One of the most wasted tactics in ABM is retargeting. Most teams set up a generic pixel and show ads to anyone who visited the website. "Did you forget about us?" retargeting is noise.
Account-based retargeting is different. You're using advertising to re-engage specific accounts that are stalled in your pipeline, showing them proof points relevant to their specific situation.
This guide covers how to execute account-based retargeting.
Generic retargeting: Anyone who visited your website gets an ad. The ad is the same for everyone. "Still thinking about it?"
Result: 0.3-0.7% CTR, low conversion, mostly noise. Accounts tune it out.
Account-based retargeting: You've identified specific accounts in your pipeline that are stalled (haven't engaged in 14+ days despite being active 3 weeks ago). You show them ads with social proof relevant to their situation.
Example: Acme Corp was active in your sales process. They visited your case studies, opened 4 emails, went silent for 14 days. You now show them ads with testimonials from companies similar to Acme (same size, same industry) saying "Here's how we moved faster." The ad is visible to anyone from Acme's IP range.
Result: 2-4% CTR, higher relevance, accounts feel the ad was made for them (because it partially was).
In your CRM, create a definition for "stalled account." Typically:
Example query: "Last activity > 14 days AND contact_count_30day > 3 AND next_meeting = null"
This identifies accounts where there was interest, then silence. These are your retargeting targets.
Not all stalled accounts are equal. Create tiers based on:
Example segments:
Tier 1: High-value, proposal stage - ACV $100K+ - Received a proposal 14+ days ago - Haven't scheduled next meeting - Likely in buying committee discussion phase
Tier 2: Mid-value, active exploration - ACV $30K-100K - Had 3+ calls in past 30 days - Last activity 14+ days ago - Likely in evaluation/comparison phase
Tier 3: Early stage, initial contact - ACV <$30K - Had 1-2 calls or 3-4 emails in past 30 days - Silent for 14+ days - Likely needs more proof or has deprioritized
For each tier, build a segment in your ad platform (Google Ads, LinkedIn, Facebook, or your ABM platform if it has retargeting).
Most ad platforms allow you to upload CRM data and match it to their users.
Process: 1. Export stalled accounts from your CRM (company names, domains, contact emails) 2. Upload to your ad platform (via CRM integration or CSV) 3. Use platform matching to reach users from those accounts 4. Create a custom audience: "Acme Corp" + "Zoom Corporation" + "TechVenture Inc" = "High-Value Stalled Accounts Audience"
Message: You're in the final stages of a decision. Here's proof from similar companies that this was the right choice.
Creative approach: - Customer case study video (2-3 min) - Testimonial from a similar company: "Here's what we achieved in the first 90 days" - ROI calculator or impact summary specific to their situation
Ad copy: "X companies like yours saw [outcome] after implementation. Curious if this aligns with your goals?"
CTA: "Watch how [Company] achieved [specific outcome]" (links to testimonial video or case study, not a demo request)
Frequency: Show 3-4 times per week to this account's IP range for 21 days.
Example Tier 1 ad set: - Monday: ROI case study (mid-market SaaS) in Tier 1 audience - Wednesday: Customer testimonial (similar industry, same size) - Friday: Comparison brief (Competitor vs. Us in their use case)
Message: You're exploring solutions. Here's proof that we're different from what you've seen.
Creative approach: - Competitive comparison ("Why 100+ companies chose us over [competitor]") - "How to Evaluate" guide (third-party, credible, speaks to their buying criteria) - Industry trend report or research (establishes authority)
Ad copy: "Evaluating solutions? Here's what [your industry] learned about choosing the right platform."
CTA: "Download the comparison guide" or "Read the industry report"
Frequency: Show 2-3 times per week for 14 days.
Example Tier 2 ad set: - Monday: Competitive comparison - Wednesday: How to Evaluate guide - Friday: Customer wins in their industry
Message: You might have deprioritized this or gone silent. Here's why it still matters.
Creative approach: - Educational content (webinar, guide) addressing their pain point - Trend report or research showing their problem is widespread - Thought leadership from your team (CEO blog post, expert perspective)
Ad copy: "Here's what we're seeing with [their pain point] in [their industry]. Worth 5 minutes?"
CTA: "Watch webinar" or "Read the full report"
Frequency: Show 1-2 times per week for 7-10 days. Light touch to avoid annoyance.
LinkedIn allows you to upload company lists directly and target decision-makers at those companies.
Setup: 1. Create a Matched Audience in LinkedIn Campaign Manager 2. Upload CSV of stalled account company names or domains 3. Target by job title (VP Sales, CFO, VP Marketing, etc.) to reach buying committee 4. Use different Matched Audiences for Tier 1, 2, 3 (different creatives, different frequency)
Advantage: You're reaching decision-makers by role, not just by account. You can show different creatives to the VP Sales than to the CFO at the same company.
Google allows customer match lists. Upload email addresses of contacts at stalled accounts.
Setup: 1. Export emails from stalled accounts 2. Upload to Google Ads as a Custom Audience 3. Create search ads showing when they search for your solution or competitors
Example: When a contact from Acme Corp searches "how to choose ABM platform," your ad shows: "[Your solution]: why 200+ companies chose us."
Advantage: You're retargeting at intent moments (when they're actively searching), not just display ads.
If you use an ABM platform like Demandbase, 6sense, or Terminus, they have native retargeting.
Process: 1. Segment stalled accounts within the platform 2. Create retargeting campaigns with personalized creative 3. The platform shows different ads to different accounts based on their stage and industry
Advantage: You can serve hyper-personalized creative to each stalled account based on their specific situation.
Example: Acme Corp sees a testimonial from TechSoft (similar size, healthcare). Zoom Corporation sees a testimonial from Logistic Systems (different industry, larger size, but same pain point).
Track:
| Metric | Target | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| Impression frequency | 12-20 per account over 3 weeks | How many times the account sees the ad |
| CTR (Click-Through Rate) | 2-4% for Tier 1, 1-2% for Tier 2 | % of impressions that result in a click |
| View-Through Rate | 5-10% | % of accounts re-engaged after seeing ad (back to website, email opened, etc.) |
| Deal reactivation rate | 20-30% for Tier 1 | % of stalled accounts that re-engage after retargeting campaign |
| Incremental pipeline | 5-10% of investment | $ of new pipeline attributed to retargeting |
Every 14 days, review one retargeting cohort: - Did showing a specific creative (case study, comparison, testimonial) move more accounts than others? - Did accounts that clicked on the ad re-engage with your team? - Did accounts that re-engaged actually close?
Adjust creative based on what works.
Pitfall 1: Retargeting with the same creative for all accounts.
Fix: Tier your audiences. Create 2-3 different creative sets based on account stage and fit. Show Tier 1 accounts their industry testimonial; show Tier 2 your comparison.
Pitfall 2: Retargeting too aggressively, creating ad fatigue.
Fix: Cap frequency. Limit to 3-4 impressions per week, and pause after 14-21 days. If they're not re-engaged by then, a different approach is needed.
Pitfall 3: Not coordinating with Sales.
Fix: Brief your sales team. "We're retargeting stalled accounts with these creatives. If they re-engage, you'll get a lead." Timing matters. If a contact re-engages to an ad on Day 15, sales should follow up within 24 hours.
Pitfall 4: Measuring only impression volume, not quality.
Fix: Track deal reactivation, not just impressions. An audience that generates 0 new pipeline is a waste, even if the CTR looks decent.
Each Monday, run a query:
"Show me all accounts that went silent in the last 7 days that had 3+ interactions in the 30 days prior."
Segment into Tier 1, 2, 3.
In your ad platform, create new Matched Audiences: - "Stalled Q2 Tier 1" (high-value, recent activity) - "Stalled Q2 Tier 2" (mid-value) - "Stalled Q2 Tier 3" (early stage)
Launch creatives for each.
Simultaneously, brief your Sales Ops or Revenue team: "We've activated retargeting for [20 accounts, 15 accounts, 30 accounts]. If these accounts re-engage with your content or website in the next 2 weeks, follow up within 24 hours."
As you see success with account-based retargeting, expand it beyond just stalled accounts. Layer retargeting campaigns for other scenarios:
Each scenario gets its own Tier-specific creative and messaging. By scaling thoughtfully, most mature programs run 5-8 different retargeting campaigns simultaneously, reaching different accounts at different stages.
The beauty is that once the workflow is set up, adding new campaigns requires minimal effort. You're just creating new creatives and adjusting audience definitions.
Account-based retargeting is not about showing ads to everyone who ever visited your website. It's about identifying specific stalled accounts, creating audience segments, and serving them creative that's relevant to their situation.
Tier your accounts. Create different creatives for each tier. Measure reactivation, not just impressions. Coordinate with Sales. By Month 2, you'll see 20-30% of Tier 1 stalled accounts re-engage and move forward in the pipeline. By Month 4-6, retargeting campaigns should be delivering 10-15% of your pipeline volume.
Internal links: - ABM Measurement Playbook - How to Scale an ABM Program
The B2B buying process is far more complex than the B2C process. While a consumer might discover a product, read a few reviews, and make a purchase decision in days, a B2B purchase typically involves multiple stakeholders with competing priorities, lengthy evaluation periods, and complex approval...
The B2B buying process is far more complex than the B2C process. While a consumer might discover a product, read a few reviews, and make a purchase decision in days, a B2B purchase typically involves multiple stakeholders with competing priorities, lengthy evaluation periods, and complex approval...