SiriusDecisions 2016 State of ABM Study
Finds that ABM Adoption Continues to Accelerate

SAN FRANCISCO, April 21, 2016 — Today at Demandbase’s third annual Marketing Innovation Summit for B2B, SiriusDecisions revealed the results of its 2016 State of Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Study. The key findings indicate that ABM adoption is rapidly accelerating and has gained fast acceptance in B2B: more than 70 percent of B2B companies have staff that are fully or partially dedicated to driving ABM-specific programs. Additionally, 58 percent have a pilot or test program and 41 percent have a full program in place. In comparison, last year only 20 percent of companies had full programs in place. B2B marketers report that ABM helps them achieve three key goals: increased revenue, increased pipeline and higher quality leads.

“B2B marketers have realized the limitations of traditional demand generation programs and measurements and instead are rapidly embracing the power of ABM,” said Peter Isaacson, chief marketing officer at Demandbase. “We have seen first-hand the meteoric rise of ABM through the explosive growth of our customer base. The data from SiriusDecisions confirms what is happening in the market–that ABM is the growth strategy of choice because it drives the outcomes that really matter to businesses: increased pipeline and revenue.”

Additional findings include:

• Marketers are rapidly building new skills for ABM: Companies are ramping up to support ABM programs. Sixty-two percent said that they have the skills needed to be successful with ABM, compared to 53 percent in 2015.
• Sales alignment remains high with companies that practice ABM: Sixty percent of companies say they are “somewhat” or “tightly” aligned with sales, compared to 34 percent in 2015. When companies are employing ABM strategies, 83 percent of the time sales helps determine target accounts.
• Technology and service investment continues to grow: Marketers are using technology to deliver and scale ABM, with 58 percent of companies planning to invest in services or technology in 2016. The leading planned investment for ABM in 2016 is Account-Based Advertising and re-targeting, with 68 percent of companies earmarking budget for this technology.

“This year’s data shows ABM continues to gain rapid acceptance for B2B marketers,” said Megan Heuer, vice president of research at SiriusDecisions. “What is most exciting is that marketers are rapidly building ABM skills so they can deliver on its promise. Marketing teams understand there are many ways ABM can deliver business impact and are reporting on a range of metrics focused on both demand creation and relationship improvement objectives. In the coming year we’ll see marketers continue to invest in ABM technologies to deliver on their goals.”

Heuer is scheduled to give a keynote today at Demandbase’s Marketing Innovation Summit for B2B. During the session, Heuer will discuss how ABM is gaining acceptance with B2B marketers as a true growth strategy and share examples of success and highlight data from the survey.

Twice the size of the 2015 report, this year’s study covers more than 200 B2B companies. Forty percent have revenue above $250 million and 16 percent represent more than $2 billion in revenue. Fifty-eight percent sell to companies with more than 1,000 employees. Ninety percent of companies were U.S. based.