Building ABM for Success: How CATO Networks Orchestrates an Account Based Revenue Engine [Webinar]

There’s no question that Account-Based Marketing has brought together sales and marketing programs.

Account-Based Marketing (ABM) offers the personalization your customers need. Last week, we spoke with CATO Networks, a cloud-based security and network program, about their growth with ABM. Founded about five years ago, CATO has already acquired over 800 enterprise customers in 100 countries and has over 200,000 mobile users. 

Marketers Can’t Control the World. Unfortunately.

Different people consume content in different ways. After tracking customer journeys for over a year, CATO discovered customers came to them from everywhere, from Bing to SEO websites to Facebook. If anything is certain, you cannot control a customer’s journey with certainty. As CEO of TrenDemon, Avishai Sharon, explained during the webinar, about 45% of a customer’s journey is anonymous. Meaning, customers are often not receiving personalized marketing for almost half of their journey. 

So, what can we control?

The quality of your content is the first step in guiding a buyer’s experience. Determining what your most engaging content is through a source like TrenDemon, allows you to better  cater to your clients. Additionally, understanding customers’ paths is key. Know what your buyer is looking for or what they’re expecting to see. Then, guide them there through ABM to create a more seamless journey. 

Intent and Personalization = The “Secret Sauce” -Merav Keren

For a successful account journey, you need to know who your ideal customers are. The best way to do this? Sharon says let the customer “raise their hand.” By enabling your buyers to take the first steps themselves, it’s easier to prioritize those leads. As Marketing Director for CATO Networks, Merav Keren said, a customer just downloading something may not be a strong enough signal of intent. ABM can help you find the ideal customer through demographics. Pair the ideal customer with demonstrated intent and you have your target audience. 

Another way to focus your resources is to collaborate with the sales team. Yes, some might say marketing and sales are like oil and water, but collaboration between the two teams creates a better experience for your customers. Look at what areas your sales team wants to have the most success in and work from there. 

After that, you’re on your way to nurturing that lead through personalizing their experience.

Fears & Challenges

CATO embraced tech from the very beginning. But other companies may find tackling new tech daunting. Especially while they’re a young company, there may be a concern that new software might take up too much bandwidth. But as Keren explained, you can take everything at your own pace. When CATO first adopted TrenDemon, the company used our extensive capabilities at a basic level. Yet, even with the limited use of TrenDemon, CATO experienced a positive ROI. Now, Keren says she doesn’t see how CATO could operate without TrenDemon. The lesson here is that you can start small in your commitment to new technologies. Grow with your tech. 

Measuring Success

So you’ve found your audience and made the jump to new software. How do you measure its success? Quantify your current status and your specific future goals. For example, look at the minimum number of leads you’d hope to capture in 30 days. Be sure to create reasonable goals for your company and give it time. Allow grace for you to learn how to optimize the software. Look for engagement and especially “signs of life” early on in the buyer’s journey 

Tips for Success in ABM

To close, we’ll share some of the great tips discussed during the webinar. 

Recognize you can’t serve everybody in marketing or life. Target your audience based on engagement, intent, and demographics.

Be purposeful and measured in your gating of content. Sometimes gating can discourage customers from participating in self-learning and you’ll lose them during that important journey. 

Connect tools across marketing and sales for a unified journey and seamless experience.

Offer a demo for the customer to experience your product hands-on.

Lastly, don’t be afraid of change. Look at the numbers. See what’s not working and shift your tactics quickly to improve.

We hope you enjoyed our conversation with CATO Networks and look forward to seeing you at our next webinar!