scale, but nothing accelerates trust like in-person engagement. That is why we invest in curated dinners, co-hosted events, and creative offline plays that connect us directly with buying committees.
In practice:
A Forrester dinner directly contributed to a $75k opportunity.
A co-hosted SaaStr dinner sparked six new enterprise conversations.
Unconventional offline plays, from branded office ads to lunch-and-learns, give SDRs the chance to show our platform in action.
These moments make Cognism feel human and create entry points into the buying committee that digital alone cannot achieve.
How we make it work:
Custom-built experiences: microsites, curated dinners, tailored demos.
Personalised amplification: ads, nurtures, and direct mail layered around the experience.
Data precision: accurate, compliant contact data ensures invites and campaigns reach the right stakeholders.
Rich contact-level data unlocks more touchpoints: LinkedIn campaigns landing with verified committee members, dinner invitations to the right VPs and Directors, office-based ads aligned to HQ locations, or personalised gifting delivered on time.
By combining deep personalisation, multi-channel execution, and data precision, 1:1 ABM becomes a true revenue driver, ensuring every tactic reaches the right people at the right time.
Out-of-home advertising is one of the most overlooked ABM channels, but it becomes powerful when combined with digital.
We use out-of-home advertising as an experimental play to cut through the noise and connect with buying committees in unexpected ways. For example, ads placed in office lifts act as the first touchpoint, with QR codes directing employees to a personalised landing page.
From there, engagement triggers additional layers:
Uber Eats vouchers inviting employees to “grab lunch on us”.
Personalised remarketing ads re-engaging stakeholders who were not in the office.
By blending out-of-home advertising with digital, we create a memorable, multi-channel experience that keeps Cognism front of mind and demonstrates the creativity behind our ABM approach.
💡Need help implementing your ABM tactics? Try using our account based marketing template.
Power your account based marketing tactics with the help of Cognism - the leader in international sales intelligence.
Its GDPR-compliant data allows you to:
Plus, a whole lot more!
Cognism is the ABM platform for you. Click to book a demo today. 👇