Userpilot’s ABM marketing strategy absolutely crushed it.
They generated over $900,000 in pipeline at an ROI of $8 in pipeline per $1 spent, and ZenABM was born in the process 🙂
I’ll walk you through every tactical detail of their full-funnel ABM marketing strategy, the lessons learnt from their mistakes, plus some insider tips from ABM experts.
One more thing: This isn’t a surface-level overview. You’ll get a deep-dive playbook. I have tried my best to not leave “figure it out yourself” moments in the guide, unlike here:
Userpilot’s ABM campaign pulled in $900K in pipeline, delivering $8 pipeline per $1 spent.
Their playbook:
Tech Stack: HubSpot, SalesLoft/Apollo, Clay, BuiltWith, Notion, and ZenABM (~$2.5K/mo).
In essence, Userpilot combined laser-focused targeting, dynamic segmentation, hyper-personalized messaging, and robust analytics via ZenABM to achieve stellar ROI.
Any winning ABM marketing strategy starts with pinpointing exactly who to target.
First, craft your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) based on firmographic and technographic signals:
“Data over gut” is the mantra—analyze top customers for common traits. Advanced teams even deploy AI to spot lookalikes automatically.
Pro Tip: Build your TAL in lockstep with Sales because ABM only works when both teams agree from day one. Remember: “Your list is your strategy.”
For a pilot, aim for a few hundred accounts, not thousands. Or reverse-engineer from revenue goals:
“We need $2M in ABM-sourced closed-won this fiscal year.”
Opportunities = Revenue Goal ÷ (ADS × Close Rate)
= $2,000,000 ÷ ($50,000 × 0.25)
= 160
| Stage* | Conversion* | Formula | Accounts Needed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Target → Engaged | 10% | 160 ÷ 0.10 | 1,600 |
| Engaged → Opportunity | 20% | 160 ÷ 0.20 | 800 |
| Opportunity → Closed-Won | 25% | — | 160 |
*Adjust stages, names, and rates to match your data. Even rough internal figures beat guesswork.
Assume $70 CPEA on LinkedIn:
Budget = 1,600 × $70 ≈ $112K
Free Tool: Use the ABM Budget Calculator for deeper modeling.
They kicked off by repurposing their H1 cold-outbound list, filtering for growth & enterprise “loss” accounts, then enriching via Clay + BuiltWith APIs, and stripping out any already-converted logos.
They even mined HubSpot lost-deal data for competitor “loss” accounts, then layered in persona enrichment via Apollo/Clay.
Bottom line: your TAL is the backbone of your ABM marketing strategy.
Not all accounts are created equal.
So, break your TAL into tiers to laser-focus your tactics:
Userpilot ran one-to-many LinkedIn ads segmented by persona (8 segments), then used engagement data to trigger mid-funnel creative for “Interested” accounts.
Key takeaway: segment early, segment often (even at scale).
Generic value props won’t cut it in an ABM marketing strategy. You need urgency-driving, pain-point–specific messages for each segment.
Userpilot tested multiple angles in parallel, then funneled the winning message into sales outreach, triggering BDR emails that referenced the exact ad topic the account clicked.
Pro Tip: Use dynamic tokens (e.g., industry names) in LinkedIn ad copy and automated email templates. Leverage ZenABM’s intent tags: campaign-level engagement and buyer intent pushed straight into your CRM:
Map every touch from awareness through pipeline close because ABM is about orchestrating ads + sales outreach, not just one or the other.
Examples: 5 demos from Fortune 100, $1M pipeline in a quarter. Track engagement, opportunities created, pipeline, and revenue, not just MQL counts.
Involve BDRs/AEs from day one. Co-create cadences for when accounts hit engagement thresholds.
Userpilot leaned on LinkedIn Ads for precise targeting, spending ~$47K in Q1. Complement with targeted display and direct outreach (emails, calls, InMails) triggered by ad engagement.
Don’t trust other channels like DANs, especially for an ABM debut:
Here’s the framework they used at Userpilot:
Each stage triggers specific content (ads), and accounts hitting “Interested” get assigned to BDRs automatically.
“We overcomplicated scoring with page visits & weighted intent signals, only to find IP deanonymization identified just one company (ours!). After 300 visits over 90 days, Breeze Intelligence (Clearbit) flagged only us!
We simplified: only use quantitative LinkedIn ad engagement for scoring, and leverage qualitative intent (which ad they clicked) to inform BDR outreach. Since LinkedIn’s native API lacked campaign-level company data, we built ZenABM—pushing both metrics and intent tags into our CRM.”
— Emilia Korczynska, VP Marketing @ Userpilot
*See the tool-stack section for details on execution ops.
Userpilot managed 100+ creatives, landing pages, and email templates in Notion (and you must also have one or the other way to manage ad assets):
They also mapped a timeline.
For example: Week 1: launch ads; Week 3: start outbound to engaged; Week 6: invite hot accounts to webinars or direct mail.
Free Template: Grab the ABM campaign template to organize your assets and deadlines.
ABM isn’t a “set it and forget it” tactic. Watch the performance closely.
Pull account-level impressions & clicks via ZenABM or LinkedIn API. If impressions are low, boost bids or broaden your audience.
Track CTR & CPC by creative.
Userpilot saw 0.35% CTR at $19 CPC for images vs. 0.28% CTR at $24 CPC for video.
In fact, they were monitoring the reach of each creative and listed out their top performers:
Track each account’s ABM stage via engagement thresholds. ZenABM auto-segments accounts and notifies BDRs instantly when an account turns “Interested.”
Spped matters in ABM 🙂
Hold weekly stand-ups to retrofit ad copy or landing pages based on sales intel.
Decide between a perpetual “always-on” ABM marketing strategy or fixed-duration campaigns. Here’s a side-by-side:
| Aspect | Always-On | Campaign Cadence |
|---|---|---|
| Key |
|
|
| Pros |
|
|
| Cons |
|
|
| Best For | Long sales cycles, mature ABM programs | Product launches, seasonal pushes |
ABM lives and dies by revenue impact, not MQLs. Focus on engagement quality and pipeline.
Track stage progression: e.g., 50% Identified → Aware, 15% → Interested, 5% → Consideration.
Optimize where drop-offs occur by refreshing creative or refining messaging.
Userpilot built these types of dashboards on their own in HubSpot for account stage progression tracking:
Now, ZenABM offers the same out-of-the-box:
and shows how many are progressing week by week:
Before I discuss the ‘how to’, let me show you Userpilot’s first campaign results:
They also found ABM produced pipeline 2× faster and 51% cheaper than pure outbound.
Userpilot integrated HubSpot with company-level campaign data via ZenABM.
ZenABM, first, pulled company-level engagement data per campaign from LinkedIn’s official ads API:
Then It pushed the same data as company properties into the HubSpot account lists periodically:
Plus, the tool also matched companies engaging with ads with the deals in CRM to map the impact of LinkedIn ads on pipeline and revenue:
Note: Even better attribution views are on the way at ZenABM.
Double down on top performers, collect qualitative sales feedback, and repeat the loop. I meam, ABM is never “done.”
| Requirement | Tool(s) | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| CRM & Automation | HubSpot CRM + Marketing Hub | Centralize touches and align teams. |
| Sales Outreach | SalesLoft · Apollo | Automated cadences for engaged accounts. |
| List Building & Signals | Clay · BuiltWith APIs | Domain enrichment & tech-stack triggers. |
| Project Management | Notion | Track assets, deadlines, and launch plans. |
| ABM Analytics & Intent | ZenABM |
|
That’s your tactical blueprint for a high-impact ABM marketing strategy. For more details, reach out to me (the content guy at ZenABM) or Emilia Korczynska (VP of Marketing at Userpilot).
Plus, try ZenABM free today!
