In the world of B2B marketing, there’s no shortage of ways to grow your pipeline. Two of the most prominent ways? Account-based marketing (ABM) and lead generation.
While ABM and lead gen often appear side by side in demand gen conversations, these strategies are far from interchangeable. Choosing the right approach starts with understanding the difference and how each one supports your larger business outcomes.
What Is Lead Generation?
Lead generation is all about volume. It’s a strategy focused on capturing the attention of a wide pool of prospects and converting that interest into actionable contacts — usually through content downloads, form fills or demo requests.
Typically deployed at the top or middle of the funnel, lead gen supports pipeline growth by building a database of qualified contacts to nurture through emails, paid campaigns and other tactics.
Common Lead Generation Tactics
- Content Marketing: Includes tactics like content syndication and partner email campaigns with industry publications. These typically promote gated assets like white papers and case studies to capture lead information.
- Paid Search: With a keyword-first strategy, paid search drives users to dedicated landing pages promoting demos, downloads or other offers.
- Webinars: Live, educational events that gate entry behind a form fill. Leads from webinars often come with higher intent and engagement than standard gated content.
- Social Media Lead Gen: Platforms like LinkedIn offer native lead generation tools — think forms for event registration or demo sign-ups, making it easy to capture interest within the platform.
- Native Landing Pages: Built on your website, these landing pages are optimized for conversion, whether the goal is a content download or contact form submission.
- Referral Programs: Tap into customer advocacy by encouraging current users to refer others — often incentivized through promotions or exclusive access.
What Is Account-Based Marketing (ABM)?
If lead gen is about casting a wide net, ABM is about precision. Account-based marketing is a strategic approach that aligns sales and marketing around a curated list of high-value accounts, with campaigns tailored to the specific needs, personas and challenges within each.
ABM often borrows from lead gen’s toolkit but layers on personalization, insight and orchestration across multiple channels. The result? Campaigns that drive deeper engagement, longer-term relationships and higher close rates.
Common ABM Tactics
- Content Syndication (Targeted): ABM syndication focuses on select accounts, delivering highly relevant assets to drive interest among your priority audience.
- Webinars & Roundtables: While webinars can be open, ABM often shines in smaller, more curated events like roundtables — ideal for fostering dialogue with key decision-makers. Internal webinars for current customers can support upsell/cross-sell motions.
- Personalized Email Campaigns: Outbound campaigns built around the priorities for each account, featuring custom messaging, relevant pain points and business-specific use cases.
- Account-Specific Ads: Platforms like Demandbase, Terminus, StackAdapt and 6sense offer account-level targeting. Media partners can also run programmatic campaigns to your ABM list across display, audio, CTV and more.
- Customized Content: Tailored blogs, one-pagers or landing pages aligned to an account’s place in the funnel — and the problems they’re trying to solve.
- Direct Mail: Physical packages sent to account contacts can create memorable touchpoints, particularly in mid-to-late funnel stages.
- LinkedIn Conversation Ads: Delivered directly to a prospect’s inbox, these messages kick off personalized engagement that can lead to form fills, demo signups or event registrations.
ABM vs. Lead Gen: Breaking Down the Differences
While both ABM and lead generation aim to drive revenue, they differ significantly in approach, execution and objective. Below is a breakdown of the key components that set them apart:
Campaign Goal: A lead generation campaign focuses primarily on generating as many leads as possible to help fill the sales funnel with potential prospects. Meanwhile, ABM campaigns focus on engaging and converting a smaller number of high-value prospects through the funnel.
Targeting Tactic: Lead generation campaigns generally target based on broad demographics, like industry or job titles. ABM campaigns, on the other hand, develop a strategic list of high-value accounts they want to target based on communication between sales and marketing teams.
Personalization: Lead generation campaigns have historically featured generic content and messaging to appeal to a wider group of potential customers.
Sales Cycle: Lead generation and ABM both experience longer sales cycles for B2B. However, ABM campaigns are geared toward more complex and strategic sales cycles, aimed directly at decision-makers within a desired audience.
Key Metrics for Performance: Lead generation tracks metrics like leads, cost per lead (CPL), pipeline influence and MQL scoring. ABM campaigns can track those metrics and more, e.g., account engagement and account penetration.
Platforms and Tools: Lead generation can incorporate platforms like native form fills, Google Ads and HubSpot. ABM campaigns make use of more platforms, e.g., Demandbase, Terminus and 6sense, that can operate through a target account list. Both tactics can also make use of industry publications and LinkedIn.
| Lead Generation | Account-Based Marketing | |
|---|---|---|
| Campaign Goal | Lead generation | Account engagement |
| Targeting Tactics | Broader demographics | Hyper-targeted |
| Personalization | Generally, more generic. Can offer some personalization | Very personalized content |
| Sales Cycle | Long and complex | Long and complex |
| Key Metrics for Performance | Leads Generated, CPL, Rate of MQLs, Pipeline Penetration | Account engaged, Pipeline Influence, Account Penetration |
| Platforms and Tools | Native form fills, marketing automation software, LinkedIn, industry publications | ABM platforms, industry publications, LinkedIn |
When to Use ABM vs. Lead Gen
There’s no one-size-fits-all answer about when to use ABM or lead gen. Your strategy should align to your goals, audience size and solution complexity.
Choose Lead Generation When:
- You’re targeting a broad audience or emerging verticals
- Your product is lower cost or easier to understand
- You need to quickly fill the top of the funnel
- You’re launching a new product or campaign with broad appeal
Choose Account-Based Marketing When:
- You have a well-defined list of high-value accounts
- Your solutions are complex, high-ticket or require multiple decision-makers
- You want to drive expansion within existing accounts
- Sales and marketing are aligned on account strategy
Many B2B organizations combine both strategies. Lead gen can uncover interested buyers; ABM helps you double down on the right ones. Just be sure to align on goals and intent — don’t let tactics drive the strategy.
H2: Why a Balanced Strategy Matters
ABM can be incredibly effective — but by design, it’s narrow. Lead generation ensures you maintain visibility across your broader market. Not every great-fit buyer is on your radar today, and people change roles. A dual approach builds brand awareness, feeds your funnel and fuels sustainable growth.
Create More Effective B2B Campaigns With Walker Sands
Whether you’re building pipeline with lead gen or closing complex deals with ABM, we help B2B brands execute strategies that drive measurable impact. From account identification to content personalization to campaign orchestration, our demand gen experts turn strategy into ROI.
Ready to elevate your next campaign? Contact us today.
H2: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a target account list in account-based marketing?
A target account list (TAL) is a curated list of high-value companies your sales and marketing teams have identified as top prospects for personalized outreach.
How often should you update a target account list?
Quarterly is ideal. TALs should evolve based on pipeline changes, new opportunities and shifting priorities.
Is account-based marketing beneficial for B2B?
Absolutely. Lead gen supports brand awareness and pipeline growth, especially for broader audiences and emerging segments.
Is lead generation beneficial for B2B?
Absolutely. Lead gen supports brand awareness and pipeline growth, especially for broader audiences and emerging segments.
