How Much Should an Account-Based Marketing Initiative Cost?

Five key components to consider when determining the cost-per-value of your ABM initiative

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Depending on the size of your business and the accounts you target, the cost of your ABM initiative can vary greatly. Forrester found in 2019 that the “average ABM budget was around $350,000 (excluding headcount costs). For pilot programs, the budget is understandably lower — averaging about $200,000 — while more mature programs that have proven value have a budget around $600,000. Very large organizations with established programs can have budgets of millions of dollars.”

While the numbers may appear large, the number of factors and skills required for successful ABM initiatives continues to grow. For example, in 2017, it was possible to engage in buying scenarios with only one or two buyers to target. Today, these represent only 18% of purchases, with a large majority of buying teams consisting of five or more people across multiple departments. As a result, the demand for account-based marketing increases exponentially as B2B organizations attempt to close sales by reaching specific accounts with tailored advertising addressing the buyers’ unique pain points.

The landscape of marketing has changed