ABM vs PBM: Why Person-Based Marketing is Replacing ABM in 2026

B2B marketing is changing. Fast.

While Account-Based Marketing (ABM) dominated the last decade, something more precise is taking over: Person-Based Marketing (PBM). This isn't just another trend—it's how modern B2B buying actually works.

Here's the real question: Can you afford NOT to adopt person-based marketing?

What is Person-Based Marketing?

Person-Based Marketing (PBM), also called people based marketing or persona based marketing, targets individual decision-makers. Not entire companies. Not broad audiences. Actual people.

Unlike traditional marketing that talks to everyone, or ABM that talks to accounts, personal marketing talks directly to the person who'll make the decision.

The core truth? Accounts don't make decisions. People do.

The Foundation of Person-Based Marketing

PBM works on three simple principles:

1. Individual-Level Targeting: Find and reach specific people at target accounts
2. Personalized Communication: Create messages for each person's role and concerns
3. Real-Time Intelligence: Track who engages and adjust your approach

The result? Your marketing actually feels relevant. Because it IS relevant.

Think about it: You show CFOs content about ROI and cost savings. At the same time, you show their CTO technical specs and security features. That's individualized marketing in action.

Understanding Account-Based Marketing (ABM)

Before we go deeper into PBM, let's talk about ABM and why it got so popular.

Account-Based Marketing treats each company like its own market. Instead of casting a wide net, ABM focuses on specific high-value accounts. Marketing and sales work together to create personalized campaigns for decision-makers at those accounts.

Core Characteristics of ABM

• Account Selection: Pick and rank your highest-value target companies
• Personalized Campaigns: Create content and messaging for each account's needs
• Sales-Marketing Alignment: Get teams working together
• Multi-Channel Engagement: Reach accounts across different channels

ABM changed B2B marketing. Companies saw higher ROI, shorter sales cycles, and better customer relationships. For years, it was the gold standard.

But there's a big problem with how ABM works.

The Fatal Flaw in Account-Based Marketing

ABM's biggest weakness? The single-champion approach.

Traditional ABM picks one primary decision-maker at each account. You build a relationship with them. Then you rely on THEM to champion your solution internally.

Here's why that's a problem:

Modern B2B Buying Complexity

The average B2B purchase now involves 6-10 stakeholders. Each one has different priorities. Different concerns. And each one can say "no."

Your champion might love your solution. But they're just one voice in a room full of skeptics.

Think about what actually happens:

• Marketing engages one champion
• That champion has to convince the CFO about ROI
• They have to address the CISO's security concerns
• They have to satisfy the CTO's technical requirements
• They have to win over the VP who has competing priorities

One person can't do all of this alone. But traditional ABM makes them try.

The Single Point of Failure Problem

When you bet everything on one champion:

• They leave the company → Your deal dies
• They lose political capital → Your deal stalls
• They can't explain your value → You lose
• They get busy with other projects → You wait

This isn't theory. This is why so many ABM deals get stuck in "decision stage" forever.

ABM vs PBM: The Critical Differences

Person-Based Marketing fixes ABM's core flaw. Instead of relying on one champion, you engage every member of the buying group.

This changes everything about how B2B marketing works.

How Person-Based Marketing Works: The Complete Strategy

Want to do PBM right? You need a systematic approach. Here's the framework that works:

Phase 1: Buying Group Identification

Stop looking for one champion. Map the entire buying committee:

• Economic Buyer: Who controls the budget? (CFO, VP Finance)
• Technical Buyer: Who checks if it actually works? (CTO, IT Director)
• User Buyer: Who'll use it every day? (Team Leads, Managers)
• Champion: Who'll fight for you internally? (Department Head, VP)
• Blockers: Who might kill the deal? (Existing vendor relationships, competing priorities)

Modern B2B purchases need consensus. Your job? Influence all of these people at the same time. Learn more about targeting entire buying groups in our contact-level marketing guide.

Phase 2: Role-Specific Content Development

Create personalized advertising and content for each type of stakeholder:

This customer-centric marketing approach makes sure every stakeholder sees content that matters to them.

Phase 3: Multi-Channel Orchestration

Run tailored marketing campaigns across channels to reach individuals:

• Contact-Level Advertising: Target specific people with LinkedIn, Facebook, and other platform ads
• Personalized Email: Send role-specific messages directly to stakeholders
• Social Engagement: Comment on stakeholders' posts and content
• Website Personalization: Show relevant content based on who's visiting
• Event Marketing: Invite specific stakeholders to relevant events

You're not spamming people. You're giving them the right information at the right time through the channels they prefer.

Phase 4: Real-Time Engagement Tracking

Modern data-driven marketing platforms track individuals:

• Which specific people are engaging with your content?
• What topics does each stakeholder care about?
• How many times have they seen your messaging?
• Are multiple stakeholders from the same account showing interest?

This lets your sales team have real conversations with prospects who already understand your value, improving sales and marketing alignment.

Phase 5: Coordinated Sales Outreach

When someone engages, sales reaches out with context:

The Technology Behind Person-Based Marketing

To do PBM at scale, you need the right tech stack. Here's what that looks like:

Contact-Level Advertising Platforms

Traditional ad platforms target demographics, job titles, and interests. Result? 70-80% of your impressions hit irrelevant people.

Behavioral marketing platforms for PBM let you upload your exact contact list. Your ads only show to those specific people. Zero waste. Way better ROI. Learn more about contact-level advertising strategies and B2B demand generation tactics.

Customer Data Platforms (CDPs)

CDPs pull together data from everywhere—website visits, email opens, ad clicks, content downloads. They build complete profiles for each individual. This is how you make true data-driven marketing decisions.

Marketing Automation with Person-Level Workflows

Modern automation platforms trigger actions based on individual behaviors:

• Send follow-up content when specific people visit key pages
• Alert sales when multiple buying group members engage
• Adjust messaging based on engagement patterns
• Coordinate touches across channels

Intent Data Providers

These tools track when individuals research topics related to your solution. Even on third-party websites. This behavioral marketing intelligence spots active buyers before they contact you—a key part of modern B2B demand generation.

Why PBM Outperforms ABM: The Data

The numbers don't lie. Companies using person-based marketing see massive improvements over traditional ABM:

Engagement Metrics

Pipeline Quality

When you engage entire buying groups instead of single champions:

• 67% faster deal velocity (buying groups already aligned before sales gets involved)
• 85% higher close rates (no internal selling needed from your champion)
• 40% larger deal sizes (less price pressure when everyone sees the value)

Cost Efficiency

PBM actually costs less than traditional ABM:

• Cut wasted ad spend on wrong audiences (90% reduction)
• Shorter sales cycles mean lower cost per acquisition
• Higher close rates mean better marketing ROI
• Less sales time wasted on bad opportunities

This adds up to better pipeline generation results at lower costs.

Implementing Person-Based Marketing in 2026: Best Practices

Ready to move from ABM to PBM? Follow these steps:

Start with Your Best Accounts

Don't try to do everything at once. Pick 20-50 of your top accounts and:

1. Find all buying group members (6-10 people per account)
2. Research each person (role, challenges, recent activity)
3. Create role-specific content for each stakeholder type
4. Launch coordinated campaigns across channels
5. Track who engages at the individual level
6. Measure results and adjust

Align Your Entire Go-To-Market Team

PBM needs marketing, sales, and customer success working together. Learn more about achieving sales and marketing alignment:

• Marketing: Creates personalized content and runs multi-channel campaigns
• Sales: Talks to people showing interest, armed with context
• Customer Success: Keeps person-level engagement going after the sale

Everyone works from the same buying group map. Everyone tracks engagement in the same system.

Invest in the Right Technology

You can't do PBM manually at scale. You need:

• Contact-level advertising platform for precise targeting
• CRM with custom fields for buying group mapping
• Marketing automation with person-level workflows
• Website identification for tracking individual visitors
• Intent data for spotting behavioral signals

Measure Individual and Account-Level Metrics

Track both micro and macro success:

The Future of B2B Marketing is Person-Based

The move from ABM to PBM isn't just an upgrade. It's a complete rethink of how B2B marketing works.

Buying committees are getting bigger and more complex. The single-champion approach doesn't cut it anymore.

Personalized advertising and tailored marketing at the individual level? That's going to be standard. Companies still treating accounts as single units will lose to competitors who talk to every stakeholder with relevant, personalized content.

The good news? The tech exists to do this at scale now. What was impossible five years ago is normal for forward-thinking B2B companies today.

What This Means for Your Business

Still doing traditional ABM? Here's what's happening:

• You're losing deals to competitors with better buying group engagement
• Your sales cycles are taking too long
• Your close rates are lower than they should be
• You're burning budget on generic account-level campaigns

Moving to PBM doesn't mean throwing out everything from ABM. It means taking the account focus and personalization you learned, and doing it at the individual level.

Making the Shift from ABM to PBM

From Account-Based Marketing to Person-Based Marketing—this is B2B marketing growing up. We've gone from:

Companies that embrace people based marketing in 2026 will own their markets. Those hanging onto outdated ABM? They'll watch competitors close deals faster, at higher values, with better retention.

Your choice: Keep marketing to accounts, or start marketing to the people who actually make decisions?

Getting Started with Person-Based Marketing

Ready to try PBM? Start here:

1. Audit your current ABM program: How many stakeholders are you engaging per account? Just one? There's your opportunity.
2. Map buying groups at your top 10 accounts: Find all decision-makers, influencers, and potential blockers. Build complete stakeholder lists.
3. Create role-specific content: Build messaging that addresses each stakeholder type's real concerns and priorities.
4. Set up contact-level tracking: Get tech in place that measures individual-level engagement across all channels.
5. Run a pilot program: Test PBM on 10-20 accounts. Measure results. Adjust your approach. Then scale.

The future of B2B marketing is personal. The future is person-based.

Related Resources

• Contact Level Marketing: The Evolution of ABM
• Account Based Marketing Strategy Guide
• B2B Demand Generation Strategy Guide
• Sales and Marketing Alignment Best Practices
• Targeted Advertising for B2B