Master ABM with AI: Create, Harvest, Activate

Account-Based Marketing (ABM) has long been a cornerstone strategy for B2B companies aiming to build meaningful engagements with their most valuable prospects. However, the dynamic changes in the marketing landscape, fueled by technological advancements and the incorporation of artificial intelligence (AI), are redefining what ABM can achieve. In a discussion between two marketing heavyweights - Dave Resky, CEO of Now Speed Marketing, and Nick Zeets, founder of Smoke Signals and a tech industry veteran - we gain vital insights into the present and future of ABM, AI-driven personalization, and scalable outreach strategies.

This article captures the essence of their conversation, offering actionable insights for CEOs, sales leaders, and marketing professionals eager to refine their strategies for sustained growth in competitive markets.

The New Era of Account-Based Marketing: A Shift in Perspective

Redefining ABM

Nick Zeets emphasizes that the conventional understanding of ABM, shaped by tools from the 2010–2015 era, falls short of its original promise. Platforms like Demandbase, 6sense, and Triblio historically focused on two primary functions:

• Collecting third-party signals to infer interest
• Managing advertising audiences for targeted campaigns

While useful, these tools only scratched the surface of true ABM potential. The essence of ABM, according to Nick, lies in hyper-targeted engagement - defining the ideal customer profile (ICP) with precision, understanding their needs, and delivering messages that resonate deeply with their unique context.

One of the most pressing challenges marketers now face is the sheer inundation of communication channels. Endless emails, generic outreach, and irrelevant messaging have led to diminishing returns. As Nick aptly describes, "Marketers can’t be given anything nice because we ruin it."

From Personalization to Relevance

Personalization, as it’s often executed today, is a shallow concept. Nick critiques the industry’s over-reliance on token efforts such as "Dear [First Name]", which he describes as nothing more than filling in a dynamic field. What’s truly needed is relevance - messaging that aligns perfectly with the recipient’s pain points, priorities, and context.

AI and large language models (LLMs) now enable this level of relevance. When used correctly, they allow marketers to deliver the same quality of outreach that a top-performing salesperson could achieve, but at scale. The key, however, is starting with a narrow and detailed ICP and using AI to scale thoughtfully, not indiscriminately.

The Three-Stage Framework for Effective ABM with AI

Nick Zeets presents a simple yet transformative framework that every B2B organization can implement to supercharge their ABM strategies. The framework revolves around three key stages:

1. Create Signals

This stage is about generating interest and visibility through content and brand interactions. Signals can originate from:

• Thought leadership content like podcasts, blogs, and LinkedIn posts
• Events and webinars
• Partnerships and collaborations
• Public data relevant to your industry (e.g., GitHub repositories in software development)

This phase is foundational. High-quality, targeted content resonates with your audience and lays the groundwork for engagement.

2. Harvest Signals

The next step is capturing and analyzing the interest generated in the "Create" phase. For example:

• Tracking engagement metrics like likes, comments, and shares on LinkedIn
• Using technology to identify who interacted with your content and determining if they fit your ICP
• Scraping publicly available data to identify prospects experiencing challenges that your product can solve

AI plays a crucial role here by enriching the data - giving businesses a clearer view of who their prospects are and whether they are worth pursuing.

3. Activate Signals

Once signals are collected, the final step is crafting outreach strategies that feel personal, timely, and relevant. This is where AI-driven personalization shines:

• Automating follow-ups that reference specific interactions, such as a comment on a LinkedIn post
• Using enriched data to craft hyper-specific offers or solutions tailored to the prospect’s pain points
• Scaling outreach thoughtfully (e.g., focusing on 25 highly targeted leads rather than blasting thousands)

Automation doesn’t mean removing the human element. This stage is most effective when it combines AI’s efficiency with human insight to ensure messaging lands meaningfully.

Why AI Alone Isn’t the Silver Bullet

Despite the hype, AI isn’t a magic wand. One of Nick’s central arguments is that too many organizations prematurely jump to automation without first understanding their audience or crafting the right message. AI and machine learning are powerful tools, but they must be used in service of a strategy rooted in human intuition and empathy.

Nick also highlights the importance of unstructured conversations as a critical, often-overlooked step in understanding the market. Unlike B2C companies, which invest heavily in consumer insights, B2B organizations often skip this step, leading to missed opportunities. By having raw, exploratory discussions with potential customers, businesses can identify unmet needs, refine their value propositions, and craft better-targeted campaigns.

The Role of Technology in the Future of ABM

The marketing technology landscape is on the cusp of major transformation. Nick predicts that traditional platforms like Salesforce and Marketo may face challenges as startups offering AI-first solutions disrupt the space. These new tools are designed to handle:

• Signal identification and activation in more nuanced ways
• Hyper-specific, verticalized use cases
• Integration with advanced analytics and AI models to inform decision-making

However, these innovations also bring challenges. Companies need to find the right balance between leveraging cutting-edge technologies and ensuring that human creativity and strategic thinking remain central to their efforts.

Key Takeaways

To help business leaders and marketers implement the insights from this discussion, here are the most actionable takeaways:

• Refine Your ICP: Be as specific as possible when defining your ideal customer. A narrow focus leads to better messaging and higher success rates.
• Prioritize Relevance Over Personalization: Move beyond token personalization and focus on delivering hyper-relevant messages that align with your audience’s unique challenges.
• Adopt the Create, Harvest, Activate Framework: Generate signals through content, harvest engagement data, and activate it with targeted outreach.
• Don’t Automate Too Early: Test and refine your messaging with human conversations before introducing AI tools for scale.
• Leverage AI Thoughtfully: Use AI to scale what works, but avoid over-relying on it for tasks that require a human touch.
• Focus on Quality Over Quantity: It’s better to send 25 highly targeted emails than blast thousands of generic messages.
• Monitor the Martech Landscape: New AI-first platforms are emerging that could outpace traditional CRMs and marketing automation tools.
• Invest in Research: Take time to understand your customer’s needs, pain points, and buying process through unstructured conversations or qualitative research.

Closing Thoughts

ABM, when executed correctly, is a powerful strategy for driving meaningful growth in B2B organizations. However, as Nick Zeets points out, success in today’s market requires a thoughtful blend of human insight, technological innovation, and a relentless focus on delivering value to the customer.

As AI and machine learning continue to evolve, the companies that succeed will be those that harness these tools to scale authentic, relevant, and impactful messaging - without losing sight of the human element at the core of marketing. By adopting frameworks like "Create, Harvest, Activate" and committing to understanding their audience deeply, B2B organizations can position themselves for sustained success in a rapidly changing landscape.

Source: "Beyond Personalization: Mastering ABM in the AI Era | Marketing In The Now ft. Nick Zeckets" - Nowspeed Marketing, YouTube, Aug 13, 2025 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROg6wYY0Sic

Use: Embedded for reference. Brief quotes used for commentary/review.