ABM Intent Growth Tactics: My SICCMR

I've seen my fair share of Account-Based Marketing (ABM) growth strategies come and go. Over the years, I've developed a framework that consistently delivers results. I call it the SICCMR framework, and today, I'm going to share it with you.

The nutshell summary: It's about knowing when to strike (data), what to say (content), and how to say it (channel)

S - Segment: Define Your Target

The foundation of any successful ABM campaign is knowing exactly who you're targeting. I always start by defining my segment strategy. This involves identifying the firmographics and demographics that matter most to our product or service. Are we targeting specific verticals? What size companies are we after?

But it's not just about the companies - it's about the people within them. I differentiate between end-users (who will use our product and feel the pain points we solve) and decision-makers (who hold the purse strings and need to look good to their peers and leadership).

Broadly speaking, your target may fit into one of 3 buckets:

Prospects (i.e., new logos):

Focus: Intent-driven (Google ads), news (capital raise), website retargeting, champion tracking, event activation (roundtables, trade shows).

Opportunities:

Focus: Lost/stalled deals, vertical close/stalled deals, pursuit marketing, deal acceleration.

Customers:

Focus: Win backs, upsell motions.

I - Intent: Identify the Perfect Moment

The idea here is to use intent signals to create repeatable playbooks and then identify effective distribution channels (...explained in my first "C" below) to reach that target audience by creating compelling content (...explained in my second "C" below) tailored to their needs. I use various types of intent data to identify the best time to engage with our target accounts.

Here are 7 possible signals to look out for.:

1. Your data (product, website, and CRM sources:

• Product— look for current or recently changed company product champions or product hand-raisers and their LinkedIn profiles to discover "lookalikes". Tools like Usergem and Segment can help show this.
• Website—Track your visitors and revisits. Tools like HubSpot can reveal those users; see the image below for an example of a HubSpot nurture workflow.
• CRM—Review all the companies in your CRM. Look at upcoming renewals or those with close-lost or stalled deals. Work with the sales director or GTM team to understand the reasons for this and brainstorm possible tactics. If you have many similar companies in your CRM at this stage, you can set up cohorts for scale, such as "vertical close lost or "vertical stalled deals." In ABM, this is often called Pursuit Marketing. See below for some examples.

Be bold, engaging, and creative. For example, in "Strategic Shift" take inspiration from CPG, like KitKat campaigns:

2. News Signals: The company completed a series of funding rounds (especially startups) or a merger or acquisition announcement or made a significant new hire, like a new CMO or CTO, the account has expanded into new markets or territories, or there is an announcement of layoffs or restructuring

3. Partner Data: Increased engagement or activity with partners or alliances. If you are using partner tools like Reveal.co , this accelerates your tactics.

4. Website Engagement: Visits to key product or pricing pages, downloads of important content like whitepapers or guides, and multiple visits from the same account. For example, you can re-target those visitors effectively using LinkedIn retargeting. You can read more about this in this blog post: 3-Pronged B2B Marketing Strategy You Can Use Today: Organic SEO, Google Ads, and LinkedIn Retargeting

This is all trackable via MAPs like HubSpot, and you can automate it. You can also add HubSpot Scoring to trigger email nurture sequences based on their activities over time.

5. Predictive Intent: Patterns indicating readiness to purchase based on previous behavior. Tools like 6sense , Zoominfo , SalesIntel . To be honest, a lot of marketing and sales have built-in intent offerings, such as Apollo.io

6. Buyer Intent: Searches for specific solutions or keywords related to your offerings. Interaction with competitor products or services. You can set up Google Keyword Ad Groups, let it run for two weeks, see which intent keywords generate higher click-throughs, or look at Google Search Console.

7. Review Site Activity: Increased reviews or ratings on platforms like G2 or Capterra comparison of your product against competitors

By layering these different signals, I can pinpoint the perfect moment when an account will most likely be receptive to our message.

C - Channels: Choose Your Battlegrounds

Once I know who I'm targeting and when, it's time to decide how I'm going to reach them. This is where channel selection comes in. Will we host a webinar? Set up a booth at a trade show? Organize a roundtable discussion? Run LinkedIn or Google ads? Maybe even try Reddit? All depends on your Segment and Intent preparation discussed above.

The key here is stacking these channels for maximum impact. For example, I might host a webinar targeting end-users while simultaneously inviting decision-makers from the same companies to an exclusive roundtable event.

C - Content: Craft Your Message

With our channels selected, it's time to create content that resonates. I always aim to produce thought leadership content that aligns with our identified intent signals. This could be a comprehensive guide, a white paper, case studies, or product sheets.

The goal is to provide value and demonstrate our expertise, positioning us as the go-to solution for their needs.

M - Measure: Track and Test

ABM strategy is only complete with measurement. I track engagement and costs across all our channels and content, from Google Ads to LinkedIn Ads, and pause campaigns while backing those showing promising numbers. But I don't stop there. I'm constantly running A/B tests on our content, ad creatives, and even our channel mix. Learn more about my Linkedin Ad campaigns and Google Ad strategies .

This data-driven approach allows me to optimize our campaigns for better performance continuously.

R - Refine: Experiment, Iterate and Improve

Finally, I use all the data and insights gathered to refine our strategy. All your initial campaigns are experiments to learn what is working and why. This is super important, and I will talk about it in this article, Growth Hacking For B2B Marketer s, which includes how to set up your experiment plan. I also share My B2B Marketing Growth Experiment s. The goal was to inform you what worked well and what we should double down on? What underperformed and needs to be tweaked or discarded? This iterative process ensures that our ABM efforts improve, delivering better results with each campaign.

The SICCMR framework has been my secret weapon in the world of ABM. By systematically addressing these elements—Segment, Intent, Channels, Content, Measure, and Refine—I've created highly targeted, effective campaigns that consistently deliver ROI.

Remember, ABM isn't about casting a wide net and hoping for the best. It's about precision, timing, and continuous improvement. With the SICCMR framework, you'll have all the tools you need to master the art of Account-Based Marketing.