Eva Mosevich Implementing Account Based Social Media A Practical Playbook

Successful implementation begins with strategic alignment and clear planning. Rushing into tactics without this foundation is the most common reason for failure. This phase is about getting everyone on the same page and building your strategic blueprint.

Step 1.1: Secure Executive Sponsorship & Form Core Team

Action: Schedule a 30-minute meeting with key stakeholders from Sales Leadership, Marketing Leadership, and Sales Operations. Present a one-page brief on ABSM: the opportunity (e.g., "Shorten sales cycles with high-value accounts"), the required investment (time, tools), and the expected outcomes (pipeline influence, meeting acceptance rate).

Deliverable: Signed "ABSM Initiative Charter" from sponsors. Formation of a cross-functional Core Team (Marketing Program Owner, Sales Champion, Sales Ops Analyst).

Step 1.2: Define Target Account List (TAL) & Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

Action: Facilitate a joint marketing-sales workshop to review and agree on your Ideal Customer Profile. Then, collaboratively score and select your initial Target Account List. Start small—50-100 accounts is ideal for a pilot.

Deliverable: Documented ICP criteria and a finalized pilot TAL in a shared spreadsheet or CRM view.

Step 1.3: Establish Goals & KPIs

Action: Using the KPI framework from earlier articles, agree on 3-5 primary success metrics for the pilot (e.g., "Increase engagement with stakeholders at 50% of pilot TAL," "Generate 5 social-sourced meetings"). Ensure these are entered into your tracking system.

Deliverable: "ABSM Pilot Goals & Metrics" document shared with Core Team and sponsors.

Step 1.4: Map Stakeholders & Create Buyer Personas

Action: For each account on the pilot TAL, use LinkedIn Sales Navigator to identify 3-5 key stakeholders (Decision Maker, Influencer, Champion, Blocker). Note their roles, potential pain points, and content preferences.

Deliverable: Stakeholder map for each pilot account (can be a tab in your TAL spreadsheet).

Phase 1 Checklist:

• Executive sponsorship secured
• Core team formed with clear roles
• ICP defined and documented
• Pilot TAL of 50-100 accounts finalized
• Primary KPIs agreed upon and documented
• Stakeholder mapping for pilot TAL completed

With strategy set, this phase focuses on building the assets, tools, and skills needed for execution. This is the preparation stage before going "live."

Step 2.1: Audit & Optimize Core Social Profiles

Action: The Core Team audits the LinkedIn profiles of all participating sales reps and key marketers against a checklist (client-centric headline, professional photo, detailed "About" section, featured content). Provide individual feedback and support for optimization.

Deliverable: All participant profiles meet minimum "ABSM-Ready" standard.

Step 2.2: Develop the Content Starter Kit

Action: Marketing creates a "Content Starter Kit" for the pilot. This includes:

1. 10 Post Templates: Pre-written copy on key themes relevant to your ICP, with placeholders for personalization.
2. 5 Visual Assets: Custom graphics or short videos (under 60 seconds) addressing common challenges.
3. Comment Bank: Suggested value-add comments for common scenarios (job changes, article shares, etc.).
4. Personalized Outreach Templates: 3 templates for connection requests and follow-up DMs.

Deliverable: A shared, easily accessible Content Starter Kit (Google Drive, SharePoint, CMS).

Step 2.3: Set Up Technology & Workflow

Action:

• Ensure LinkedIn Sales Navigator seats are provisioned for the Core Team and pilot participants.
• Set up Lead and Account Lists in Sales Navigator for the pilot TAL.
• Create tracking URLs (UTM parameters) for shared content.
• Define and document the CRM workflow: How will social engagements be logged? What fields need to be created?

Deliverable: Technology is provisioned; a one-page "Social-to-CRM Workflow Guide" is created.

Step 2.4: Conduct Pilot Team Training & Kickoff

Action: Run a 90-minute interactive kickoff workshop for all pilot participants. Cover the "why," review the playbook, walk through the Content Starter Kit, and provide hands-on practice with Sales Navigator and the engagement workflow.

Deliverable: Trained pilot team; "ABSM Pilot Playbook" distributed to all participants.

Phase 2 Checklist:

• Participant profile optimization complete
• Content Starter Kit developed and published
• Sales Navigator lists and alerts configured
• Tracking and CRM workflow established
• Pilot team trained and kickoff completed
• Weekly check-in schedule set

This is the execution phase. The team moves from planning to active, coordinated engagement with the target accounts.

Step 3.1: Soft Launch: Profile Connections & Listening (Week 5)

Action: Pilot participants send personalized connection requests to mapped stakeholders at their assigned accounts. No sales pitch. Focus on building the network and beginning to listen. They should also follow the target company pages.

Deliverable: Connection rate tracked; initial network established.

Step 3.2: Content Sharing & Engagement Cadence Begins (Week 6)

Action: Implement the engagement cadence. Each participant shares 1-2 pieces from the Content Starter Kit per week, personalized for their audience. They spend 15 minutes daily engaging (liking, thoughtful commenting) on content posted by their target stakeholders.

Deliverable: Consistent social activity; engagement metrics start flowing.

Step 3.3: Direct Engagement & Conversation Starters (Week 7)

Action: Based on listening and engagement, participants begin initiating value-driven 1:1 conversations via DM. This could be sharing a relevant article based on a stakeholder's post, congratulating them on a company milestone, or asking a thoughtful question about a challenge they mentioned.

Deliverable: Direct conversations initiated; early relationship building.

Step 3.4: First Handoff to Sales Process (Week 8)

Action: Establish the criteria for when a social engagement warrants a formal sales touch (e.g., stakeholder asks a product question, engages repeatedly with content, accepts a meeting invite via Calendly link in DM). Execute the first few handoffs using the defined process.

Deliverable: First social-sourced meetings or opportunities logged in CRM.

Engagement Cadence Template (Per Participant/Week):

After two months of execution, shift focus to measurement, learning, and systematic improvement. This phase never ends—it's the cycle of continuous optimization.

Step 4.1: Conduct Pilot Review & Retrospective

Action: Hold a 60-minute retrospective with the pilot team. Review the KPIs. Discuss what worked, what didn't, and what was learned. Use a simple framework: Start, Stop, Continue.

Deliverable: "Pilot Retrospective Report" with key insights and recommended adjustments.

Step 4.2: Analyze Performance Data

Action: Compile data from the pilot period:

• Account Engagement Scores for the TAL
• Content performance (which assets drove most target account engagement?)
• Meeting acceptance rate from social outreach
• Pipeline influence

Deliverable: First formal "ABSM Performance Dashboard" shared with sponsors.

Step 4.3: Refine & Systematize

Action: Based on learnings:

• Update the ICP/TAL criteria.
• Refresh the Content Starter Kit with top-performing formats.
• Refine the engagement cadence and workflows.
• Update training materials.

Deliverable: Version 2.0 of the Playbook, Content Kit, and workflows.

Step 4.4: Plan for Scale

Action: Using the pilot results and refined playbook, create a business case and rollout plan for expanding the program to the next sales team or the entire organization, as outlined in the scaling article.

Deliverable: "ABSM Scale-Up Proposal" including budget, timeline, and success metrics.

Monthly Optimization Checklist:

• Review dashboard metrics vs. goals
• Identify top 3 performing pieces of content
• Identify 3 underperforming accounts for analysis
• Gather 2-3 win stories from the team
• Update Content Kit with fresh templates
• Host a 30-min best practice sharing session

This section contains actionable templates you can copy and adapt for your own implementation.

Template 1: ABSM Initiative Charter

**ABSM Initiative Charter**
**Initiative Name:** [e.g., Project Lighthouse - ABSM Pilot]
**Sponsor:** [Name, Title]
**Core Team:** [Names & Roles]
**Pilot Duration:** [Start Date] - [End Date]

**Business Case:**
- Problem: [e.g., Long sales cycles with high-value accounts; difficulty engaging full buying committee]
- Solution: Implement a targeted Account-Based Social Media program to build relationships earlier.
- Expected Benefits: Shorter sales cycles, higher win rates on target accounts, improved brand affinity.

**Pilot Scope:**
- Target Accounts: [Number] accounts from the [Industry/Segment] segment.
- Participating Teams: [e.g., North American Enterprise Sales Pod 1, Marketing]
- Platforms: LinkedIn (primary), [Other if applicable].

**Success Metrics (KPIs):**
1. Primary: [e.g., 30% of pilot TAL accounts achieve "Engaged" status]
2. Primary: [e.g., Generate 10 social-sourced sales-accepted leads]
3. Secondary: [e.g., Increase social engagement rate from target accounts by 50%]

**Budget & Resources:**
- Tools: LinkedIn Sales Navigator ([X] seats)
- Personnel: [X] hours/week from marketing, [X] hours/week from sales
- Content: Existing assets; minimal new production required for pilot.

**Approvals:**
___________________________
[Sponsor Signature/Date]
___________________________
[Marketing Lead Signature/Date]
___________________________
[Sales Lead Signature/Date]

Template 2: Target Account & Stakeholder Map (Spreadsheet View)

Recommended Columns:

• Account Name: [Company]
• ICP Tier: Tier 1 (High Fit/High Intent) / Tier 2 / Tier 3
• Assigned Owner: [Sales Rep Name]
• Stakeholder 1 Name & Role: [Name], [e.g., CTO]
• Stakeholder 1 LinkedIn URL: [Link]
• Stakeholder 1 Latest Activity/Interest: [e.g., Posted about AI governance on 10/26]
• Stakeholder 2 Name & Role: [Name], [e.g., Head of Procurement]
• Current Engagement Score: [0-100] (Auto-calculated or manual)
• Last Engagement Date: [Date]
• Next Action: [e.g., Send connection req., Comment on recent post]

Template 3: Social Post Template (From Content Starter Kit)

**Theme:** [e.g., Solving [Common Industry Pain Point]]
**Format:** [Text + Image / Video / Article Share]

**Suggested Post Copy:**
One of the biggest challenges I hear from [Stakeholder Role, e.g., CFOs] in [Target Industry] is [Specific Pain Point, e.g., getting real-time visibility into operational costs].

The problem isn't a lack of data—it's that the data lives in silos.

Here are 3 steps we've seen top performers take to break down those silos:
1. [Step 1: e.g., Standardize data definitions across departments]
2. [Step 2: e.g., Implement a single source of truth platform]
3. [Step 3: e.g., Create automated leadership dashboards]

The result? Teams move from monthly hindsight to daily foresight.

[**Call to Action/Question:**]
For the [Stakeholder Role] here, what's been your experience? Is data silo-ing a major hurdle, or have you found effective ways to overcome it?

#Industry #[YourCompany] #SolutionArea #[PainPoint]

**Personalization Tip for Reps:** In the first sentence, you could replace "[Target Industry]" with the stakeholder's actual industry. You can also tag a relevant connection or company if appropriate.

Even with a playbook, teams can stumble. Here are the most common pitfalls and how to avoid them:

Pitfall 1: Lack of Sales Buy-In or Participation.
Avoidance Strategy: Involve sales leadership and reps from the very beginning (Phase 1). Co-create the TAL and goals. Make the program about making their jobs easier and quotas more achievable. Start with a volunteer pilot team of motivated reps, not mandated participation.

Pitfall 2: Treating ABSM as a Marketing-Only Campaign.
Avoidance Strategy: Continuously reinforce that ABSM is a sales enablement and co-pilot strategy. Marketing's role is to provide the air cover (strategy, content, tools) and intelligence, but sales owns the direct engagement and relationships. The metrics must reflect shared goals.

Pitfall 3: Overcomplicating the Tech Stack at the Start.
Avoidance Strategy: For the pilot, use the minimum viable technology: LinkedIn Sales Navigator and a shared drive for content. Prove the model works before investing in complex ABM platforms or deep CRM integrations. Manual tracking in a spreadsheet is okay for 50 accounts.

Pitfall 4: Inconsistent Execution or "Set and Forget."
Avoidance Strategy: The weekly cadence and check-ins are non-negotiable. Use the Core Team to provide gentle accountability, share wins, and remove blockers. Gamification (simple leaderboards) can help maintain energy.

Pitfall 5: Expecting Immediate Results.
Avoidance Strategy: Set clear expectations that ABSM is a relationship-building strategy, not a lead-gen quick fix. Celebrate leading indicators (engagement, conversations started) early on. The first sales meeting might take 6-8 weeks. Patience and persistence are key.

Pitfall 6: Failing to Adapt and Optimize.
Avoidance Strategy: Treat Phase 4 (Measure & Optimize) with the same rigor as the launch phases. Be ruthlessly data-driven about what's working and be willing to kill tactics that aren't. The playbook is a living document.

By following this phased playbook—laying a strong foundation, building enabling assets, executing with discipline, and optimizing continuously—you systematically de-risk the implementation of Account-Based Social Media. You move from theory to a living, breathing program that generates conversations, influences deals, and delivers a clear return on investment.