3 Strategies in Retaining the Authenticity in ABM Storytelling 

Personalized messaging and content is one of the most powerful tools that we use in any marketing strategy, whether broad-based or account-based. However, when digital channel utilization is at an all-time high for account-based marketing (ABM), it’s easy to lose the personal element of the messaging you want to convey to your audiences.

Storytelling helps make sure that your content resonates with and appeals to your audience; that’s why it’s essential to keep it engaging and authentic. A story is essential to marketing for three key reasons:

• Differentiate your brand from your competitors
• Addresses an inherent pain point your customer’s experience
• Incept a seed that your offering can help alleviate your customer’s pains

Our Marketing Beat gives three strategies to help build a more authentic and relevant story for your account-based marketing efforts. Here we talk about how to make your storytelling effective and authentic in a highly personalized ABM journey.

1. Keep it simple and consistent.

When somebody lands on your digital ecosystem, you have a literal second to capture and engage that prospect. With more options than ever in today’s digital world, users are adept at spotting ingenuine or lesser quality messaging. Tap into your brand DNA (your mission, vision, and values) for all of your core messaging. Don’t explain your product or service; create a story that tells about the challenge your product or service aims to solve. Apple has been a lead example of this ever since October of 2001 when Steve Jobs told you how the iPod solved a problem for you versus what it was they were selling. People didn’t necessarily care about the device; they cared what it could do for them. 

The same goes for brand storytelling—craft content that is straightforward but descriptive at the same time. When engaging with your account, be genuinely interested in their responses and understand how they expect your company to address their pain points. Knowing this is key to establishing trust and eliciting high-value responses while encouraging them to communicate with you as you solve their specific problems openly.

Even when accounts don’t work out, be open to learning why without the pressure to come back. 

2. Make the customer the hero of the story.

In brand storytelling, the spotlight should be on your customer and not on you alone. In ABM, you need to invest the time to do your research before crafting your messaging – who are you trying to build a relationship with? Where do they live online? What do they care about? With this information, coupled with insights from your sales team and tapping into your resources, start building a story focused around that account specifically. This information will not only put your key account front and center, but you will also be positioning yourself as a trusted resource. 

Be creative with how you engage. In marketing, we predominantly talk about automation and digital–but that should exclude more traditional means of marketing that may have significantly less competition, like direct (or snail) mail. Finding different avenues to engage with your account can often yield higher engagement.

3. Empower your customers to help tell your story.

If your customer has an excellent experience with your product or service and feels supported throughout their buyer journey, it will show their willingness to advocate for your brand to other potential customers. Having positive feedback is one of the most authentic social proof points you can have and will increase your referral rate and entice more people to engage with your brand.

Organic Storytelling Goes a Long Way

An authentic brand narrative not only engages customers but also paves the way for long-term partnerships built on trust. Staying true to your branding and storytelling will help carry out your account-based strategies, especially in an uncertain era when there is less face-to-face interaction and businesses are limited to virtual means of communication.

Photo by Hivan Arvizu Soyhivan via Unsplash