As Account-Based Marketing (ABM) goes mainstream at a growing number of B2B enterprises, large and small, there are several vendors offering ABM advertising solutions. One of the critical challenges for B2B marketers is how to reach and engage their “hard to reach” senior executive buyers and decision makers across their global target accounts. ABM advertising promises a compelling new way to reach those buyers, especially as they do not open marketing and sales emails, or answer incoming phone calls from people they do not know or trust.



Several ABM tech providers and more specialized vendors now offer ABM advertising solutions and services. Here are some common messages Customers hear from ABM ad platform vendors in the sales process. Many of these assertions are simply false. In the interest of making the decision process around the purchase of these solutions easier for B2B marketers and demand gen leaders, here are 5 common myths about ABM advertising, and the real facts to consider:

Myth #1: You Engage An Account Simply By Showing Them ABM Ads

The Real Facts: No, you don’t. The typical mid-to-large enterprise that you are targeting may have 10s to several 100 unique target buyers that match your personas of interest (e.g. Directors of IT, VPs of Finance). Reaching and engaging these buyers requires that you serve 1 to 2 ads per day into each buyer over a 90-day period. Ask your ABM ad tech vendor what they consider “engagement”. At Kwanzoo, we track every unique buyer who actually clicked on an ABM ad, visited your website, engaged in live chat, filled out a form. Simply showing an ad to a buyer, maybe a few times over 90 days is not engagement. Plan on serving approx 4000 ads into each account that has a few 100 matched buyers.

Avoid the ABM version of "spray and pray" ads, or what we also call the "peanut butter spread" of your ads. You need to decide which accounts you want to engage, and go deep enough into each account to make it really happen. And you need a partner who gives you that level of control for your ABM program execution.

 Myth #2: Your Most Important Decision is the ABM Platform. The Rest Of Your Decisions Can Wait Until Later.

The Real Facts: This is what many vendors want you to believe. So they can charge you a lot for the platform on a 12-month SaaS contract, and get you to ignore all the other costs that you will become aware of later, after you are locked into their platform. You will want to review upfront all of the following - their global targeting capabilities, access to third party data, available integrations and depth of reporting. How flexible are they, with how their reporting data can be consumed (triggered emails, dashboards, APIs, inside your sales tools and your CRM)? What all ABM behavioral data can they report on at an account level (ad clicks, website page visits, live chat sessions, form fills, anything else)?

Then total up ALL of your costs for running an ABM advertising programs for a specific number of accounts (costs for the platform, ad media, third party data, integrations, reporting). And compare the “fully-loaded CPM” (cost per thousand ads) or the “cost per account targeted per quarter” across your ABM ad tech providers. That will give you the real total cost across vendors to compare. You will want to evaluate this alongside other important factors, such as the service quality, level of service and best practices expertise of their Customer Success team.

Myth #3: Your Only Option is To Buy Into a 12-Month Platform Contract. 

The Real Facts: No, it is not. Especially as you are getting started. For instance, Kwanzoo offers a proven pilot model where you can get started with 200 to 350 accounts for a simple fixed fee that covers an entire 90-day ABM program execution. All costs included, with approx 4000 ads served into each target account.

We share sample creative, provide ad specs. We show you how to do it right, so you see 1 to 5 engaged buyers on the average who click on your ads, visit your website, fill out a form, or open a live chat session with one of your SDRs, with full reporting on the entire buyer journey. We deliver 25% to 40% engaged accounts from your target list (with higher engagement rates when you have compelling creative and fresh content offers). We can deliver the reports so its immediately actionable by Sales.

Myth #4: LinkedIn ABM Is The Only Way to Serve ABM Ads. 

The Real Facts: LinkedIn does have good targeting data on B2B buyers. And it should certainly be a component of your overall ABM paid media budget. However, LinkedIn’s CPM rates are high (like more than $50 CPM or cost per thousand ad impressions). LinkedIn continues to be limited with their reporting data on both the accounts and specific buyers from that account that have engaged with your ABM ads. A good alternative to LinkedIn is programmatic ABM ads served through media buying platforms (DSPs). You get much lower CPMs (our fully-loaded CPMs are less than half of LinkedIn CPMs). Unlike LinkedIn, you can control the exact online channel (desktop vs mobile) where you engage your buyers. All this with much deeper account-level reporting, that is truly actionable by your SDRs and sales teams.

Myth #5: Display Advertising Does Not Work for B2B.

The Real Facts: You are probably thinking form fills on your website from display programs. And comparing it to your cost-per-lead from content syndication programs. That’s simply the wrong way to think about the value of ABM advertising programs. If you look at the cost per targeted account, and cost per engaged buyer, ABM advertising measures up very well against any other marketing program tactic to reach the “hard to reach” senior buyers at your target accounts. These buyers are highly unlikely to fill out a lead form from your content syndication partner. They rarely stop by booths at trade shows. They don’t have the time to attend your half-day live seminar. What they might do is see one of your ABM ads, and then click through and visit your website to review content. And when they do, we’d know they came in. We can tell your SDR team exactly what they did on your website, and what messages your SDRs should write to them. And you would have just increased the odds that you are on their vendor shortlist, when they are ready to engage. 

Are there other myths about ABM advertising that you have heard, and that continue to trouble you? Please drop us a note. And we will be sure to respond with our take on other common myths in the industry, around this very important ABM program option that is being used across many mid-to-large B2B enterprises and high-tech startup companies.