Learn how to build a B2B ABM campaign that generates real pipeline. Step-by-step guide for SaaS marketing leaders focused on high-intent lead generation.
In the fast-evolving world of B2B lead generation, prioritising volume is no longer enough, marketers must focus on generating leads that have a high propensity to convert. Modern buyers are now more informed, selective, and skeptical than ever, which is why Account-Based Marketing (ABM) has emerged as a leading B2B strategy for companies that want to align sales and marketing, maximize ROI, and fuel pipeline generation with high-quality B2B leads.
Whether you’re scaling your inbound marketing efforts or pivoting away from low-converting channels, this guide walks you through how to build an ABM campaign that drives high-intent leads — not just clicks or contacts.
So, what is an ABM campaign?
At its core, an ABM campaign flips the traditional lead gen model on its head. Instead of casting a wide net and nurturing whoever bites, an ABM approach relies on identifying lists of high-value target accounts and personalising outreach across multiple marketing channels.
This strategy works particularly well for mid-market and enterprise B2B SaaS companies selling products with long and/or complex sales cycles. It aligns marketing and sales on the same ideal customer profiles (ICP) and prioritises engagements from buying committee members inside those companies, resulting in targeted lead generation.
Step 1: Define Your ICP and Build Your Target Account List
The foundation of any successful ABM campaign is clarity around who you’re targeting. Start by defining your ICP, ensure you include basic information such as:
- Company size (revenue or employee count)
- Industry or Vertical (consider product category within specific industries)
- Technology stack
- Growth signals (e.g., funding rounds, hiring trends)
- Pain points your product solves
You can enrich your ICP with intent data, firmographic filters, and internal CRM insights. Buying licences to third-party data layers can be expensive, but partnering with specialists like ABM Logic offers a route to build a robust ICP without buying third-party data sources. Internal data matters too, don’t forget to leverage your performance marketing data to identify the accounts demonstrating signs of active buying behavior.
Once your ICP is defined, use it to build a comprehensive list of ICP fit accounts, then segment it into various tiered account lists:
Tier 1: High-value accounts that warrant 1:1 personalisation
Tier 2: Strategic accounts for 1: few engagement
Tier 3: Scalable accounts for broader 1: many campaigns
Step 2: Align Sales and Marketing From Day One
One of the biggest ABM mistakes is running it like a marketing-only campaign. ABM isn’t just marketing, it’s a cooperative go-to-market movement. Early alignment between your Sales, Operations and Marketing teams is key to coordinating touchpoints, messaging, and qualification criteria.
TIP: Schedule a joint strategy session to:
- Review and approve the target account list
- Define what qualifies as a high-intent lead
- Map out roles and responsibilities for outreach
- Agree on lead handoff and pipeline generation stages
This collaboration ensures your ABM campaign isn’t just generating contacts — it’s generating conversations that convert.
Step 3: Develop Content That Speaks to the Buying Committee
Today’s B2B lead gen success depends on how well you speak to all stakeholders involved in a deal. That means your content must be tailored to different buyer personas — from the technical evaluator to the economic decision-maker. For high intent lead generation, your content strategy should include:
- Top-of-funnel thought leadership: Blog posts, whitepapers, and guides that attract awareness-stage accounts and personas.
- Middle-of-funnel assets: Case studies, ROI calculators, and solution briefs that help validate your product.
- Bottom-of-funnel CTAs: Product demos, competitor comparison pages, or pricing consults that prompt action.
Step 4: Execute Multi-Channel Engagement
Effective ABM is not a one-channel play. You may wish to coordinate outreach and messaging across all relevant channels, including:
- Email sequences personalised to industry, pain point, and persona
- Targeted demand and lead generation through partners like ABM Logic
- LinkedIn campaigns targeting job titles within your ICP
- Display ads and retargeting to reinforce awareness
- Content syndication through relevant partners like ABM Logic
- Web personalisation to tailor site experiences by company or industry
- Channel marketing plays (having partners, resellers, or affiliates help engage and warm up accounts)
Step 5: Use Tech and Data to Track Intent and Progress
Your ABM campaign is only as strong as your ability to measure engagement, intent and a lead’s propensity to convert. Here are some key signals to monitor:
- Visits to high-intent landing pages
- Ad and email engagements from key decision-makers
- Repeat visits or time spent on pricing, solution, or demo pages
- Content downloads and webinar attendance
- Responses to outbound messaging from SDRs or sales
It’s difficult to track all signals, from all accounts and personas simultaneously, however, your CRM system, marketing automation platforms (MAP), and other B2B marketing tools can help connect disparate signals to the correct account and persona. ABM is a full funnel activity, so don’t just measure the top-of-funnel metrics; you’ll need to monitor the entire journey and track how many target accounts are progressing through the funnel and converting into real pipeline.
TIP: Whilst this may sound intimidating, don’t worry. Partners like ABM Logic offer full funnel support, campaign management and internal training.
Step 6: Qualify, Enrich, and Deliver Leads to Sales
Once your ABM engine is humming, it’s time to operationalise your lead generation, which means developing a method to verify, enrich, and qualify leads before passing them to sales.
Some key steps to note:
- Use lead scoring and behavioral data to identify high-intent leads
- Enrich leads with firmographic and contact-level data
- Route qualified leads to the appropriate sales rep or account team
- Automate lead notifications and CRM updates
TIP: If you’re working with a lead generation company other than ABM Logic, ensure they understand your ICP and can provide verified B2B leads — not just scraped lists.
Final Thoughts
Building an ABM campaign that generates high-intent B2B leads isn’t about adding more contacts to your CRM. It’s about precision, personalisation, and pipeline. With the right strategy, content, and tools in place, ABM allows B2B marketing leaders to create campaigns that deliver leads that convert and connect lead gen to revenue.
If your internal team doesn’t have the time or expertise, consider partnering with a specialised lead generation partner like ABM Logic. We help mid-market B2B SaaS companies deliver qualified leads, activate intent data, and generate real opportunities — not just form fills.