If Everyone’s Doing ABM, Why Isn’t It Working?

Over the past few years, account-based marketing (ABM) has become one of the most talked-about strategies in B2B marketing. The promise? Focus less on volume, and more on value. Get tighter alignment with sales. Accelerate deal cycles. Build deeper relationships.

It sounds ideal. But here’s what I’ve seen in practice:

Many teams are “doing ABM” in name only.

What looks like ABM on the surface; running ads to target accounts, personalizing some email copy, handing sales a curated list that doesn’t often translate into real impact. Pipelines don’t improve. Sales stays frustrated. And marketing teams are left wondering if it was worth the shift at all.

So the question is: If everyone’s doing ABM, why isn’t it working?

The Problem Isn’t ABM, It’s How It’s Executed

I’ve worked in B2B marketing long enough to see the same patterns repeat:

• ABM gets treated as a campaign instead of a strategic motion.
• Teams build account lists but not account insights.
• Content is “personalized” but not relevant.
• Marketing focuses on impressions; sales still wants meetings.

The result? An expensive list of logos with very little engagement and even less revenue.

And yet, the potential is real. According to WARC, 91% of companies using ABM have reported an increase in their average deal size. So the problem isn’t the framework, it’s how most teams are executing it.

ABM isn’t just about marketing to accounts. It’s about orchestrating meaningful, insight-led engagement across the buying team and doing it with strategy, not just activity.

What Real ABM Requires

Here’s the truth I’ve learned: ABM isn’t a tactic, it’s a framework. And when done right, it transforms how marketing and sales work together.

Here’s the model that should be done to build ABM programs that actually move pipeline:

1. Alignment Before Activation

Before any targeting begins, sit down with sales leadership to define:

• What a high-value account actually looks like (firmographics, technographics, deal history)
• Which signals qualify an account as “in-market”
• What success looks like: Is it meetings? Opportunities? Account progression?

No tech, no tactics; just alignment. Because without it, you're not doing ABM. You're doing outbound with nicer slides.

2. Insight Before Outreach

Generic personalization doesn’t work. What works is insight-driven messaging tailored to the buying committee’s pain points.

So, focus on:

• Trigger events (new leadership, funding, product launches)
• Account-specific challenges we can solve
• Decision-maker roles and objections

Then, and only then, do we create messaging sequences. Because without insight, all you’re doing is sending slightly nicer spam.

3. Content That Maps to Buying Conversations

ABM content should do one thing: move the account forward.

That means content should:

• Speak to pain, not just personas
• Help sales start smarter conversations
• Reflect the buyer’s stage, not your marketing calendar

Case studies tailored by industry, benchmarking assets, technical ROI calculators; these are the kinds of tools that influence complex buying groups.

And by the way, ABM success isn’t content volume: it’s content precision.

4. Orchestration, Not One-Off Execution

This is where most ABM efforts collapse. I see teams launching one or two ads, a landing page, maybe a custom email, then wondering why nothing sticks.

ABM is a coordinated motion across marketing, sales, and even customer success.

✔ Ads warm the account

✔ Sales follows up with insight-led outreach

✔ Nurture sequences align with buying stage

✔ SDRs and AEs track engagement collaboratively

Without orchestration, it’s just more noise; only this time, with a higher cost per click.

The Metric That Matters Most

ABM should be measured by account progression; not just impressions, form fills, or reach.

• Can we move a cold account to a warm one?
• Can we influence more decision-makers across the buying group?
• Can we shorten the sales cycle for strategic accounts?

That’s what success looks like.

ABM Is Worth It ~ If You Do It Right

I still believe ABM is one of the most powerful strategies in B2B marketing. But only if it’s built on alignment, insight, and orchestration; not just through tools, templates, or automation hacks.

If everyone’s doing ABM, but few are succeeding… Maybe it’s time to revisit what ABM really means.