How to launch a high-impact ABM campaign on a shoestring budget

If you’ve ever found yourself staring at a shiny $200,000 ABM tech stack and thinking, “Is there a less wallet-draining way to do this?”, you’re not alone. 

Thankfully, Mason Cosby, the founder of Scrappy ABM, has cracked the code on how to make account-based marketing (ABM) work without selling your firstborn to fund it. 

During our chat on The Revenue Stream, Mason unpacked the secrets of scrappy ABM. And I’m here to give you the step-by-step guide to making it happen.

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What is ABM? Let’s start with the basics

ABM, or account-based marketing, is a B2B growth strategy where marketing and sales align to focus on high-value target accounts. Think of it as a sniper rifle compared to the shotgun approach of traditional marketing. It’s all about precision and personalization.

What sets ABM apart is its focus on quality over quantity. Rather than generating a high volume of unqualified leads, ABM focuses on engaging and converting a smaller, highly targeted set of accounts. This approach requires alignment, personalization, and coordination—but it doesn’t require a huge budget.

Mason emphasizes that ABM is more about strategy than software. You can get started using tools you likely already have, such as a CRM, email automation software, and basic outbound sequencing tools.
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Account-based marketing isn’t about the tech; it’s a B2B growth strategy that aligns marketing and sales around a shared set of target accounts. The real challenge is building the right processes and people alignment before you even think about technology.

Mason Cosby
CEO & Founder, Scrappy ABM

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But is ABM even right for you?

Not every business will benefit from ABM. 

Mason’s rule of thumb: If your average contract value (ACV) is less than $30,000, ABM might not be worth the effort. 

Here’s why:

• High Effort, High Reward: ABM is labor-intensive. The ROI only makes sense if your ACV justifies the time investment.
  
• Niche Markets: If your total addressable market (TAM) is small and well-defined, ABM is a great fit regardless of ACV
  
  

Nuance for small ACVs:

If your ACV is between $10,000 and $30,000, consider running hyper-focused ABM campaigns for your highest-potential accounts. Focus on accounts with the highest likelihood of expansion or repeat business.
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Step 1: Redefine ABM (Hint: It’s not about the tech)

One of the biggest misconceptions about ABM is that you need expensive software to get started. According to Mason, that’s simply not true. Here’s how to redefine ABM for your budget:

1. Focus on strategy

Successful ABM campaigns begin with strategic alignment between sales and marketing. This means agreeing on your target accounts and defining how you’ll approach them collaboratively. 

Here’s a step-by-step breakdown:

• Account selection: Use a mix of quantitative and qualitative criteria to define your target accounts. Quantitative metrics might include annual revenue, employee size, or industry, while qualitative inputs can come from sales insights about high-potential accounts.‍
• Shared objectives: Align on the outcomes you’re pursuing. Are you looking to penetrate new accounts, expand within existing ones, or accelerate deals?‍
• Roles and responsibilities: Clearly define who owns what. For example, marketing might own content, copy, and set up automation for personalized outreach, while sales focuses on direct engagement and follow-ups. But both marketing and sales collectively agree on the accounts to target.
  
  

2. Adopt a scrappy mindset

Instead of asking, “What new tool do I need?” ask, “How can I creatively use what I already have?” For instance:

• Use free LinkedIn tools to identify key decision-makers within target accounts.
  
• Enrich your account data using free or low-cost tools like Apollo or Hunter.io.
  
• Personalize outreach using insights from tools you already own, like your website analytics.
  
  

Common missteps to avoid

• Jumping straight to expensive tools before building the foundational processes.
  
• Over-relying on advertising as the only ABM tactic.
  
• Treating ABM as a marketing-only initiative without involving sales.

This mindset shift is critical. You don’t need all the bells and whistles—you need a clear plan and a willingness to put in the work.

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Step 2: The zero-to-one phase

You can’t scale a program that doesn’t exist. Mason calls this the zero-to-one phase, where you lay the foundation for your ABM efforts. 

Here’s how.

Start with activation plays

Activation plays are targeted efforts to engage potential buyers who are already showing buying intent. Instead of trying to boil the ocean, focus on specific triggers that indicate readiness. 
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We all talk about the crawl, walk, run approach, but nobody actually helps businesses crawl. ABM doesn’t need to start with a $200,000 tech stack—it starts with using what you have creatively to engage target accounts effectively.

Mason Cosby
CEO & Founder, Scrappy ABM

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Here are few examples:

• Pricing Page Visitors: If someone’s checking out your pricing page, they’re curious. Create a follow-up email sequence to engage them.
  
• Demo Video Viewers: Did someone watch your product demo but not schedule a call? That’s an opportunity to re-engage.
  
• Abandoned Demo Requests: If a prospect starts filling out a demo request form but doesn’t complete it, follow up with a personalized email.
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Example: The ungated demo

One scrappy approach is to create an ungated product demo on your website. At the end of the demo, include a clear CTA to schedule a call. If visitors watch the full demo but don’t book a meeting, add them to a personalized email sequence that highlights specific value points.
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RECOMMENDED READ

Meeting not booked? Alert sales rep on Slack

Prospects leaving you hanging after filling out that demo request form?

Iterate and optimize

The beauty of starting small is that you can refine your approach quickly. Track leading indicators such as:

• Open Rates: Are your emails being opened?
  
• Click-Through Rates: Are people engaging with your content?
  
• Meeting Bookings: Are prospects converting into meetings?

If something isn’t working, adjust. Maybe your email subject lines need to be more compelling, or your landing pages need clearer calls-to-action. Keep experimenting until you find what works.

Focus on small wins

Instead of building a massive campaign right out of the gate, run a small, targeted campaign for 30 days. Analyze the results, optimize, and repeat. The goal is to establish a repeatable process that delivers consistent results.

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Step 3: Sales and Marketing alignment

ABM is a team sport, and alignment between sales and marketing is crucial. Unfortunately, this is where many ABM programs falter. 

Here are few strategies Mason shared:

Involve sales early

Don’t wait until you’ve built your campaign to loop in sales. Involve them from the start. Here’s why:

• Buy-in: Sales teams are more likely to support a program they helped create.
  
• Insights: Sales reps have firsthand knowledge of what resonates with prospects. Use their insights to shape your messaging.
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ABM is not just a marketing initiative—it’s an organizational change. Without sales and marketing alignment, you’re setting yourself up for failure. That alignment doesn’t happen by accident; it’s intentional, and it starts with involving sales before the strategy is even built.

Mason Cosby
CEO & Founder, Scrappy ABM

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Create an ABM task force

Setting up an ABM task force is crucial for ensuring program success. Here’s why it’s important and how to do it:

• Why it matters
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  • Accountability: Having clear ownership ensures tasks don’t fall through the cracks.
    
  • Collaboration: ABM requires tight coordination between sales, marketing, and leadership to create a unified experience for target accounts.
    
  • Focus: A dedicated task force prevents ABM efforts from being deprioritized amidst competing demands.
    
    
• How to set it up:
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  • Marketer to own the strategy: This person is responsible for developing and managing the ABM plan, including messaging, playbooks, and coordination.
    
  • Sales reps to refine tactics: Sales reps bring frontline insights and help refine outreach strategies, ensuring they resonate with target accounts.
    
  • Executive sponsors: These leaders champion the program, ensuring it receives the necessary resources and buy-in across the organization.
    

Collaborate on messaging

Marketing provides the direction, while sales refines the details. For example, marketing might draft an email sequence, and sales can tweak the copy to make it more conversational. This collaboration ensures consistency and effectiveness.

Practical tips for alignment

• Shared CRM workflows: Create a clear CRM workflow to track account engagement. Ensure both teams use the same definitions for key metrics like "engaged account" or "qualified lead."
  
• Real-time feedback loops: Set up Slack alerts to know when a target account hits your key trigger point. Have real-time conversation on the same channel for instant feedback between sales and marketing on campaign performance.
  
• Monthly deep dives: Go beyond weekly syncs with monthly sessions to review long-term trends and strategize. Use these meetings to align on upcoming plays and address challenges.
  
• Account plans: Collaboratively build and maintain account plans. Include engagement strategies, decision-maker personas, and timelines. Revisit these plans regularly to ensure alignment. 

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RECOMMENDED READ

Running ABM campaigns?

In this playbook, we’ll cover how you can go beyond and personalize the scheduler and even the thank you page.

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Step 4: Stay scrappy. Stay agile

A scrappy approach isn’t just about cutting costs—it’s about being resourceful and adaptable. Here are some tactics Mason recommends:

• Use free or low-cost tools: Tools like Apollo can help you enrich contact data without breaking the bank.
  
• Engage in niche communities: Find out where your target accounts hang out online (e.g., LinkedIn groups, industry forums) and join the conversation.
  
• Create affordable content: Use platforms like StreamYard ($25/month) and Speaker ($7/month) to produce podcasts or webinars tailored to your audience.

Metrics you should track when running an ABM campaign

Tracking the right metrics is essential to measure the success of your ABM efforts. However, the true power of these metrics lies in understanding why they matter and how to act on them. Let’s break it down:

Leading indicators: Early signs of engagement

• Website engagement:
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  • Why it matters: If target accounts are visiting your website, they’re likely interested. Tracking which pages they visit (e.g., pricing, product details) helps identify intent.
    
  • How to track: Use tools like HubSpot Breeze, Factors or HockeyStack to segment visits by target accounts.
    
  • Actionable next steps: If a target account repeatedly visits your pricing page, for example, send an alert on Slack to inform your sales team to prioritize them for outreach with tailored messaging.
    
    
• Content interaction:
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  • Why it matters: Engaging with content like high intent blog posts, whitepapers, or webinars indicates that your content resonates and educates.
    
  • How to track: Use content management systems to monitor downloads, views, or shares by target accounts. If you’re using HubSpot, you’re sorted already. Alternatively, you can also set up some tags on Google Tag Manager to track these in your GA4 account.
    
  • Actionable next steps: Follow up with personalized emails offering additional resources or an invitation to a conversation. Don’t push for a sales call yet since people are likely still early in their research.
    
    
• Email metrics:
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  • Why it matters: High open and click-through rates signal that your messaging is cutting through the noise.‍
  • How to track: Use your email marketing tool to monitor these rates for your ABM campaigns.‍
  • Actionable next steps: Experiment with subject lines, content formats, or CTAs to optimize results.
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Lagging Indicators: Measuring Impact

• Meetings booked:
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  • Why it matters: Meetings are the bridge between engagement and conversion. A steady flow indicates strong alignment between sales and marketing.‍
  • How to track: Use tools like RevenueHero that can automatically send this information back to your CRM. Analyze meeting data specific to ABM campaigns.‍
  • Actionable next steps: Identify commonalities among accounts booking meetings and refine outreach tactics for similar profiles.
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• Pipeline contribution:
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  • Why it matters: Understanding how much of your pipeline is influenced by ABM efforts helps justify the investment and refine strategies.
    
  • How to track: Measure the percentage of pipeline tied to target accounts using your CRM.
    
  • Actionable next steps: Double down on successful plays or identify weak points in the pipeline for targeted optimization.
    
    
• Revenue impact:
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  • Why it matters: Ultimately, the goal of ABM is to drive revenue. Knowing which accounts convert and at what value helps fine-tune future efforts.
    
  • How to track: Compare revenue data from ABM-targeted accounts against non-targeted accounts.
    
  • Actionable next steps: Use this data to recalibrate your target account list, focusing on high-value opportunities

PRO TIP

Create a dashboard that visualizes these metrics in real-time. This keeps your team aligned and enables quick pivots if a tactic isn’t performing as expected.

Final thoughts: Focus on the foundation

Before you dive headfirst into ABM, ask yourself, “Why do most ABM programs fail?” According to Mason, common pitfalls include:

• Lack of sales and marketing alignment.
• No clear ownership of the program.
• Trying to do too much too soon.

Solve these foundational issues first. Then, start small with activation plays, prove the model, and scale from there.