Building Successful Enterprise ABM Campaigns: Using Case Studies as Content
During my time at Unbabel, one of the most effective Enterprise ABM content strategies my team used was building campaigns around customer case studies.
Our content team—working alongside success and solutions—was always chasing after customers to secure these stories so we could reliably fold them into campaign timelines. But getting a point of contact to agree to a call (or even better, a video testimonial) is easier said than done.
Why Case Studies Work in ABM
These case studies accomplished two key things in our content strategy:
They spoke directly to our ICP—because they featured real customers who were our ICP.
They provided social proof—demonstrating that peers and competitors were solving the same challenges with our product.
We didn’t have to worry about chasing industry trends or being behind on timing. Unlike trend-driven content, case studies remain relevant. If a customer’s peer or competitor solved a problem with our platform, chances are they’re facing that same issue—whether it’s living with it or using an alternative vendor.
Our goal was simple: show these accounts we could deliver the same results for them.
ABM Planning: Where Case Studies Fit
Let’s take a step back to the planning phase of an ABM campaign. It always starts with account lists. Every ABM campaign at Unbabel followed the same process:
Revenue provided top account lists (Global 500, North America 200, EMEA 100, etc.).
Sales narrowed them down based on activity, ownership, and opportunity.
Marketing weighed in with engagement data.
In this particular example, our ABM campaign was targeting a Global 250 Enterprise account list in the Financial Services industry. But wait… we obviously can’t target everyone on that list. There’s always some debate to be had.
Our AE who owned the Northeast territory was already working a point of contact at that NYC based account that the Revenue Leaders were in love with. They didn’t want to rock the boat. So, that account’s out.
The BDR team already has an outreach sequence in place for the recently hired Marketing Director at at the Bay Area account with 10,000 employees? Welp, maybe we’ll press pause on that one as well.
Ah, man. The Southern territory AE thinks if we annoy that guy at the Austin HQ of the recently acquired SaaS company doing $100m ARR… we’ll never get a response again. OK, OK. That account needs some time.
Marketing definitely had their own opinions on recently engaged with or not-engaged-with-at-all accounts. After all, we’re one’s running the show here!
The account list is getting more segmented. Everyone gets their say in the planning, right?
Sorta…
Someone was getting left out who actually had a lot to do with these campaigns.
While this planning happened, the content team quietly worked on their editorial calendar—gathering input, following up with org leaders, and creating the assets Sales and Marketing would need.
And guess what they already had developed: our Financial Services case study.
This is where ABM plays a unique role: bridging sales priorities with content creation.
ABM is marketing’s representation amongst the Sales team. They’re in meetings where applicable. They know the accounts (sometimes better than the AEs). They know what assets Sales is missing because they’re missing them also.
The ABM team can use their skills as communicators combined with their creative chops to bridge this gap that so often exists between Content Marketing and Revenue focused teams. They know what the content team is working on and they know the priorities of the Sales and Revenue org.
They’re the connectors — the one’s who can bridge the gap to create a symphony of performance that results in Revenue.
Why Your Team Loves Case Studies
We proved that prospects and current customers respond well to case studies at Unbabel. But they aren’t just effective externally—they’re also powerful internally.
For Content Marketing: They’re a familiar, repeatable format with a proven formula.
For Sales: They’re one of the most shareable and persuasive assets.
For Customer Success: They’re useful for onboarding, cross-sells, and upsells.
They check all the boxes: resonating with your ICP, tailored to industries, useful across the Revenue org, and repeatable by your content team.
Real Example: GoCardless Case Study
How GoCardless Achieved More With Less: Scaling Customer Operations Without Driving Up Costs
At Unbabel, our GoCardless case study was the cornerstone of one of our most effective ABM campaigns.
Message: “Scale Customer Operations Without Driving Up Cost”—a simple, concise value prop that worked seamlessly in outreach emails and paid campaigns.
Creative Efficiency: Our design team could repurpose existing assets for ads. All they had to do was resize banners for LinkedIn and 6sense display campaigns as well as other marketing channels we needed.
This one asset became the foundation for a full campaign
Aligning Case Studies With Campaign Timing
In Q1 2024, our marketing team was tasked with doubling pipeline in the Financial Services industry. That’s where the Global 250 list came from. Luckily, our GoCardless case study was already completed in Q4 2023—perfectly aligned with this new priority. Thanks, Content team!
Even better: our field marketing manager flagged an upcoming industry event in New York City where she confirmed at least 10 of our target accounts would attend. Suddenly, we had the perfect setup:
A tailor-made case study relevant to our FinServ target accounts.
An industry event with confirmed attendance from prospects.
Creative assets already designed and approved for paid media.
The result? A highly efficient campaign launch, saving time while maximizing impact.
Key Takeaways
Case studies are timeless—they don’t expire like trend-based content.
They resonate with ICPs because they showcase real, relatable peers.
They align internal teams—Content, Sales, and Customer Success all benefit.
They increase efficiency—one case study can fuel email, paid, sales outreach, and events.
When it comes to ABM campaigns, case studies truly are the definition of killing two birds with one stone.
What’s Next?
In my next post, I’ll dive into the results of the GoCardless campaign:
What worked.
What didn’t.
How you can replicate the approach for your own ABM campaigns.
Have Enterprise ABM Questions?
Reach out below and I’d be happy to talk strategy, timelines, execution, optimization, reporting, and anything else you’re curious about.