What if you could stop chasing endless leads and instead focus on the accounts that truly move the needle for your business?
Account-based marketing (ABM) makes this possible, giving you a clear strategy to target the maritime tech companies that need your solutions most.
Imagine this:
Your sales and marketing teams are working together, delivering personalized messages that address the unique challenges of ship operators, fleet managers, or compliance officers.
Instead of generic pitches, you’re crafting highly relevant content that resonates—emails that grab attention, webinars tailored to real problems, and one-on-one demos that drive revenue.
ABM is about generating meetings, pipelines, and revenue from the most valuable accounts in your market while wasting less of your marketing budget.
You’ll engage key decision-makers, build trust, and shorten those notoriously long sales cycles.
Whether you want to expand your reach or upsell existing customers, Account-Based Marketing (ABM) can transform how you approach winning and retaining customers in maritime tech.
Curious? Let’s explore how you can start building your ABM strategy today.
Account-Based Marketing (ABM) is all about precision.
Instead of spreading your efforts to generate a high volume of leads, you focus your sales and marketing energy on the companies (accounts) that can significantly impact your business.
Think of it as putting all your resources into targeting accounts that genuinely matter rather than casting a wide, ineffective net.
Here’s how it works:
First, you identify your best customers.
Next, you find high-value accounts—the companies most likely to benefit from your product or service - similar to your best customers.
Then, you tailor every part of your outreach or marketing campaigns to address their needs, challenges, and goals.
This is not just a marketing tactic. It’s a coordinated effort in which sales, marketing, and customer success teams work together to deliver personalized, unified messaging.
Why should you care? In maritime tech, selling is no easy task.
Sales cycles are long, there are many stakeholders, and challenges are complex.
Adopting ABM allows you to focus your resources on the accounts most likely to convert into long-term partners and profitable customers.
No more one-size-fits-all cold email blasts or disconnected sales efforts.
Instead, you craft campaigns that address each account’s unique challenges, such as compliance issues, complying with new regulations, or fuel optimization.
The pillars of ABM that drive this success include:
1. Targeted Strategy: Focus on high-value companies that align with your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). For instance, are they operating vessels where your tech can deliver efficiency gains?
2. Personalized Campaigns: Tailor your messaging to resonate with specific challenges, such as cutting operational costs or meeting environmental regulations.
3. Sales–Marketing Alignment: Keep your teams in sync so you can respond immediately when a prospect shows interest, such as signing up for a webinar or downloading a whitepaper.
4. Customer Expansion: Treat existing large accounts like individual markets, crafting new campaigns to grow your footprint within those organizations.
ABM changes the way you think about leads.
Instead of chasing many, you build deeper, more meaningful relationships with a few.
That’s how you close deals faster, create lasting partnerships, and stand out in the competitive maritime tech industry.
If you’re in maritime tech, you already know how tough it can be to close deals.
Long sales cycles, strict regulations, and multiple decision-makers often make the process feel like navigating stormy seas.
So, how do you cut through the noise and get everyone on board?
That’s where Account-Based Marketing (ABM) comes in.
Think about all the departments you need to convince to sell your solution:
For example, finance cares about cost efficiency, operations want reliability at sea, IT is focused on integrations, and compliance is laser-focused on safety standards.
ABM helps you craft personalized messages for each group (the buying committee), making it easier to get everyone on the same page and to gain buy-in for a new solution.
There are multiple reasons Account-Based Marketing is ideal for maritime technology companies:
Maritime deals don’t happen overnight. Months—or even years—can pass as prospects evaluate vendors, weigh risks, and navigate internal reviews.
ABM keeps you in the game with consistent, relevant touchpoints.
For example, instead of sending a generic email, you might share a case study showing how your platform helped a similar fleet reduce fuel costs by 20%.
With ABM, your strategy thrives on precision.
By leveraging data—like fleet size, region of operation, or even tools they already use—you can zero in on companies that fit your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP).
This ensures your time and resources go into accounts with the highest potential for conversion.
ABM allows you to focus on fewer accounts while getting better results.
ABM isn’t just for new business. If a shipping company already uses your platform for cargo tracking, why not introduce them to your fleet management module?
Or, if you have sold your solution to the European division, you could consider expanding your relationship to the Asian or South American division.
Accounts can become a market of one, especially for larger companies. Instead of constantly winning new business, expand your relationship with your existing customers.
In maritime tech, a single sale can involve multiple departments, each with its priorities.
ABM allows you to tailor content for each stakeholder.
For instance, show IT how your platform integrates seamlessly while presenting legal with compliance data that reduces risk. This approach builds consensus and moves deals forward.
ABM aligns perfectly with the challenges of the maritime tech industry.
Focusing on the correct accounts, creating tailored content, and engaging each stakeholder, you’ll stand out in a crowded market and keep your solution top-of-mind throughout the buying journey.
In maritime tech, your prospects are often complex organizations with unique needs, such as optimizing vessel tracking, automating compliance, or reducing maintenance costs.
To win these high-value accounts, you need a clear ABM plan. Here’s how you can start:
Not every maritime company will be a fit for your product, so start by narrowing your focus. Look for accounts that align with your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP). Ask yourself:
Dive into maritime databases and industry publications to identify companies launching new initiatives or expanding their fleets.
Collaborate with your sales and marketing teams to confirm these accounts meet your criteria.
Once an account is marked as “high potential,” keep monitoring for changes—like a leadership shift or new route expansion—that could make them even more relevant.
Decision-Maker: The final authority on purchase decisions.
Champion: Advocates for your product or service within the company (often a key persona).
Influencer: Shapes the buying decision through expertise or opinion.
End-User: The person who will use the product or service daily.
Budget Holder: Controls the funds for the purchase.
Executive Sponsor: Ensures the solution aligns with strategic goals.
Legal and Compliance: Evaluates regulatory or contractual risks.
Blocker: Someone who may resist or challenge the decision.
Once you’ve identified target accounts and those working within, speak directly to their pain points through your content and outreach.
Did a shipping company recently face fines for compliance issues? Show them how your solution automates compliance reporting to save time and avoid penalties.
Are they expanding cargo routes? Highlight how your platform optimizes route planning to reduce fuel costs.
Take it a step further with account-specific campaigns. For instance, create a series of emails that lead to an exclusive webinar focused on their top challenges.
Then, follow up with a tailored demo showcasing how your solution directly solves those issues.
When your messaging is this personal, it shows you understand their business—and builds trust faster.
For ABM to work, your sales and marketing teams must act as one.
Let’s say a prospect reads your whitepaper and signs up for a webinar.
If sales don’t know this, they’ll miss the chance to follow up while interest is high.
To avoid this, set up regular check-ins so both teams can share insights and track account activity.
Use a CRM like HubSpot to keep everyone on the same page and ensure sales know when marketing efforts—like email campaigns or a webinar—have caught a prospect’s attention.
This collaboration makes prospects feel like you truly understand their needs, creating a better experience from start to finish.
Even with the best intentions, rolling out an ABM strategy in the maritime tech space comes with its hurdles. From resource demands to data management, here’s what you might face and how to handle it:
Creating highly personalized messaging and campaigns takes time and money.
You’re not just sending out generic emails; you're crafting tailored content, hosting exclusive webinars, and arranging bespoke demos for your top-tier prospects.
Keeping your messaging fresh is an ongoing effort in an industry like maritime tech, where regulations shift and technology evolves.
Start small. Focus on a handful of Tier 1 accounts to ensure your campaigns deliver the depth and relevance your prospects expect.
Once you’ve nailed the process, scale it to include more accounts without losing the personal touch.
The maritime world constantly changes—shipping routes evolve, companies merge, and regulations shift. If your data isn’t current, you risk wasting resources on irrelevant messaging.
Make data hygiene a priority. Regularly update your CRM with information from reliable sources like shipping databases and industry publications.
Choose a CRM that can flag outdated data and continuously enrich account records to keep you informed.
Your CRM, marketing automation tools, analytics platforms, and maritime databases must work together. If they don’t, you’ll face broken workflows and missed opportunities.
Invest in tools that integrate seamlessly.
Platforms like HubSpot offer ABM features and integration capabilities to streamline workflows and ensure data flows smoothly between systems.
In maritime tech, you’ll likely encounter teams like engineers, compliance experts, and logistics specialists—some of whom may be skeptical of ABM’s benefits.
They might resist change if they’re used to traditional approaches like trade shows or referrals.
Host an internal kickoff to introduce ABM. Use real-world examples to show how it addresses maritime-specific challenges, like long sales cycles and multi-stakeholder decision-making.
This will emphasize how ABM complements—not replaces—existing strategies.
Maritime tech operates in a conservative business environment with strict regulations. These factors can extend sales cycles and delay stakeholder approvals.
Highlight your expertise in maritime regulations, like IMO standards or environmental compliance.
Position your platform as a reliable partner that understands and simplifies these complexities, building trust with hesitant stakeholders.
Account-based marketing isn’t just another tool in your marketing kit—it’s a smarter, more focused, and less wasteful approach to your most valuable prospects.
By focusing on the accounts that can genuinely benefit from your solutions, you won’t waste time chasing every lead.
Instead, you’re having meaningful, tailored conversations with the right people at the right time.
This approach is invaluable for maritime tech companies. ABM’s personalized, data-driven methods align perfectly with the long sales cycles and multi-stakeholder decisions you face daily.
With your sales and marketing teams working as a cohesive unit, you’ll close deals faster and build lasting relationships with high-value clients.
Remember, ABM is a journey, not a quick fix. Keep refining your Ideal Customer Profile, updating your data, and looking for new growth opportunities within existing accounts.
With a clear ABM strategy, you can turn your maritime tech expertise into a long-term revenue engine that helps you stand out in this competitive industry.