The case for ABM in energy…and how to make it work

Account-based marketing is having a moment in the energy sector. Everywhere I look, companies are talking about strategic accounts, tiered account structures and “getting closer to the customer”.

And on paper, ABM makes perfect sense: long sales cycles, complex buying groups, high-value deals, and a landscape where relationships matter just as much as solutions.

But here’s the question I keep coming back to:

Do most energy companies actually understand why they’re adopting ABM, and, particularly, what it takes to make it successful?

In many cases, I think the honest answer is not really.

Here’s how I’m thinking about it.

First up: what is ABM?

For me, ABM is not a campaign, a piece of marketing technology, or a shiny new initiative.

ABM is a commercial discipline that aligns sales, marketing and customer success around a clear set of high-value accounts. The goal? Deepen relationships and drive growth. It requires:

• Shared priorities
• Consistent collaboration
• Hyper-focused messaging
• Relevance built around real customer needs
• Structured follow-up and engagement

If you strip away the acronyms, the frameworks, and the dashboards, ABM is ultimately about treating the customer like they matter enough to deserve their very own plan.

Why energy companies are drawn to ABM

Energy companies are naturally gravitating toward ABM because:

• The market is more competitive.
• Operators want partners, not vendors.
• Buying committees are continually expanding, contracting and shifting.
• Differentiation is harder than ever.
• Growth increasingly depends on existing relationships, not brand-new ones.
• Digital transformation has raised customer expectations for relevance and clarity.

ABM promises structure, focus, and a way to cut through the noise. But desire is not the same thing as readiness.

What makes ABM powerful when it works

The best ABM programmes have a few things in common:

A clear ‘why’
Not “because everyone else is doing ABM,” or “it worked in my last organisation,” but because the business needs to win or expand key accounts and is willing to prioritise them.

Shared ownership
Sales, marketing, and product each have a role. They agree on it. And most importantly, they communicate with each other – a lot.

Insight-rich content
Messaging shaped by the exact challenges a customer is facing, the very specific market context they’re operating in, and the deep internal expertise of them that only your team has – not generic brochures.

Speed
Momentum matters: decisions, content, and outreach need to move at the speed of opportunity, not the speed of internal admin.

Commercial discipline
Follow-up, tracking, and meaningful conversations are non-negotiables. When all of this exists, ABM stops being a marketing activity and becomes a growth engine.

Why ABM is especially challenging in the energy sector

This is the part where I need to take a deep breath.

Energy companies are brilliant at engineering, operations, and execution, but ABM asks for a different kind of agility. This is usually where the challenges start.

Complex organisations, complex approvals
Most content passes through multiple layers – technical, commercial, legal, brand – which slows momentum at best… at worst, it often completely changes the shape of a piece of content, and everyone forgets what it was originally developed to do.

SMEs are stretched (and scarce)
Subject-matter experts are essential for producing credible, differentiated content, but they’re often managing live projects and have limited time for marketing.

Sales teams with long cycles and long memories
In energy, sales teams are often relationship-driven and often stretched across bids, tenders, and key accounts. ABM requires proactive engagement that doesn’t always fit the internal rhythm.

‘Project cadence’ vs. ‘market cadence’
Energy companies operate in quarters and years. ABM needs weeks and days.

None of this is wrong. But it means ABM cannot simply be “plugged in.” It has to be deliberately built in as part of your commercial operating model.

So how can energy companies set themselves up for ABM success?

A few things make the biggest immediate difference:

• Get aligned early: Define your ICP, high-value accounts, success metrics, and roles before anything else begins.
• Secure internal sponsorship: ABM needs senior commercial and operational backing — not just marketing enthusiasm.
• Make SME access part of the model: One-hour interviews can save six weeks of content delays.
• Build a realistic cadence: While ABM doesn’t needs to move quickly, what’s most important is consistency. Define the rhythm that’s right for you.
• Treat content as a value driver, not a deliverable: Content shapes conversations and strengthens relationships.
• Start smaller than you think: Test on a few existing clients or one or two target logos before scaling.