Account-based marketing (ABM) is a B2B marketing strategy that has gained popularity in recent years. It involves targeting specific accounts by tailoring your messaging and campaigns to their unique needs. A head of account-based marketing is responsible for developing and executing an ABM plan that aligns with your company’s sales goals and overall marketing strategy.

As the B2B landscape becomes more crowded and competitive, it’s no longer enough to target generic audiences with broad messages. To stand out, you need to personalise your outreach to specific accounts by building relationships and delivering value through targeted campaigns. ABM allows you to achieve this by aligning marketing and sales efforts and increasing the effectiveness of both.

Head of Account Based Marketing Job Description

The role of a head of account-based marketing spans multiple areas, including strategy development, team management, and campaign execution. Here’s a summary of the core responsibilities:

Responsibilities of the Head of Account Based Marketing

Developing Strategic ABM Plans

  • Your primary responsibility will be to develop strategic account-based marketing plans that align with your company’s objectives and sales goals. This involves identifying target accounts and developing messaging and campaigns that resonate with their unique pain points and value-add areas.
  • You’ll need to work closely with sales and marketing teams to ensure that your ABM plan is aligned with overall business objectives. This may involve conducting research on target accounts, analysing data to identify key trends, and collaborating with other teams to develop integrated campaigns.

Managing the ABM Team

  • The head of account-based marketing is responsible for overseeing a team of marketers that execute the ABM strategy. It’s your job to ensure that everyone is working towards common goals and offer feedback and mentorship as needed.
  • You’ll need to be an effective communicator and collaborator, as you’ll be working closely with other teams to execute ABM campaigns. This may involve working with content marketing teams to develop messaging, collaborating with sales teams to identify target accounts, and working with design teams to develop creative assets.

Executing ABM Campaigns

  • You’ll need to be capable of creating impactful marketing campaigns that resonate with key stakeholders in target accounts. This requires the development of messaging that is tailored to specific account pain points and value-add areas, as well as the design and execution of accompanying campaigns.
  • You’ll need to be comfortable working with a variety of marketing channels, including email, social media, and content marketing. You’ll also need to be able to analyse data to measure the effectiveness of your campaigns and make adjustments as needed.

Head of Account Based Marketing Requirements

Educational Background and Certifications

  • The ideal candidate for a head of account-based marketing role has a bachelor’s degree in marketing, business, or a related field. A degree in marketing provides a solid foundation in the principles of marketing, consumer behaviour, and market research. A business degree provides a broader understanding of business operations, including finance, operations, and strategy. A related field such as communications or advertising can also be beneficial.
  • Certifications such as the Certified Account-Based Marketing Strategist (CABMS) offered by ITSMA would be an added advantage. The CABMS certification is designed to provide marketers with the knowledge and skills needed to develop and implement effective account-based marketing strategies. The certification covers topics such as account selection, persona development, messaging, and measurement.

Technical Skills and Marketing Expertise

  • As a head of account-based marketing, you’ll need to be familiar with marketing automation tools such as Marketo, HubSpot, and Pardot. These tools are used to automate marketing processes, such as email marketing, lead generation, and lead scoring. Additional knowledge of CRM tools such as Salesforce is a plus. CRM tools are used to manage customer relationships and track customer interactions.
  • You’ll need to be savvy at data analysis and interpretation to ensure that you are running campaigns that make a real impact. This requires a deep understanding of data analytics tools such as Google Analytics, Adobe Analytics, and Tableau. You’ll need to be able to analyse data to identify trends, patterns, and insights that can inform your marketing strategy.

Leadership and Management Abilities

  • The ideal candidate must be a skilled and effective leader who can manage a team to achieve desired outcomes. You should have a strong work ethic and be capable of inspiring team members to perform their best. You’ll need to have a track record of managing successful marketing campaigns and be able to provide examples of your leadership and management skills.
  • In addition, you’ll need to have strong interpersonal skills to work with multiple teams and stakeholders. You’ll need to be able to build relationships with sales teams, product teams, and other stakeholders to ensure that your marketing campaigns are aligned with business objectives.

Communication and Collaboration Skills

  • You’ll need to be capable of working with cross-functional teams and stakeholders, including senior management. You must have excellent communication skills to foster collaboration and gain buy-in from team members and business units across the organisation.
  • In addition, you’ll need to be able to communicate the value of account-based marketing to stakeholders who may not be familiar with the concept. You’ll need to be able to articulate the benefits of account-based marketing, such as increased engagement, higher conversion rates, and improved customer retention.