Two powerful strategies continue to demonstrate exceptional results when properly executed: personalised lead nurturing and account-based marketing (ABM).
What happens when you combine these approaches?
At Pitch121, our research and client work reveals that this integration creates a multiplier effect that significantly outperforms either strategy used in isolation.
Our recently released LinkedIn Outreach Handbook revealed some compelling statistics about connection acceptance rates and engagement. What we’ve found in our follow-up analysis is that organisations implementing both strategic lead nurturing and focused ABM tactics achieved:
These numbers tell a clear story:
Connection acceptance with lead nurturing ensures your content is seen by your key accounts. Warming leads before sales approach increases their chance of success with your ABM accounts.
The synergy between these approaches stems from their complementary strengths:
When combined, these approaches address both the “who” (ABM’s strategic account focus) and the “how” (nurturing’s relationship-building methodology).
Based on our research and client implementations, here’s a framework for combining nurturing and ABM effectively:
Before sending a single connection request or engagement, identify your ideal target accounts with precision:
Our data shows that companies using clearly defined tiers achieve better results via more personalisation, eg. follow ups and content feels relevant rather than generic from a more general approach.
Once target accounts are identified, implement coordinated nurturing before connection attempts:
As our LinkedIn Outreach Handbook revealed, pre-connection engagement improves acceptance rates dramatically, and when combined with ABM’s focused approach, these improvements compound.
After initial connections are established, the real power of the integrated approach becomes evident:
Companies implementing this multi-threaded approach build trust quicker. According to ITSMA Momentum research, ABM leaders who are most successful say that ‘Trustworthiness’ is the top reason their buyers buy from them.
Use the data from both your ABM and nurturing efforts to continuously refine your approach:
The organisations seeing the greatest success are those treating this as an iterative process rather than a one-time implementation.
If you would like a report on your team’s post effectiveness, you can request it here.
Our research identified several pitfalls that organisations frequently encounter when attempting to combine nurturing and ABM:
Many companies start with good intentions but fail to maintain coordination between team members engaging with the same account. This creates disconnected experiences for prospects and undermines trust.
Solution: Implement regular account review sessions where all team members engaging with priority accounts share insights and coordinate next steps.
Some organisations correctly identify target accounts but continue using generic content that doesn’t address specific account challenges.
Solution: Develop modular content frameworks that allow for customisation based on account-specific insights without requiring entirely new content for each prospect.
Even with the right targeting and coordination, many teams rush to sales conversations before sufficient nurturing has occurred.
Solution: Establish clear nurturing milestones that must be achieved before direct sales outreach, such as minimum engagement levels or specific content consumption patterns.
When implementing an integrated nurturing-ABM approach, focus on these key metrics to gauge success:
Track how many connections you establish across your target accounts. Our research shows a direct correlation between connection density and sales opportunity creation:
Measure how prospects from target accounts engage across channels following LinkedIn connection:
Monitor how the integrated approach impacts your sales cycle:
Different industries see varying results from the integrated approach:
For B2B Technology vendors, there is an opportunity to engage with both the technology team at your target accounts as well as the economic buyers. Peer-to-peer connecting is particularly powerful here as technology buyers were more likely to engage with other technologists as well as your COO to operations teams, and your CMO to marketing teams.
Professional services firms saw the greatest benefit from thought leadership content specifically tailored to target account challenges. Firms that customised their thought leadership for priority accounts saw better engagement than those using generic industry content.
While the integrated nurturing-ABM approach yields impressive results, it all begins with one critical element: connection acceptance. Without accepted connections, even the most sophisticated ABM strategy will fall flat.
As our LinkedIn Outreach Handbook details, improving connection acceptance rates requires specific techniques and approaches. The data is clear: organisations that master connection acceptance first see dramatically better results from their subsequent ABM efforts.
Ready to implement this integrated approach? Here’s where to start:
Most importantly, ensure your team has mastered the fundamentals of connection acceptance. Without this foundation, even the most sophisticated ABM strategy will struggle to deliver results.
For a comprehensive guide to improving connection acceptance rates and maximising your LinkedIn outreach effectiveness, download our LinkedIn Outreach Handbook. It provides detailed implementation guidance drawn from our extensive research and client work.
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