Account Based Marketing (ABM) on LinkedIn: The Orchestration Layer

We already discussed why targeting Company Lists is effective. That is ABM 101. ABM 201 is about Timing and Orchestration. It is useless to show ads to an account that has already said "No." It is wasteful to show ads to an account that is not yet ready to buy. Advanced ABM is about Dynamic Segmentation.

The Tech Stack Requirement

To execute this, you need a connector.

• CRM: Salesforce or HubSpot.
• Orchestration: 6sense, Demandbase, or Metadata.io (optional but helpful).
• Ad Platform: LinkedIn Campaign Manager.

The Strategy: The Pipeline Stages

You do not run one ABM campaign. You run three. And accounts move between them automatically.

Stage 1: The "Unaware" Stage (Cold)

• Audience: Target Accounts with Status = "Prospect".
• Creative: Educational. "Why X is a problem."
• Goal: Engagement (Click or Video View).
• Trigger: If they click, CRM status changes to "Engaged."

Stage 2: The "engaged" Stage (Warm)

• Audience: Target Accounts with Status = "Engaged" OR "Open Opportunity."
• Creative: Social Proof. "How [Competitor] saved moved fast."
• Goal: Accelerate the deal.
• Context: The Sales Rep is actively calling them right now. The ads reinforce the rep's message.

Stage 3: The "Closed Won" Stage (Expansion)

• Audience: Target Accounts with Status = "Customer."
• Creative: Upsell. "Did you know we also do Y?"
• Goal: LTV Expansion.

The Exclusion Framework

The most important part of Advanced ABM is Exclusions.

• Exclude: Current Customers from Stage 1.
• Exclude: "Lost Opportunities" (Status = Closed Lost) for 90 days. Don't annoy people who just rejected you.
• Exclude: "Disqualified" companies (Status = DQ).

Summary

Don't just upload a CSV and pray. Sync your CRM status fields to LinkedIn Matched Audiences. If the status changes in Salesforce, the ad should change in LinkedIn. That is Orchestration.