Account-based marketing has evolved from a niche tactic used by a handful of enterprise sales teams into the dominant strategy for B2B companies targeting high-value accounts. Instead of casting a wide net and hoping the right prospects engage, ABM flips the funnel: identify your highest-value target accounts first, then build personalized campaigns designed to engage the specific people who make buying decisions at those companies.
The results speak for themselves. ABM consistently delivers higher ROI, larger deal sizes, faster sales cycles, and stronger alignment between sales and marketing teams than any other B2B marketing approach. It is no longer a question of whether ABM works — the data is overwhelming. The real questions are how mature your program is, how well your teams are aligned, and whether you are investing enough to capture the full potential.
This article draws on the latest research from Forrester, Gartner, ITSMA, the ABM Leadership Alliance, and dozens of industry surveys to present a comprehensive picture of account-based marketing in 2025. The statistics cover adoption rates, ROI and revenue impact, personalization, sales alignment, market growth, and the persistent challenges that separate top-performing programs from the rest.
ABM Adoption: From Niche to Mainstream
Account-based marketing has crossed the threshold from emerging tactic to industry standard. The adoption numbers are striking: the vast majority of B2B companies now run some form of ABM program, and the percentage investing in it continues to climb year over year. But adoption does not equal maturity. Most companies are still in the early stages of building their programs, which means the competitive advantage for organizations that execute well remains significant.
Adoption rates:
76% of B2B companies have adopted ABM, reflecting its growing importance in targeted marketing (2025 analysis)
94% of B2B marketers report using ABM in some form
82% of B2B companies have an active ABM program in place as of 2024
67% of brands are utilizing ABM (HubSpot)
70% of marketers currently utilize ABM (2024 report)
More than two-thirds of marketers leverage an account-based marketing strategy (Demand Gen, 2023)
While adoption is nearly universal, maturity lags far behind. The gap between having an ABM program and having a fully optimized one creates an enormous opportunity for companies willing to invest in getting it right.
Maturity and scale:
Fewer than 20% of companies report that their ABM program is fully embedded in the business (ITSMA, 2022)
Only 29% of businesses say their ABM strategy is fully optimized (Forrester)
Only 17% of marketers have mature ABM strategies — meaning 83% are still working to refine their approach
26% of B2B organizations have a fully scaled ABM program
38% of companies are in the early testing stage of ABM
48% of mid-market companies are currently implementing ABM initiatives
Most ABM programs (64%) began in the past five years, with 68% adopting automation
ROI: ABM Outperforms Every Alternative
Return on investment is where ABM makes its strongest case. Across every major study, ABM delivers higher ROI than traditional demand generation, content marketing, or broad-based advertising. The data shows that the more a company invests in ABM — and the more mature its program becomes — the higher the returns. This is not a strategy that delivers diminishing returns at scale; it is one that compounds.
ROI benchmarks:
97% of marketers report that ABM delivers a higher ROI than other marketing strategies (Alterra Group)
81% of B2B marketers who measure ABM ROI say it outperforms all other marketing initiatives (ABMLA)
76% of marketers get a higher ROI with ABM than with any other form of marketing (ABMLA, 2020)
B2B marketers using ABM achieve 81% higher ROI than non-ABM approaches
Top-performing ABM programs achieve 7:1 ROI on average, while average programs deliver about 3:1 (TOPO, 2024)
High-maturity ABM organizations see 5–9x ROI on average
ABM programs deliver an average ROI of approximately 137%
ABM ROI typically shows in 6–12 months from launch
Despite these impressive returns, measurement remains a gap. Only about half of companies are tracking the ROI of their ABM programs, which means many are flying blind on one of the most important metrics they could be optimizing.
Only 52% of companies measure the ROI of their ABM efforts (ITSMA, 2023)
The most effective ABM programs are 30% more likely to measure ROI than average programs
40% of users cited ROI measurement as their biggest challenge
Revenue Impact: Bigger Deals, Faster Closes
ABM does not just improve marketing metrics — it drives revenue. Companies using ABM consistently report larger deal sizes, faster sales cycles, and higher win rates than those relying on traditional demand generation. The revenue impact is particularly dramatic when ABM is fully aligned with sales and when personalization is executed at a high level.
Revenue and deal size:
Companies with aligned ABM strategies see a 208% increase in marketing-generated revenue and grow profits 27% faster over three years
Implementing ABM increases average annual contract value by 171% and marketing-sourced revenue by 200%
91% of companies using ABM increase their average deal size, with 25% reporting increases of +50% (Forrester)
Companies using ABM see up to 200% larger deal sizes versus non-ABM strategies
77% of companies experience revenue growth due to ABM efforts
Companies reported a 10% revenue increase after one year of ABM, with 19% seeing growth of over 30%
ABM contributes 25–45% of total revenue in organizations actively running programs
ABM marketers report 60% higher revenue per account with multichannel approaches
Speed matters as much as size in B2B sales. ABM’s ability to compress sales cycles gives companies a compounding advantage: faster closes mean more capacity for the next deal, and shorter cycles reduce the risk of deals stalling or dying in committee.
Sales cycle and pipeline:
ABM delivers 28% faster sales cycles on average
Mature ABM programs deliver 24% faster sales cycles than traditional approaches (SiriusDecisions)
ABM accounts close 67% faster than those reached by traditional methods
ABM increases overall pipeline conversion rates by 14% (Gartner)
ABM leads to a 25% rise in MQL-to-SAL conversion rates (Gartner)
ABM leads deliver 3x higher conversion to pipeline
ABM creates an average of 16% more opportunities (AdRoll)
65% of companies report ABM increases pipeline opportunities, quality, or both (Forrester)
84% of companies report pipeline increases from ABM
Sales and Marketing Alignment
ABM is, at its core, a strategy that requires sales and marketing to operate as a single team. The data consistently shows that alignment is both the biggest driver of ABM success and one of its most important outcomes. Companies that achieve true alignment see dramatically better results across every metric — from win rates to retention to revenue growth.
Alignment impact:
93% of companies say a fully aligned sales and marketing team is crucial to ABM success (Terminus)
ABM improves sales and marketing alignment in 68% of organizations
66% of marketers say ABM has notably improved marketing and sales alignment
Integrating sales and marketing through ABM can increase deal closure rates by 67%
ABM-aligned teams achieve 36% higher customer retention and 38% higher win rates
ABM-aligned teams move target accounts through the pipeline 234% faster
Organizations with aligned ABM teams grow 24% faster
88% of sales teams report better lead prioritization with ABM scoring
Despite these results, alignment remains a work in progress for most organizations. Only about a third of companies consider their teams tightly aligned, suggesting that the majority are leaving significant performance gains on the table.
Only 36% of companies executing ABM consider their sales and marketing teams tightly aligned
69% of top-performing ABM companies have a dedicated ABM leader
Executive sponsorship increases ABM initiative success by ~40%
Personalization: The Core of ABM Effectiveness
Personalization is the mechanism through which ABM delivers its outsized results. Unlike traditional marketing, which creates one message for a broad audience, ABM builds content and experiences tailored to the specific needs, challenges, and decision-makers at each target account. The data shows that this level of personalization drives engagement, conversion, and buyer trust at rates that generic campaigns simply cannot match.
Personalization impact:
71% of marketers cite personalization as the most critical ABM tactic
Highly personalized content delivers 72% higher engagement rates among ABM target accounts (CMI, 2024)
Hyper-personalization in ABM campaigns drives a 20% increase in engagement and a 10–15% boost in conversion rates
80% of buyers say personalized content makes them more likely to convert; 71% expect it in outreach
56% of marketers agree personalized content is key to ABM success (Forrester)
Account-specific personalization delivers a 93% engagement lift
42% of marketers personalize content to boost account engagement and foster long-term relationships
Personalized marketing contributes to 30% sales uplift and 40% higher buyer purchase likelihood
72% of successful ABM programs use account-specific content; 61% adopt hyper-personalization
Multichannel execution:
Coordinated ABM campaigns drive up to 37% more conversions
ABM visitors spend 2–3x longer on site and view 3–5x more pages
Omnichannel outreach (email, LinkedIn, phone) leads to 234% faster pipeline progression versus single-channel
Organizations aligning ABM with account-based advertising achieve 60% higher win rates
89% of marketers say account-based ads are extremely or very successful in impacting their pipeline
50% of North American marketers actively use account-based advertising
Customer Retention and Lifetime Value
ABM is not only an acquisition strategy. Some of its most powerful applications are in retaining and expanding existing client relationships. The data shows that ABM strengthens customer loyalty, increases lifetime value, and reduces churn — all of which are critical for long-term B2B revenue growth.
85% of ABM users find it crucial for retaining and expanding client relationships
84% of businesses say ABM helps retain and expand existing client relationships (2024 report)
80% of marketers link ABM to improved customer lifetime value
60% of companies say ABM increases customer lifetime value
44% see reduced customer churn when applying ABM in post-sale engagement
ABM users see an 84% improvement in reputation and an 80% improvement in customer relationships
Customer-driven referrals increase 2x due to deeper engagement from ABM
Win-back campaigns using ABM re-engage 12–18% of lost accounts
90% of ABM marketers target new business creation, with 63% focused on customer retention
Budget, Investment, and Spending Trends
ABM budgets have grown steadily as companies see the strategy’s impact on revenue and pipeline. The trend is clear: companies that invest more in ABM tend to see higher returns, and the vast majority plan to increase spending. But ABM is not cheap — it requires meaningful investment in technology, content, data, and people.
Budget allocation:
On average, companies dedicate 29% of their marketing budget to ABM initiatives (WebFX)
ABM receives 21–45% of total marketing budget in most companies
Top-performing B2B marketers allocate 18% of their total marketing budget to ABM
According to ITSMA’s 2023 study, 28% of the marketing budget was allocated to ABM
Mid-market organizations committed to ABM allocate 30–40% of total marketing budget
Investment trends:
66% of companies planned to increase ABM spending in 2024 (ITSMA)
71% of companies planned to increase ABM spending in 2023, marking 13.1% year-over-year growth
95% of technology marketers anticipated an increase in ABM budgets in 2023
86% of ABM leaders will invest more in tools, templates, and processes to scale ABM
One-third of marketing VPs plan to grow ABM investment by 30%
38% of teams are increasing ABM budget next fiscal year
Cost breakdown:
Content production accounts for 31% of ABM costs
Paid media accounts for 28% of ABM spending
Technology and data subscriptions average 24% of budget
Average ABM annual budget for mid-market: $180K–$600K; enterprise programs frequently exceed $1M+ annually
ABM programs typically cost 15–30% more upfront but deliver higher ROI
20% of companies outsource ABM execution to agencies
Companies working with ABM agencies report 72% higher ROI vs. managing ABM internally
AI, Intent Data, and Technology
Artificial intelligence and intent data have become the twin engines powering modern ABM programs. Intent data allows marketers to identify which accounts are actively researching solutions, while AI enables the kind of hyper-personalization and predictive targeting that would be impossible to execute manually. Together, they are transforming ABM from a labor-intensive strategy into a scalable growth engine.
AI and intent data adoption:
91% of B2B technology marketers use intent data to prioritize accounts, identify content, and build target account lists
84% of marketers leverage AI and intent data to enhance personalization in ABM campaigns (2025)
79% of businesses using AI and intent data for ABM see revenue increases by engaging accounts at the right moment
38% of marketing executives are optimistic about AI’s potential to lower ABM costs; 47% anticipate it will simplify their tasks
68% of ABM programs have adopted automation
On average, businesses use 2 tools or platforms to support their ABM strategy
Cloud solutions owned 72% of the ABM market in 2024; the tools segment led with 65% market share
Challenges and Barriers to ABM Success
Despite its proven effectiveness, ABM is not easy. The data reveals persistent challenges around data quality, internal expertise, measurement, and the tension between short-term pressure and long-term ABM investment. Understanding these barriers is essential for any organization looking to avoid the pitfalls that trip up the majority of ABM programs.
40% of respondents said a lack of internal expertise was their main challenge in executing ABM
41% of marketers identified the inability to track the right data as their biggest ABM challenge (2023)
40% identified data cleanliness as a key challenge
40% cited ROI measurement as their biggest challenge
23% identified pressure to prioritize quick wins over long-term ABM investment as a challenge
Only 5% of B2B accounts are actively looking to buy at any given time, making effective targeting critical
Delivering personalized experiences is one of the most common challenges in ABM
There has been a 7% decrease in ABM team size recently, as ABM moves into the mainstream and becomes part of broader marketing teams (Forrester)
Campaign Structure: One-to-One, One-to-Few, One-to-Many
ABM is not a one-size-fits-all strategy. The approach varies dramatically depending on the value of the target accounts and the resources available. One-to-one campaigns are highly personalized but resource-intensive; one-to-many programs trade depth for scale. Understanding the structure helps companies choose the right mix for their goals.
One-to-one ABM campaigns average 39 target accounts
One-to-few campaigns average 177 target accounts
One-to-many strategies target an average of 6,000+ accounts (ABMLA, 2020)
54% of ABM businesses focus on attracting new contacts
Strategic ABM captured the largest market share at 47% in 2024; programmatic ABM is the fastest-growing segment at 19.8% CAGR
Organizations implementing 1:few ABM report 20–40% higher win rates versus broad demand generation
Pipeline velocity improvements of 25–40% are common in mature 1:few programs
55% of marketers say ABM is a core part of their go-to-market plan
The ABM Market: Size and Growth
The ABM market has grown rapidly and shows no signs of slowing down. What was a sub-billion-dollar market just a few years ago is now projected to nearly triple by the end of the decade, driven by increasing adoption, AI integration, and the growing recognition that ABM delivers superior returns.
The global ABM market was valued at $1.41 billion in 2024 (Grand View Research)
The market is projected to reach $3.8 billion by 2030 at a 17.9% CAGR
The global ABM market grew from $1.1 billion in 2022 and is on track for $3.1 billion by 2030 (Global Industry Analysts)
North America holds 32–41% of the global ABM market
Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing region at 20.4% CAGR through 2030
IT and Telecommunications account for 26% of the ABM market; Healthcare & Life Sciences is advancing at 15% CAGR
Large enterprises captured 58% of the ABM market in 2024; mid-sized enterprises show the fastest growth at 14.8% CAGR
The ABM services component is expected to grow at 14.5% CAGR through 2030 as companies seek strategic advisory and managed campaigns
The Bottom Line: ABM Delivers Where It Matters Most
The statistics in this article tell a remarkably consistent story: account-based marketing delivers higher ROI, larger deals, faster sales cycles, and stronger customer relationships than any other B2B marketing strategy. The evidence is not marginal — it is dramatic. Companies with mature ABM programs see 5–9x ROI, 200% larger deal sizes, and pipeline conversion improvements that transform go-to-market economics.
Yet the data also reveals a striking maturity gap. While 76–94% of B2B companies have adopted some form of ABM, fewer than 20% have fully embedded it into their business. Only 29% consider their strategy fully optimized. This gap is where the opportunity lives. The companies that invest in closing it — through better alignment, deeper personalization, smarter use of intent data, and disciplined measurement — will capture disproportionate returns.
ABM is no longer a nice-to-have for B2B companies targeting high-value accounts. It is the strategy that consistently outperforms every alternative on the metrics that matter most to the business. The only question is whether your program is mature enough to capture the full potential the data says is there.