NRF is done and dusted for another year. But what do you do with all those leads from the show and all the other activities around it?

Without engaging your targets, you’ve just made small talk. Chatted to a stranger. Cornered a civilian.

And those leads will never convert.

There’s a right way to approach lead engagement, where everyone leaves the conversation feeling all gooey inside. And it’s all down to account-based marketing (ABM). ABM is a powerful strategy that can help you nurture leads and convert them into loyal customers. And it’s not overly complex.

So this article will give you strategies for successfully engaging and converting your leads.

Why does ABM work so well for lead engagement and nurturing?

ABM works so well for lead nurturing because it’s not really about ‘accounts’. ABM is about people. (That’s a bit Hallmark but stay with me).

Instead of casting a wide net and hoping to catch a few potential leads, ABM focuses on identifying and targeting specific accounts, and the influential people in them, who have something they genuinely need help with. Help that you, ideally, can give them.

This targeted approach allows businesses to allocate their resources more efficiently, focusing on lead engagement for accounts and decision-makers that have the highest potential to grow alongside you. By directing their efforts towards these high-value accounts, you can maximise your return on investment and achieve better results.

A holistic, human approach to lead engagement

ABM is crucial for lead nurturing because it allows you to tailor your marketing efforts to the specific needs and preferences of your target accounts. ‘Marketing efforts’ is a broad term, and covers much, much more than emails and social. But we’ll get into that a bit more later on.

Regardless, the aim is to deliver personalised and relevant content/experiences, that help you to build stronger relationships with your leads and increase the likelihood of conversion.

But this is where ABM really comes into its own. B2B marketing involves a complex web of decision-makers and influencers. ABM allows you to identify and engage with these stakeholders, often on a one-to-one basis, ensuring that your message reaches the right people at the right time.

Where ABM stands out from other marketing paradigms is that it sees all of those people as individuals, with their own wants, needs, fears and desires. As opposed to faceless cogs that you need to get a nod from to make a sale go through. It might seem like a faint line drawn in the sand, but it’s an important distinction to make. Be honest with yourself – how often have you claimed to approach accounts this way, but have just fired off the same email to everyone?

No – a personalised first name doesn’t count.

Your true aim? To establish a deeper connection with the people in your target accounts. Genuine, human connections that transcend transactional interactions and foster partnership and trust. Because B2B, and SaaS especially, is under pressure to grow profitably. That simply won’t happen unless you’re able to identify and close customers who want to grow alongside you.

Lead engagement using ABM - teach, don’t preach

We’re going to assume in this case you have your leads already. Maybe you’ve got a little black book of bigwigs, or maybe you’ve got a Rolodex of juicy leads from NRF. Whichever it is, let’s start engaging with them.

But what makes effective lead engagement? It's not as simple as making a cold call or sending a generic email. Without the right approach, you’ll lose them before you finish typing “Just following up…”.

To truly capture the attention of your leads and encourage them to take the next step in the buying process, you need to employ a multi-faceted approach.

You have a smorgasbord of effective strategies available to you. Some we’ve seen used to good effect, others not so much. Because as we mentioned earlier, there is a right and a wrong way to approach lead engagement.

Here are a couple of examples, and suggestions on how to make them more effective.

I. Host exclusive webinars or events.

By offering valuable and educational content in a live setting, you can create a sense of exclusivity and urgency. Education is the operative word here; teach, don’t preach. You’ll capture the attention of your target accounts, and allow them to engage with your brand on a deeper level if they fancy it.

You can structure it and maybe steer the conversation a certain way, but if you’re truly savvy (and truly care), you’ll design these events as a means for attendees to pursue answers and build their networks first. Because trust us; they’re sure as shit not there for your sales pitch at the end.

II. Create interactive content.

Quizzes and surveys can be a fun way to promote lead engagement, and encourage your leads to interact with your brand. Admittedly it’s bit of a business-casual, Monica Geller-type fun, but this is B2B. We can only do so much.

If you get these right and get some responses, you could rake in some valuable insights for your marketing team. The key is to ensure that your target audience gets more out of them than they put in. Whether that’s a time/value ratio or something more tangible, like a free workshop based on their responses and tailored to their problems.

And if you’ve prayed really hard to the Sales gods, they might even encourage your target accounts to actively participate in the buying process. Stranger things have happened.

5 strategies for lead engagement

Ultimately, successful lead engagement requires a combination of strategies. It's about creating a holistic and personalised experience for your target accounts, one that captures their attention and encourages them to take action.

If you’ve won those leads at a tradeshow, congrats. You’re already quids in, and you have a bevvy of information and content at your disposal. So, here are 5 strategies to engage your tradeshow leads.

1. Record the context of your conversations with each lead

Easy one to start – and no, it’s not a cop-out. You’d be surprised how often this gets messed up. Or maybe you wouldn’t (and that’s the problem).

One of your greatest weapons is your sales team. But your BDRs/SDRs and (whatever other acronyms they might go by) are only as good as the information you feed them. So, before you shout “Sick em’!” and let your teams loose, you have a responsibility to load them with as much information as possible.

It’s 2024 – we can all agree that ‘demand generation’ doesn’t exist, that it’s a convenient lie we tell ourselves. Opportunities come from people who know they have a problem and have made up their minds to fix it. Arming your sales hit squads with the context of the conversation you had (problems they face, goals they have) is the only way they will generate engagement. At the very least, they’ll be able to refer back to the conversation you had property, which might chip away at an icy reception.

2. Send an event/tradeshow roundup piece

But NOT all about you. By all means, steal (with permission) from an independent or merchant who has given their perspective. Be useful! You won’t be remembered for your ‘predictions’ following the event. No, not even for those which conveniently line up with your established roadmap.

You will be remembered for giving an honest roundup of what was said, by whom, and what that might mean for everyone.

3. Use that retailer video interview you captured at the show

You did that right? You don’t need to overcomplicate this one – it’s good old-fashioned marketing. Find someone that likes you, talk to them about something they care about, and share it with the world.

We’ve asked around and done the research; our friends on the other side of the eCommerce fence have made their opinions clear. Ninety seconds maximum.

4. Invite them to that social thing you’ve scheduled

You’ve got something planned for the next big event/tradeshow, right? No?

Poking our heads around NRF (and most other large shows), there’s one obvious trend; 70% of the ‘real’ work gets done outside of the show. Store tours, classy post-event cocktails, seedy post-cocktail bar-crawls. While you’re cracking the code to the hotel mini-bar and patting yourself on the back for getting a few phone numbers, the real grafters are out there ‘bumping into’ prospects at the Slag and Handbag Slug and Lettuce, doing the real work.

Get going on that social thing. Or, you know, we can help…

‍5. Enable follow-up in person

From BDRs or preferably the person who had the show conversation. However, approach with caution. Focus ONLY on the challenges the prospect talked about, and geeeently set up that 1:1 call to explore the opportunity further.

You don’t need us to tell you how to do your job. But if we were to throw in our two cents, it would be this; be human. Strip away all of the bravado and bullshit, and find ways to help. That genuine, real connection cannot be overstated. As SaaS continues to get dealt a poor hand, growing profitably is paramount.

That means you must find customers that will grow with you. That only happens with a genuine human connection. Warmth. Compassion. All the fluffy stuff – it works.

Grow Profitably with ABM

Lead engagement off the back of tradeshows and events is tricky. But it’s also perhaps your best chance at making a real impression – and that’s where ABM shines.

Every successful ABM campaign starts with a full understanding of the challenges your leads face, and where they are in this ephemeral ‘buying process’ we always harp on about. This knowledge, combined with truly relevant, useful and human engagement, will accelerate the sale cycle.

Most importantly, it will help you find the right customers. The ones that you can truly help, and who will grow with you over time.

Want to understand how we do all this ABM stuff – from running events, to lead engagement and lead nurturing – in action? Give us a bell; we love a chat.