In today’s competitive business landscape, Account-Based Marketing (ABM) has emerged as a powerful strategy for B2B marketers to engage and convert high-value accounts.

ABM is a strategic approach that focuses on targeting and engaging specific accounts (or companies) rather than a broad audience. It’s like personalized marketing on a larger scale. Instead of casting a wide net to attract as many leads as possible, ABM programs aim to build strong relationships with key decision-makers in specific companies.

Webinars are important for an ABM strategy because they provide a unique opportunity to engage with your target accounts, deliver valuable content, and establish meaningful relationships. They are not a niche marketing channel but an important component in the marketing strategy of the vast majority of businesses.  They can also be an important indicator of where leads are in their buying journey. According to Netline’s 2023 B2B Buyer Insights Report, webinar registrants are 43.5% more likely to be making a purchase decision within the next six months. 

As a growth marketing agency that helps clients with both webinar marketing and ABM campaigns, we’ve found that an ABM approach to webinars is more advantageous than a traditional marketing approach. By identifying the needs of the most important personas in the buying group at key accounts, you can tailor your webinar content specifically to their interests, pain points, and challenges. This personalized approach increases the relevance and value of the webinar, increasing the likelihood of engagement and conversion.

The basics of building webinars that resonate with your target audience.

Imagine building a house. Before you start adding walls, floors, and furniture, you need a strong foundation to ensure the house stands firm and lasts for a long time. A strong foundation is important for any ABM program because it helps you set clear goals, select the right accounts, gather relevant data and insights, align sales and marketing efforts, create personalized content, and measure performance. By building a solid foundation, you increase the chances of achieving your ABM objectives and driving long-term business growth.

The same principle applies to webinars for your ABM campaign. Before you start creating webinars, you need a strong understanding of the needs and pain points of the personas within your target accounts. 

Once you understand who you are creating webinars for, follow these 9 steps to develop ABM campaign webinars that drive engagement and deliver results.

Step 1: Identify the goals for your webinar or webinar series.

Do you want to educate, generate leads, showcase a product, or establish thought leadership? Knowing the purpose will guide your content creation process—and make sure you avoid common ABM pitfalls. Additionally, crafting an effective webinar demands careful consideration of your desired audience takeaways. This is crucial because a well-executed webinar ensures personalized engagement that resonates deeply with target accounts. By planning outcomes thoughtfully, you can tailor content to address specific needs, establish brand authority, leave lasting positive impressions, foster emotional connections, and drive actionable next steps. 

Step 2: Choose an optimal format and length.

The format and length refer to how the content is presented. It’s important to align these two factors with your webinar goals and your target audience’s preferences. Here’s how to approach it:

• Casual conversation. This format allows for a natural flow of discussion and encourages audience participation. It’s great for thought leadership topics and sharing perspectives from experts.
• Practical tips. If your target audience is looking for actionable advice or specific solutions, offer a webinar focused on best practices or step-by-step guidance as well as real-world examples to help them apply the insights immediately.
• Masterclass or deep dive. For an audience that wants a more in-depth understanding of a specific topic or skill, a masterclass format that offers comprehensive insights, advanced techniques, or detailed case studies is ideal.

The length of your webinar should also be determined based on your audience’s preferences and attention span. Consider the following factors:

• Time constraints. Shorter webinars (around 30 minutes) are best for audiences that have limited time availability due to their work schedules or other commitments.
• Complexity of topic. If the topic is complex or requires a deep dive, a longer webinar (around an hour) may be appropriate to cover all the necessary information and provide a comprehensive understanding.
• Engagement and interactivity. If you expect high levels of audience engagement, such as Q&A sessions or interactive activities, it’s important to consider the time required for these interactions when planning the total length of your webinar.

Remember, the key is to strike a balance between providing valuable content and respecting your audience’s time and preferences. If you have data or feedback from previous webinars, analyze them to identify patterns or preferences that can guide your decision-making. And sometimes, discovering what your audience prefers is as simple as asking them. 

Step 3: Plan a webinar calendar for your ABM campaign.

Decide on a frequency for your webinars. Take into account your available resources and the preferences of your target audience. Then create a detailed roadmap outlining topics for each webinar that align with the interests and needs of the personas at your target accounts. Webinar topics might include:

• Thought leadership series. Uncover fresh solutions to industry- or company size-specific challenges faced by professionals in targeted roles.
• Success story showcase. Dive into a real-life case study, showcasing how a look-alike company utilized a particular solution to conquer a specific problem.
• Persona-centric best practices. Walk through essential workflows and features tailored to specific persona needs, empowering them with actionable insights.
• Tailored content for buyers. Deliver impactful content addressing specific roles within the buying group, from ROI data for decision-makers to in-depth IT security features.
• Product demos. Showcase the features, functionalities, and benefits of your product or solution, offering your audience a visual and interactive experience of how your product can address their challenges and meet their goals.

Consider a mix of evergreen topics and timely subjects to keep your content fresh and relevant.

Step 4: Choose the right speakers.

Identify subject matter experts within your organization or industry who can effectively present the webinar content. Look for individuals who possess in-depth knowledge, excellent communication skills, and the ability to engage and captivate your audience. Alternatively, consider collaborating with external experts or industry thought leaders who can bring a fresh perspective to your webinar series and enhance its credibility.

Step 5: Craft compelling and relevant content.

Here is where you marry format, length, topic and speaker(s) to create an experience that speaks to your target audience.  A webinar abstract and outline are vital at this stage. The abstract should provide a summary of what your webinar will cover and its objectives. This aligns stakeholders around your webinar theme and serves as a foundation for the presentation and promotion.

Step 6: Promote your webinar and drive attendance.

Develop a pre- and post-webinar promotion strategy to ensure maximum attendance, engagement, and interest in your webinar. Leverage multiple marketing channels to reach your target accounts effectively. 

• Pre-webinar. Build anticipation by creating enticing teasers. Personalize invitations and emphasize the value attendees will gain from the webinar. Leverage your existing customer relationships and sales team to promote the webinar directly to target accounts.
• Post-webinar. Follow up with attendees promptly, thanking them for their participation, and share any relevant resources or recordings. Segment your communications based on attendee engagement levels and their specific interests. Request feedback through surveys to gather insights for improving future webinars. You may also want to repurpose webinar content into blog posts or downloadable resources to extend its reach and value. 
• No-show registrants. Engaging people who registered but did not attend your webinar can be a crucial opportunity to re-ignite their interest and provide them with valuable information. Highlight key takeaways from the webinar and provide access to the recorded webinar. Consider creating video clips highlighting impactful moments, a blog post that summarizes key insights or other derivative content. These shorter resources are easier to consume and may pique their interest to watch the full recording. 

Step 7: Engage and interact.

Strive to create an interactive and engaging experience for your audience. Incorporate elements such as live Q&A sessions, polls, surveys, and chat features to encourage active participation. These interactive elements allow your audience to ask questions and share their opinions. They also make them feel connected to the content and your brand. And, they help you understand what your audience cares about, so you can create better content and follow-up activities.

Step 8: Develop a strategy for transferring context-rich leads to Sales.

Simply engaging your target accounts in webinars is not enough. For webinars to advance the conversation with these accounts (and look-alikes), both marketing and sales must have visibility into who attended and what else they’ve engaged with—on your website and elsewhere on the internet. Make sure your sales team can get this information quickly post-webinar, and that they have everything they need to reach out to qualified leads with a message that truly meets them where they’re at in their journey. The key is to foster a collaborative marketing and sales strategy where marketing can attract the highest-quality leads that are more likely to convert, while sales receives personalized information to tailor their approach so they can effectively engage with prospects and improve conversion opportunities. 

Step 9: Measure, analyze, and optimize.

When using webinars as part of an ABM strategy, it’s critical to evaluate the success of your webinar and promotion efforts in the context of your target accounts. Did you reach the right audience with your promos (new leads from target and look-alike accounts)? Did the topic appeal to them (registration rate)? Were they engaged in the content (attendance rate, on-demand views, engagement duration, interaction)? When you use insights from each webinar in your series to refine subsequent ones, an ABM webinar series also becomes a playground in which to learn what drives the conversation forward with the most important people at your target accounts.

The Iron Horse insight.

Webinars are a great way to create better buyer experiences for the people within your target accounts. But their greatest impact on your ABM strategy may be the insights they provide into the preferences of those people. That is, if you use this data to inform and optimize the buyer experience across all your channels.