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The Best Way to Run Account-Based Marketing in HubSpot

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June 16, 2025

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Use ABM in HubSpot marketing

Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is more than a buzzword—it’s a powerful approach for B2B companies looking to drive scalable, high-value growth. HubSpot provides native tools for ABM through its Target Accounts feature, but most tutorials focus only on surface-level setup.

In this guide, we’ll show you how to go beyond the basics and use HubSpot strategically to automate target account management, prioritize follow-ups, and align your sales and marketing teams.

What Is HubSpot’s Target Accounts Tool?

HubSpot introduced the Target Accounts dashboard to help companies manage ABM efforts. You can:

  • Flag companies as target accounts

  • View associated contacts and deals

  • See last engagement and scheduled activities

  • Filter accounts by team, owner, tier, and more

It’s a great start—but it’s not enough on its own.

Pro Tip:
If you haven’t already enabled Target Accounts, just go to your Companies tab, click "Set Up Target Accounts", and follow the prompts.


Automate Your Target Account Selection

To run a serious ABM strategy in HubSpot, you need to automate the process of designating target accounts.

Here’s a simple example of a Target Account Assignment Workflow:

Enrollment Criteria:

  • Lifecycle stage is Lead or Qualified Prospect

  • NOT already marked as a target account

  • Company has at least 25 employees

Actions:

  • Set Target Account = True

  • Branch based on employee count and current provider (if applicable)

  • Assign Tier 1, 2, or 3 based on rules

For example:

  • Tier 1: 25–50 employees

  • Tier 2: 25–50 employees and payroll benefits platforms

  • Tier 3: More than 50 employees

Pro Tip:
Customize your own tiering criteria based on industry, tech stack, geography, or past sales success.


Automate Rep Follow-Up Based on Tier

Once a company is marked as a target account, you also need to make sure your team follows up. HubSpot workflows can help you automate this too.

Follow-Up Workflow Example:

Enroll target accounts that:

  • Are not current or former clients

  • Haven’t been touched in a set period, based on tier:

    • Tier 1: 30 days

    • Tier 2: 60 days

    • Tier 3: 90 days

Actions:

  • Send internal email notifications to the rep with account details

  • Prompt rep to reach out and log the activity

Pro Tip:
Use personalized internal notifications with links to the company record and recent engagement insights to reduce friction.


Enhance Your ABM with Outreach Assets

Work with your marketing team to support sales outreach by developing:

  • Tailored email templates and sequences

  • Long-form content specific to target industries or competitors

  • LinkedIn ad campaigns targeting employees of target accounts

This creates a consistent, multi-channel ABM program that builds trust and drives conversions.


Bonus: Reporting for ABM Success

Your ABM program isn’t complete without performance tracking. HubSpot’s reporting tools let you:

  • Break down target accounts by tier, rep, and industry

  • Track engagement, open deals, and outcomes

  • Review ABM performance in regular sales meetings

Use Case:
Set up a dashboard for your weekly sales huddles that shows which reps have open deals with target accounts and which accounts are overdue for follow-up.


 

Final Thoughts

HubSpot’s ABM tools are powerful—but only if used strategically. By automating target account selection, tier assignment, and rep follow-ups, you can transform your CRM into a smart, scalable ABM engine.

Pair that with targeted outreach and reporting, and your ABM program will not only be easier to manage, it’ll be way more effective.

Want to see this in action or get help building it?
Contact The Gist to learn how we help B2B companies scale smarter with HubSpot.