ABM on LinkedIn: From ICP to Pipeline in 30 Days

Here’s the plan: in 30 days, you’ll define a crisp ICP, build a clean account and contact list, launch sequenced LinkedIn programs (awareness → problem/solution → offer), and connect engagement to meetings—not just clicks. This playbook is tactical, forgiving, and built for speed.

ABM on LinkedIn works because you can aim creative at the exact buying committee, then watch buying signals (video views, lead form opens, site visits) to route high-intent accounts to sales at the right time. No spray-and-pray, no mystery clicks—just momentum.

Step 1 — Nail the ICP & TAM (Day 1–3)

Your ICP is a filter, not a vibe. Write it like a checklist the intern could follow and still build a world-class list:

• Firmographics: industry (NAICS), company size (employees & revenue), geo, funding stage.
• Technographics: must-have tools (CRM, MAP, data layer), complementary or competitive tech.
• Triggers: hiring signals, new funding, leadership changes, location expansion, tech adoption.
• Exclusions: verticals that churn, tiny ARPU segments, regions you can’t sell into.

Step 2 — Build clean target lists (Day 3–6)

Start with accounts; add people later. Source from CRM, data vendors, and LinkedIn’s own company filters. Then enrich and de-dupe so every account has a domain, size, industry, and region you can target reliably.

• Account list → CSV with company name, domain, industry, size, country, tier.
• Contact list → target roles & seniority: VP/Director/Manager in your buying committee (e.g., Marketing Ops, Demand Gen, RevOps).
• Match audiences: upload to LinkedIn as Company and Contact lists; build lookalikes carefully (only from high quality seed lists).

Step 3 — Offers that earn attention (Day 5–9)

Leads don’t come from “Schedule a demo” alone. Build a ladder of value: light touches to earn attention, proof to build belief, then a relevant CTA. Ship at least one in each lane:

• Stage 1: Problem awareness — “The 7 silent budget leaks in B2B paid social.”
• Stage 2: Solution framing — “ABM sequencing templates for LinkedIn (copy/paste).”
• Stage 3: Proof — “How ACME’s pipeline grew 37% in 90 days (playbook).”
• Stage 4: Action — “Free audit,” “Pick a time,” “Benchmarks for your industry.”

Step 4 — Creative & formats that punch (Day 7–12)

Design for the scroll. Your buyer thumbs through during meetings and commute windows. Win attention in 1–2 seconds, then deliver a payoff fast.

• Single Image Ads: bold headline (benefit), short body (proof), CTA aligned to the stage.
• Carousel: “swipe the steps” checklists or before/after frames. Each card earns the next.
• Video: 15–30s with big on-screen text; caption everything; end card is the CTA.
• Document Ads: snackable templates and frameworks; gate only the most valuable ones.
• Conversation Ads: micro-branching paths: “See templates” vs. “Get benchmark” vs. “Book a call.”

Step 5 — Campaign setup on LinkedIn (Day 10–15)

Create three campaign groups to mirror the buyer journey. Keep budgets separated so Stage 1 doesn’t starve Stage 3.

• CG-01 Awareness — Objective: Engagement or Video views. Audiences: company list + role/seniority. Assets: video, carousels.
• CG-02 Consideration — Objective: Website visits or Lead gen. Audiences: engagers (video 50%+, doc opens) + site visitors.
• CG-03 Conversion — Objective: Lead gen. Audiences: high-intent retargeting (form openers, pricing page viewers). Offer: audit or consultation.

Bidding & budgets: start with automated bidding; set daily budgets at the group level (e.g., 50% / 35% / 15% across the three stages). Name everything with consistent tokens (e.g., NA_Tier1_Awareness_Video_EN_Auto).

Step 6 — Sequencing, routing & sales motion (Day 12–20)

ABM shines when ads, website, and sales act like one brain. Build lightweight automation to push the right accounts to reps at the right time.

• Retargeting ladders: Video 50% viewers → see Carousel “How we fix X.” Doc openers → see “Book a free audit.”
• Signals → CRM: Lead Gen submissions, pricing page views, multiple high-intent page hits = push to CRM with UTM and campaign names intact.
• Sales alerts: Create Slack/Email alerts for Tier 1 accounts hitting intent thresholds (e.g., 2+ high-intent events in 7 days).
• Warm outreach: SDRs send a value-first note: “Noticed your team viewed our ABM sequencing template—want the version for SaaS?”

Step 7 — Measure what matters (Day 18–30)

Optimize to revenue signals, not vanity metrics. Build a dashboard that connects ad engagement to pipeline movement.

• Lead layer: Lead Gen volume, CPL, form open rate, quality (role/seniority match).
• Account layer: # of Tier 1 accounts with intent; stage progression; meetings booked by segment.
• Revenue layer: SQLs, pipeline $, win rate, sales cycle impact. Track by campaign group and offer.

The 30-Day plan & checklist

Common pitfalls to avoid

• ICP fuzziness: If your list is “everyone,” creative will be for no one.
• One-step asks: “Book a demo” to a cold audience is wishful thinking. Ladder the value.
• Attribution chaos: No naming conventions, no UTMs, no shared dashboard = no truth. Fix this first.
• Premature scaling: Prove a path with Tier 1 before flooding spend into Tier 2.

To sum up

LinkedIn ABM wins when you: pick the right accounts, respect the buying journey, ship useful creative, and route intent to humans quickly. Give yourself 30 days, follow the sequence, and let the signals guide your next move.