Understand the Shift: Why LinkedIn ABM Works

Build the Core: Align Teams and Equip the Right Tools

Effective account-based marketing on LinkedIn starts with the proper setup. Strategy alone isn’t enough; your team structure and tech stack must support targeted execution. Laying the groundwork means aligning internal stakeholders and enabling your team with tools built for precision and coordination.

Secure Executive and Cross-Functional Buy-In

Account-based marketing (ABM) isn’t a campaign; it’s a business strategy. To be effective on LinkedIn, it requires complete buy-in from sales, marketing, and leadership. Without alignment across these teams, your ABM efforts risk stalling before they gain momentum.

Here’s how to lay the groundwork:

1. Position ABM as a go-to-market strategy, not just a marketing function.

2. Connect ABM to broader business goals such as pipeline acceleration and customer retention.

3. Identify executive sponsors who can champion the program internally.

4. Show quick wins early to validate the approach and build internal confidence.

When teams are aligned:

• Messaging is consistent and credible across all touchpoints.

• Resources are focused where they deliver maximum value.

• Sales and marketing operate with shared accountability.

This not only enhances campaign efficiency but also increases revenue potential and response rates, particularly when utilizing LinkedIn's native tools, such as Sales Navigator and sponsored content.

Why LinkedIn Sales Navigator Matters for ABM

LinkedIn Sales Navigator is purpose-built for executing account-based marketing at scale. It offers access to LinkedIn’s full professional graph, providing your team with the data and tools needed to identify, engage with, and manage high-value accounts.

Key capabilities include:

• Advanced account filtering by company size, location, industry, and seniority.

• Lead identification based on your ideal customer profile.

• Real-time alerts on job changes, company updates, and engagement signals.

• Lead and account saving for structured tracking and follow-up.

• TeamLink for identifying warm paths through internal networks.

These features support tiered ABM execution by enabling personalized outreach based on account size, influence level, and buying stage. Navigator also surfaces internal hierarchies, helping you map buying committees and engage all key stakeholders, critical in complex B2B sales environments.

For teams that seriously execute ABM on LinkedIn, Sales Navigator is not optional; it’s a critical enabler of precision, scale, and sustained engagement.

Build a High-Impact ABM Tech Stack

While Sales Navigator is foundational, extending your tech stack ensures scale, consistency, and precision in ABM execution on LinkedIn.

• LinkedIn Campaign Manager: Upload target account lists to serve tailored ads directly to decision-makers. Utilize matched audiences and retargeting features to maintain visibility throughout the buying cycle.

• CRM Integration: Sync Sales Navigator with your CRM to centralize account activity, enrich contact profiles with LinkedIn signals, and ensure continuity between marketing and sales actions.

• ABM Platforms (e.g., Bombora): Layer in intent data to detect which accounts are actively researching relevant topics. When paired with Sponsored Content, this enables timely outreach with message-context alignment.

• Marketing Automation Tools: For lower-tier accounts, use platforms to automate nurturing workflows. Integrate with LinkedIn to trigger personalized email or ad sequences based on behavioral engagement.

Together, these tools form a connected ecosystem, enabling you to identify, prioritize, and engage with high-value accounts with precision and consistency.

With the right foundation, tools, and execution, ABM on LinkedIn goes from a tactic to a revenue engine. If you’re ready to make it work harder for your team, Valley can help. Book a demo to see how we enable precise, timely, and relevant ABM at every step.

2. Target the Right Accounts with Precision

Precision targeting is crucial to executing LinkedIn Account-Based Marketing (ABM) effectively. Success depends on your ability to pinpoint high-value accounts that align with your ideal customer profile and business objectives. Prioritizing these accounts not only improves conversion rates but also ensures efficient use of marketing and sales resources.

As ABM adoption grows, real differentiation lies in how accurately you select and engage accounts, not just broadly, but with deliberate, data-backed precision.

Profile Your Best‑Fit Accounts

The first step in any ABM strategy is knowing exactly which accounts deserve your focus. It’s about pinpointing the characteristics that make certain firms more likely to benefit from your solution, and more likely to evolve into long‑term, high‑value relationships.

To build this profile, look at three areas:

• Firmographics: Industry, company size, revenue range, and geographic focus.

• Technographics: Tools and platforms in use, typical contract cycles, and integration needs.

• Behavioral Signals: Common pain points, key trigger events, and recurring buying patterns.

With a sharp view of these markers, you’re able to narrow your focus, personalize your messaging, and invest resources where they matter most. It’s the foundation for making every account interaction more relevant and every campaign more effective.

Segment Accounts Using the ABM Tiers System

Once you've defined your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP), organize your target accounts into a tiered system to allocate resources strategically. This three-tier approach ensures the right level of personalization for each account:

• Tier 1: Core accounts, your "must-have" opportunities requiring fully personalized, high-touch approaches from your top salespeople.

• Tier 2: Essential accounts, important targets that warrant semi-automated, coordinated outreach from your sales development representatives.

• Tier 3: Additional opportunities, accounts that still match aspects of your ICP but receive more scalable, automated engagement.

This approach gives structure to your efforts, making it easy to focus your best people and highest investments where they’ll yield the greatest returns.

Surface and Segment High‑Value Targets
Use advanced account filtering, by size, industry, role, or recent changes, to surface prospects that fit your ideal profile. Save and segment these into actionable lists that align with your tiered approach. Pairing this precision with automation allows you to run highly relevant campaigns, streamline follow‑ups, and stay connected with accounts as they evolve.

With the right focus and process, ABM becomes more than a campaign; it becomes a way to build and expand relationships with the accounts that matter reliably. Tools like Valley help tie the pieces together, making it simpler to work from a single, accurate view of accounts, activity, and priorities. The result is a more organized approach that allows teams to spend less time chasing data and more time connecting with the right people.

Also Read: Best Marketing Automation Tools for Start-Ups in 2025.

Find and Map Decision-Makers

Once your account lists are defined, focus on identifying key stakeholders within each company. Use Sales Navigator’s Lead Search to filter by job title, function, and seniority. This helps surface the individuals most likely to influence or approve purchase decisions.

Since B2B deals often involve multiple decision-makers, adopt a multi-threading strategy by engaging 5–10 stakeholders per account to increase traction and reduce single-thread risk.

For precision targeting, combine Sales Navigator with X-ray search techniques to surface stakeholders who are hidden beyond LinkedIn’s native filters.

Export and Enrich Lead Data

To operationalize your outreach, export lead data into your CRM or ABM platform. While LinkedIn doesn’t support direct exports, reliable third-party tools can bridge this gap securely.

Augment this data with external sources to add missing details, such as contact information, buying intent signals, and role-specific context. This enrichment ensures your messaging stays relevant, tiered, and personalized across channels, setting the stage for differentiated outreach.

Knowing who to target is just the start. The real magic lies in how you tailor your outreach to each account segment.

3. Craft Outreach Strategies for Each Tier

To drive ROI in ABM, outreach must match the value and potential of each account tier. Once target accounts are segmented, tailor your outreach strategy by resource intensity and personalization level.

Tier 1: Manual, Executive-Led Engagement

For high-value strategic accounts, use fully manual outreach. These deals warrant deep research and direct involvement from senior leaders.

• Map all decision-makers across the buying committee.

• Craft custom messaging that aligns with specific business objectives.

• Prioritize peer-to-peer contact from executives to signal commitment and relevance.

This hands-on approach builds credibility and opens doors at the highest levels.

Tier 2: Semi-Automated, SDR-Driven Campaigns

Mid-tier accounts benefit from a hybrid model that is both efficient and personalized.

• SDRs should write custom openers for each lead.

• Automate the follow-up sequence while preserving key human touches.

• Tailor messages for stakeholder roles, using relevant insights.

This method scales without sacrificing relationship quality.

Tier 3: Fully Automated, Scalable Programs

Lower-priority accounts require efficiency above all.

• Deploy tools to automate outreach (connection requests, follow-ups, etc.).

• Use one consistent message per campaign, focused on value at a glance.

• Set alerts for engagement signals to trigger manual follow-up.

Scale Smarter with Valley

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Personalize Outreach with the RABT Framework

Use the RABT formula to craft clear, relevant outreach across ABM tiers:

• R – Reason for outreach: State why you're reaching out (personalized for Tiers 1–2)

• A – Ask a question: Prompt a challenge-based response or open a conversation

• B – Back it up: Add proof with a data point, case study, or client result

• T – Tease your solution: Give a glimpse of how you can help, without pitching too early

This approach improves reply rates by aligning structure with intent. In one instance, it helped generate a 28% response rate. As you build scale, remember, automation should enhance, not replace, the human context that makes ABM successful.

Scaling personalized outreach? Explore Valley’s LinkedIn Auto Message Guide for automation strategies that don’t sacrifice human tone.

Once your outreach foundation is strong, it’s time to scale strategically. That’s where automation and LinkedIn ads can multiply your impact.

4. Boost Results with LinkedIn Ads and Automation

To scale ABM effectively, combine direct outreach with LinkedIn Ads and automation. Paid campaigns help reinforce messaging across multiple touchpoints, keeping your brand visible to decision-makers throughout the buying cycle.

Use Sponsored Content and Conversation Ads to:

• Target saved account lists are saved directly.

• Nurture inactive leads with context-specific messaging.

• Retarget engaged contacts with timely follow-ups.

Integrate these ad efforts with your sales outreach to create a unified experience. When done right, this increases engagement, improves conversion rates, and keeps your message top of mind throughout the entire funnel.

Warm-Up, Cover, and Wake-Up Ad Strategy

Use a phased ad approach to support your ABM motion across the buying journey:

• Warm-up ads: Run these before SDR outreach to introduce your brand and build baseline familiarity. This primes prospects for recognition and improves receptiveness to initial outreach.

• Cover ads: Deploy during active prospecting to reinforce your core messaging. These ads keep your brand visible while sales engage, increasing the odds of responses and reducing drop-off.

• Wake-up ads: Target accounts that previously engaged but didn’t convert. These ads re-engage dormant leads by leveraging the mere-exposure effect, reinforcing familiarity until the timing aligns.

Each stage supports pipeline movement by maintaining consistent visibility and aligning ad delivery with prospect readiness. Multi-touch visibility doesn’t have to be hard. Valley’s AI SDR ensures your prospects stay engaged across every touchpoint.

Upload Account Lists for Targeted Campaigns

LinkedIn enables precise ad targeting by letting you upload custom account lists directly into Campaign Manager. Start by downloading the list template and populating it with key identifiers, such as company names, websites, and, ideally, LinkedIn Page URLs for improved match rates.

While you can target up to 200 companies in a single campaign, LinkedIn recommends uploading lists of at least 1,000 accounts for better scalability. The platform supports up to 300,000 companies per upload. Once submitted, lists typically take up to 48 hours to process and become campaign-ready.

Sync Ads with SDR Outreach

Aligning paid campaigns with SDR outreach strengthens message consistency and boosts response rates. Prospects who see your ads are more likely to engage with cold outreach, as familiarity lowers resistance.

To operationalize this:

• Target the duplicate accounts in both ads and outbound sequences.

• Monitor account-level activity, email opens, site visits, or ad clicks.

• Increase ad frequency for engaged accounts to reinforce visibility.

This coordination minimizes wasted impressions, maintains momentum, and improves conversion at key touchpoints.

Automate Contact Discovery with Saved Searches

Saved searches in Sales Navigator keep your ABM workflows adaptive and current. These searches automatically surface new leads that match your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) as they join or shift within target accounts. You’ll also receive real-time alerts on role changes, company updates, and other trigger events, enabling you to make timely outreach without manual tracking.

Export updated lead lists regularly to refresh ad audiences and keep targeting aligned with active buying signals. This automation ensures your campaigns remain relevant and data-driven with minimal effort.

You’ve got the pieces. Now it’s time to drive the pipeline, with Valley as the engine behind your ABM strategy.

Wrapping Up

ABM isn’t about doing more campaigns or sending more messages; it’s about aligning sales and marketing around a shared focus, prioritizing accounts with precision, and creating a seamless experience from first touch to closed deal.

With the right approach, one rooted in quality data, precise targeting, and relevant, human messaging, ABM becomes more than a tactic. It becomes a sustainable engine for revenue growth.

Valley gives teams the tools to make that shift. By centralizing account insights, automating repetitive steps, and aligning efforts across departments it allows you to spend less time chasing data and more time building trust with the accounts that matter.

If you’re ready to move from fragmented ABM to a coordinated, high‑impact strategy, let’s show you how. Book a demo and see how Valley can transform your ABM from effort into outcomes.