Let’s cut to the chase; ABX is not “the new ABM,” nor is it its deathknell or some sort of evolution. Rather, if we were trying to find an ABX definition, we could say that ABX is a holistic approach to ABM strategy that decouples it from strict channel limitations such as straight media plays. It’s an outgrowth of what effective ABM is - not something that’s layered atop your existing marketing campaigns, but an account-based approach to marketing that permeates nearly every motion put in-market by your team.
As such, it’s not helpful to think in terms of “what channel is ABX?,” but rather to understand that ABX is coming to symbolize an “account-based everything” mindset. Whether you’re using the term account-based marketing or ABX/account-based everything, at the end of the day you’re looking for an effective B2B marketing strategy that improves ROI and drives sales and pipeline for your company.
A quick ABX definition
ABX represents a holistic approach to customer relationships in B2B marketing. Account-based experience programs are not just about selling products or services by shouting into the void; they’re about understanding the unique needs and challenges of each priority account and providing tailored solutions that resonate with pain points and use cases for those specific buyers.
Why everyone is comparing ABM vs ABX
With “account-based” at their core, it’s easy to think of ABM vs ABX as a “pick one” kind of competition. Instead, we encourage you to look at them as complementary ways of framing an account-based strategy that follow many of the same marketing principles. Both strategies have a focus on personalized content, and emphasize the customer journey as key. What is ABX in marketing if not a natural progression of the ABM playbook. It’s also worth noting that one is not inherently better than the other; in the end it’s about the implementation and strategic approach that will determine your ROI.
What is ABX strategy?
When you ask “what is ABX strategy exactly?”, think of the following four things: personalization, data-driven insights, cross-functional collaboration, and continuous measurement and improvement.
Personalization
Generic messaging isn’t going to cut it. With ABX, all interactions with target accounts should be personalized to their specific needs and interests. Whether this is done in a true 1:1 or a 1:few manner will depend on commercial upside, strategic considerations, and even budget.
Data-driven insights
It’s about more than just research. It’s about collecting and analyzing data from in-market campaigns to gain a deep understanding of your target accounts and buyers. Is your messaging working? What content on your site are your target accounts consuming? Don’t just take a shot in the dark – use this data as the fulcrum for your strategic decision-making.
Cross-functional collaboration
With ABX, it’s all about all hands on deck. All departments should work synergistically to deliver a seamless experience to target accounts. Of course, paid media is one of the most powerful tools to drive ABX, but it’s not the only tool – and when all of your channels are firing synergistically through an ABX lens, the net result is far more effective.
Continuous measurement and improvement
Companies should continuously measure the results of their ABX efforts and make improvements as needed. Even strong ROI has room for improvement, particularly for companies who convert fewer deals but at a larger contract size. In these cases, even one or two extra closed/won accounts per quarter can be a huge game-changer. With the right data and analytics, you can fine-tune your efforts to make ABX measurably more effective.
Is account-based everything the wave of the future?
When you think about ABX meaning, whether that’s account-based everything or account-based experience, ABX really refers to the idea that basically any B2B marketing effort that is framed through an account-based lens more closely resembles the way that buyers prefer to be enabled to make their purchasing decisions in 2024 and beyond. This can extend to landing pages, email campaigns, SEO, and other myriad marketing efforts.
In that sense, you can think of account-based everything as the root strategy for effective B2B marketing. It emphasizes the holistic journey, realities of buyer pain points, and a blossoming customer relationship, rather than just focusing on generic messaging.
With that in mind, you can see how the reports of ABM’s demise in favor of ABX are quite unfounded. In fact, some folks simply use these terms interchangeably – that’s how close their underlying philosophies are. ABX and ABM go hand-in-hand and coexist in marketing harmony. If anything, they complement each other and when implemented strategically, should serve to bolster and boost your B2B marketing ROI. Learn more.
With the right agency behind you, implementing ABM and ABX strategies can unlock new pipeline, more closed deals, and ultimately scalable B2B revenue growth.