Why do companies fail to meet their sales goals? If you ask Sales, they’ll say, “Marketing sends us bad leads!” If you ask Marketers, they’ll say, “Sales can’t close the wonderful leads we send them!” This is the eternal Marketing-Sales Alignment problem. But what if LinkedIn Account Based Marketing (ABM) could put an end to this?

What is LinkedIn Account Based Marketing?
LinkedIn Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is a sales-oriented marketing approach where marketing teams focus on the quality of leads rather than the quantity. By working closely with sales teams, they convert targeted lists of accounts into customers. This approach flips the classic inbound marketing funnel and aligns both teams towards common goals.
Classic Marketing Funnel:
Generate traffic (content/ads/events)
Capture contact details or demo bookings
Pass Marketing Qualified Leads (MQL) to Sales
Sales qualify MQLs into Sales Qualified Leads (SQL)
Sales close SQLs
ABM Funnel:
Marketing and Sales jointly identify target accounts
Coordinate efforts to engage these accounts
Sales interact only with pre-qualified leads

How to Get Started with LinkedIn ABM?
1. Get Everyone Onboard
To implement LinkedIn ABM effectively, your Sales, Marketing teams, and Executives must be fully committed. This requires a cultural shift and agreement to prioritize ABM strategies over traditional methods.
2. Get a LinkedIn Sales Navigator License
A LinkedIn Sales Navigator subscription is essential for:
Searching for accounts
Building account lists
Finding decision-makers
Building targeted LinkedIn Ads

LinkedIn ABM Targeting: Find Accounts and Decision Makers
1. Define Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
Identify the characteristics of accounts that would be perfect clients for your product or service. Consider both static signals (e.g., geography, industry, company size) and dynamic signals (e.g., fundraising, new product launches).
2. Prioritize Accounts with the ABM Tiers System
Split accounts into three tiers:
Tier I: Must-have accounts (e.g., big enterprises, high-value logos)
Tier II: Core clients (easy to close, fundamental for revenue)
Tier III: Nice-to-have accounts (low-hanging fruit, additional revenue)
3. Build Your Accounts Lists with LinkedIn Sales Navigator
Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator’s filters to find and save targeted accounts into lists. This will help you organize and prioritize your outreach efforts.
4. Find Decision-Makers with The Lead Search
Use the Lead Search function in Sales Navigator to identify key decision-makers within your target accounts. Apply filters such as job title to refine your search.
5. Export LinkedIn Search into a CSV and Find Emails
Tools like Aimino can help you extract lead lists from Sales Navigator into a clean CSV format, including verified email addresses.

Automate LinkedIn ABM Targeting with Saved Searches
Save your account and lead searches in Sales Navigator to receive automatic updates when new companies or leads match your criteria. This keeps your pipeline fresh with minimal manual effort.

ABM Outreach Strategies by Tier
Tier I: Manual Outreach
Top executives should personally handle outreach to Tier I accounts. Use LinkedIn’s account maps to identify decision-makers and influencers within the company. Leverage event-based alerts (e.g., job changes, company mentions in the news) to craft personalized messages.
Tier II: Semi-Automated Outreach
Utilize LinkedIn prospecting tools like LaGrowthMachine to automate email and LinkedIn message sequences. Personalize messages at scale by adding specific details (e.g., recent LinkedIn posts, company growth) to your outreach.
Tier III: Fully Automated Outreach
For lower-priority accounts, automate the entire outreach process using generic but relevant messaging. Tools like LaGrowthMachine can help manage and send these messages efficiently.

Integrating ABM and Inbound Marketing
ABM and inbound marketing can work together, particularly for Tier III accounts. Use inbound strategies to generate traffic and capture contact details, then qualify these leads through calls and pass high-value opportunities to sales.

LinkedIn Ads Hacks for Super Targeted ABM Campaigns
1. Synchronize SDR and Marketing Campaigns
Use LinkedIn Ads to run warm-up and cover ads that complement your SDRs’ outreach efforts. This increases brand familiarity and improves response rates.
2. LinkedIn Ads Account Based Targeting
Upload your account lists to LinkedIn Ads and narrow your audience by adding filters such as job titles. This ensures your ads reach the right decision-makers within your target accounts.

Advanced LinkedIn Account Based Marketing Strategies
1. Create Account Lists Through CSV Upload
With a Sales Navigator Team account, upload CSV files to create account lists from external databases.
2. The Bottom Up Outreach
Start by contacting lower-level employees to identify the right decision-makers. Use their recommendations as icebreakers for contacting top executives.
3. The Fullstack Business Developer Squad
Empower your sales team to handle the entire sales process, from lead generation to closing. This approach ensures accountability and maintains high lead quality.

Conclusion
LinkedIn Account Based Marketing can significantly improve the alignment between sales and marketing, resulting in higher-quality leads and more successful sales outcomes. By leveraging LinkedIn Sales Navigator and adopting a structured ABM approach, your company can achieve better targeting, personalized outreach, and ultimately, greater sales success.