ABM isn't just for Fortune 500 companies. Small businesses can use ABM to target their "whale" accounts. Here's a practical approach.

Account-Based Marketing Defined

ABM is targeting specific accounts (companies) rather than individual leads:

Traditional Marketing (Lead-Based)

Target: Individual leads
Approach: Cast wide net, qualify later
Goal: Generate as many leads as possible
Problem: Most leads don't convert

Account-Based Marketing (Account-Based)

Target: Specific companies (accounts)
Approach: Research accounts, personalize outreach
Goal: Win specific high-value accounts
Advantage: Higher conversion, bigger deals

Building Your "Dream 100" List

Start with your ideal accounts:

Criteria for Dream 100

Company fit: Industry, size, revenue, location
Deal size: High-value accounts (worth the effort)
Win probability: Accounts you can actually win
Strategic value: Reference customers, case studies

How to Build the List

Start with your best customers (what do they have in common?)
Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to find similar companies
Use ZoomInfo or similar to get company data
Research each account (news, challenges, opportunities)
Prioritize by fit and value
Narrow to top 100 accounts

High-Touch Direct Mail + Digital Air Cover

ABM requires multi-channel approach:

Direct Mail (High-Touch)

Personalized packages
Handwritten notes
Relevant gifts (not generic swag)
Follow-up calls after mail arrives
Cost: $50-200 per account
Impact: Stands out in digital world

Digital Air Cover

LinkedIn ads targeting employees at target accounts
Retargeting ads (they visited your site)
Email sequences to multiple contacts at account
Social media engagement (comment on their posts)
Goal: Multiple touches, multiple people

Personalization at Scale

ABM requires personalization, but you can scale it:

Research Templates

Create research templates for each account:

Company background (industry, size, recent news)
Key contacts (decision makers, influencers)
Pain points (based on industry, company news)
Opportunities (how you can help)
Personalization hooks (recent funding, expansion, etc.)

Personalized Outreach

Email: Reference their company specifically
LinkedIn: Personalized connection requests
Direct mail: Company-specific messaging
Sales calls: Research-based conversation

Metrics: Engagement vs. Leads

ABM metrics are different:

Traditional Metrics (Don't Apply)

Leads generated (not the goal)
Cost per lead (irrelevant)
Email open rates (not the focus)

ABM Metrics (What Matters)

Account engagement: How many contacts engaged?
Meeting rate: % of accounts that booked meetings
Opportunity rate: % of accounts that became opportunities
Win rate: % of opportunities that closed
Average deal size: ABM deals should be larger
Time to close: ABM can shorten sales cycles

Conclusion

Small businesses can absolutely do ABM. Build your Dream 100 list, use high-touch direct mail plus digital air cover, personalize at scale using research templates, and measure engagement and account progression, not just leads. The result? Higher-value deals and better win rates.