Account-Based Marketing vs Demand Generation
Account-based marketing (ABM) focuses on highly personalized campaigns targeting specific high-value accounts, while demand generation takes a broad awareness approach to create pipeline at scale across your entire target market.
Quick Overview
Account-Based Marketing (ABM)
- Approach: Highly targeted
- Focus: Specific high-value accounts
- Strategy: Personalized campaigns per account
- Team: Marketing + sales working together
- Timeline: Longer, relationship-focused
- Best for: Enterprise B2B
Demand Generation
- Approach: Broad awareness
- Focus: Entire target market
- Strategy: Create awareness at scale
- Team: Marketing-led
- Timeline: Create pipeline broadly
- Best for: SaaS growth
Key Differences
| Factor | ABM | Demand Generation | |--------|-----|-------------------| | Scope | 10-100 accounts | 1000+ accounts | | Personalization | Highly personalized | Standard messaging | | Sales involvement | High | Low-Medium | | Timeline | 6-12+ months | 3-6 months | | Cost | High (EUR 50K-500K/month) | Medium (EUR 10K-100K/month) | | Goal | Close large deals | Generate pipeline |
When to Use ABM
ABM is the right choice when you have:
- Enterprise B2B sales motion
- High contract values (EUR 500K+)
- Complex sales cycles with multiple stakeholders
- Few target accounts to pursue
- Well-aligned sales team ready to collaborate
When to Use Demand Generation
Demand generation works best when you have:
- SaaS growth objectives
- Lower contract values
- Faster sales cycles
- Large target market to address
- High volume pipeline goals
Hybrid Approach
Best-in-class B2B companies leverage both strategies together:
- Broad demand generation to fill top of funnel with awareness
- ABM for high-value accounts that warrant personalized attention
- Sales team focus on pipeline conversion across both motions
This combined approach ensures you're building brand awareness broadly while also pursuing your most valuable opportunities with precision.
Conclusion
Demand generation drives broad pipeline growth, while ABM closes high-value deals. Use both for comprehensive revenue growth. The key is matching the right strategy to your deal size, sales cycle complexity, and available resources.