B2B marketing insights for
those targeting a niche
Insights, learnings and stories from the world of B2B marketing and communications, direct from Velo’s B2B agency team
ABM
Velo is an award-winning B2B ABM marketing agency built around one simple principle: marketing should drive revenue, not just activity.
We help companies focus on the accounts that matter most, aligning strategy, creativity and execution to influence buying groups over time. Because in ABM, success is not about volume. It is about progression within the right companies, with the right people. Our approach recognises the realities of ABM. Small audiences, long sales cycles and complex stakeholder groups mean influence takes time and results can be uneven. That is why we focus on what actually moves the needle. Conversations, relationships and commercial outcomes, not just surface-level engagement. We work across 1:1, 1:few and 1:many programmes, tailoring activity to the depth and scale required. Whether building deep, account-specific engagement or creating broader influence across a defined market, the goal is always the same. To create momentum that leads to revenue via recommendation.
In this section, our team share their experiences, guidance and lessons in ABM to niche audiences. An excellent resource is our Marketing Map, giving quick fire tips, plus OpEd insights below.
We also provide a full suite of ABM services, from account selection and insight development through to campaign activation, content creation and sales enablement.
ABM, B2B Audiences, B2B GTM, B2B Marketing in manufacturing, B2B Marketing in Professional Services, B2B Strategy
How to build trust in your brand when targeting the defence sector
Most B2B marketing runs on proof: named customers, published outcomes, a case study for every objection. Defence marketing rarely gets that version of the game. Contracts stay classified. Customers stay unnamed. Case studies still exist, but they carry more weight when built to fit those limits rather than despite them, and the real competition usually starts before […]
ABM, B2B Marketing in manufacturing, B2B Marketing in Professional Services, B2B Sales Enablement, B2B Strategy
How does running ABM campaigns in the defence sector differ from other B2B markets?
Defence buying doesn’t behave like other B2B categories: decision-makers are hard to identify, cycles run in years and switching a qualified component can cost more than it’s worth. This piece sets out what ABM actually looks like in defence, from manual stakeholder research to the trade-show playbook that gets you noticed.
ABM, B2B Content, B2B Marketing in manufacturing, B2B Marketing in Technology
Why your technical team might be your best marketing asset
Sherlock Holmes may have been the smartest person in the room, but even he needed Watson to help make his conclusions shine – and it’s the same with tech teams and marketing. Like Holmes and Watson, Woody and Buzz or Jake and Amy (IYKYK), unlikely companions always make for the best stories. And so it […]
Sales and marketing alignment in ABM is a myth
If you’ve been to any B2B marketing event in the last few years, you’ve likely sat through more than one session on the need for sales and marketing to be ‘aligned’. It sounds like progress. Two teams working in harmony. On the surface, it feels right. But the very idea of alignment creates a problem. Alignment implies separation. It assumes […]
How does an automated LinkedIn outreach programme work, and how effective is it?
We ran our own automated LinkedIn outreach programme for four weeks to test whether value-led, well-targeted messages could beat volume. The results split: strong connection acceptance rates, passive engagement once people connected, no proposals and real lessons for anyone considering automation on LinkedIn.
Does ABM work in long, complex buying cycles?
There is a common belief in certain sectors. “Account-Based Marketing does not work here.” You hear it most in markets with long sales cycles, complex procurement and heavy reliance on industry frameworks. The thinking is simple. Decisions are slow, structured and often predefined. Marketing cannot influence them in the same way. Or can it? What makes these markets different These environments are […]
ABM, B2B Content, B2B Marketing in Insurance, B2B Marketing in Professional Services, B2B Strategy
Why is storytelling vital in ABM?
Storytelling in B2B is often misunderstood. It is not about entertainment for its own sake. It is about making information meaningful, memorable and trusted. After all, even in B2B, there are still people at the other end. At its core, storytelling reflects how people actually make decisions. B2B buying is human, memory-driven and trust-led. Storytelling is the thread that connects those elements. It […]
How ABM can influence the dark funnel
Let’s get one thing straight. The “dark funnel” is not a funnel – it’s what happens when real buying behaviour refuses to fit neatly into your reporting. The dark funnel is everything that happens outside your visibility: the conversations you can’t see, the recommendations you can’t track, and the moments that never show up in your analytics. It is the Slack message between colleagues. […]
Is there such a thing as intent in an ABM program?
What your ideal customer really means Intent has become B2B marketing’s favourite shortcut. The promise is seductive. Find the accounts that are “in market”, focus your effort there, and watch conversion rates climb. The problem? B2B buying doesn’t work like that. Intent exists. But not in the neat, predictable, high-confidence way it is often sold. First party intent is the […]
From pilot to programme: 8-step approach to scalable ABM
Scaling ABM means building a structured, always-on programme, not running bigger one-off campaigns. This piece walks through the eight steps that take a pilot to a repeatable engine: from account selection and data to sales alignment and reporting that proves commercial impact.
How to choose the right priority accounts for your ABM programme
What your ideal customer really means In account-based marketing, identifying your priority customers is not about building the biggest possible list. It is about making deliberate commercial choices. Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is the filter that defines where you should focus your effort and, just as importantly, where you should not. It ensures your time, budget and energy […]
ABM, B2B Branding, B2B Sales Enablement
What we learned about influencing LinkedIn’s algorithm with an unscientific test using SSI
TL:DR We ran a quick internal test to understand LinkedIn’s Social Selling Index (SSI) and what actually drives influence on the platform. Our goal? To find out whether it’s worth the effort for B2B marketers, especially in niche sectors to invest time into personal posting. The headline takeaway: yes, personal posts often outperform company ones, […]
ABM, B2B Audiences, B2B Campaigns, B2B Marketing in manufacturing, B2B Marketing in Technology, B2B Research
Targeting Health, Safety, Environment and Compliance Leaders – A B2B Marketing Persona Deep Dive
When safety, compliance and operational continuity are non-negotiable, Health, Safety, Environment and Compliance (HSEC) leaders aren’t just part of your audience — they’re your gatekeepers to trust and long-term business. They sit at the intersection of people, process and policy, with remits that stretch from PPE procurement to incident investigation. Their goal is simple but […]
ABM, B2B Marketing in Technology, B2B Research
Mapping the martech map – 14,000+ platforms to choose from. Unless you target a niche.
I need a bigger screen for the 2024 Martech Map! Released just a few days ago, this collation of more than 14,100 marketing technology platforms is both impressive and overwhelming. Only 293 mention B2B, and even fewer are explicitly designed for those targeting a niche. We’ve been through it, so thankfully, you don’t have to! […]
A sales and marketing relationship designed to supercharge your growth
In part one of this article, we highlighted the fractured nature of the two key functions sat at the heart of an organisation’s growth; sales and marketing. In this second part, we explore a series of practical steps designed to help create closer alignment between the two functions. Collaboration Depending on the size of your […]
Your sales team will tell you who your best prospects are. Well, 16% of the time
When approaching any new project, one of the most valuable pieces of work anyone can do is speak to the people buying the products: the customers. Anyone who has worked in B2B long enough will tell you that the ability to do this can vary from tricky to borderline impossible. Rarely are customers free to […]
ABM, AI & MarTech for B2B, B2B Campaigns
Navigating the Evolution of ABM in B2B Marketing: Insights from the Global ABM Conference 2023
It’s been two weeks since I joined 500+ fellow marketing leaders at B2B Marketing’s Global Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Conference, and it’s taken me this long to write up my key takeaways as there was so much rich knowledge, so many valuable insights, and such engaging expert speakers – my brain is still buzzing at everything […]
ABM, B2B Campaigns, B2B Research
How do you build your list of prospective niche B2B companies for an ABM campaign?
When it comes to targeting a B2B niche with an account-based marketing (ABM) strategy, building an effective target prospect list is crucial. There are numerous methods available, including leveraging technology, utilising data sources, and of course, the age-old desk research route. However, it is essential to supplement these approaches by consulting with appropriate stakeholders […]
ABM, B2B Advocacy, B2B Content
What makes a great title and executive summary for a B2B case study?
It is a balance – good case study copy on your site is packed with SEO optimisation to make it discoverable, but without compromising the fact that a human is reading it, so it must be compelling. A copywriting tightrope… Good B2B marketers write case studies for readers, not robots. Your headline needs to […]
What does the rise in Connected TVs mean for B2B marketers? Is this a new channel to be considered?
Disney Plus has just announced that they will launch an ad-supported subscription tier which will be available sometime in “late 2022” to the US market before expanding internationally in 2023. It is typical of the available advertising opportunities in Connected TV (CTV) technology. Our Digital Marketing Manager, Diwakar Redhu, wanted to explore more and understand […]
ABM, B2B Marketing in Technology
Unlocking the full potential of Marketo for B2B marketing
The Velo team has been working with Marketo for a number of years. As with most marketing automation software, there is much to learn in order to get the most from it. We’ve learned many lessons on our path to unlocking the full potential of the platform for clients. Some lessons proved to be best […]
ABM, B2B Marketing in Technology
‘THE’ hot topic of 2020 in the technology industry: Covid-19 recovery and what it means for b2b marketing
While it’s been technology that has allowed the business world to keep going during the pandemic, it hasn’t just been all good news for the tech sector. They, like most other businesses, are in full recovery mode. The pandemic has impacted everything from raw materials supply, disrupting the electronics value chain, and causing a huge […]
ABM, AI & MarTech for B2B, B2B Campaigns
5 reasons to try LinkedIn Sponsored InMail for B2B
We’re massive advocates of LinkedIn. We’ve used it for everything from hard-sell lead gen campaigns to methods of research when identifying target accounts. With over 260 million users (Jan, 2020), LinkedIn as a platform for targeted messaging is hard to ignore, and LinkedIn’s Sponsored InMail advertising option gives you access to the inbox of almost […]
Video podcast: The Importance of Always-On in ABM
In early December, I had the opportunity to sit down with James Rostance from The 414 Live – a live LinkedIn video stream and podcast dedicated to discussing all things B2B marketing. My topic of choice was one I’m very passionate about (ask anyone in the office or any of my clients!). Said topic? The […]
What I Took Away From B2B Marketing’s 2019 ABM Conference
Last week, I went to B2B Marketing’s annual ABM Conference. It was a day for B2B marketing professionals to share their experiences of executing ABM strategies. From the conversations, it was clear that “true ABM” is still relatively new and immature, but that the key to success in the future is sharing our experiences and […]
Insights from Ignite B2B 2019 – Nick Taylor
Nick is an Account Director at Velo with deep expertise and experience in B2B marketing. He has been leading the Cisco account for the past three years at Velo and has a plethora of knowledge about the tech and IT services industry. Here he uncovers his key learnings and insights from Ignite 2019, the world’s […]
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