---
title: "ABM in HubSpot: how to work with target accounts and buying roles"
description: "How to set up ABM in HubSpot: target accounts, ICP tiers, buying roles, segments, LinkedIn ads and reports. A step by step guide for B2B companies."
image: https://leadlabs.se/hubfs/Blog/abm-featured.jpg
---

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 November 14, 2026

# ABM in HubSpot: how to work with target accounts and buying roles

![Picture of Emelie](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/a7bfbbcaf0bc52ffebec008d63b2902f) By  [Emelie](https://leadlabs.se/en/insights/author/emelie)  ·   4 minute read

Most B2B companies don't sell to everyone. They sell to a limited number of companies that are a really good fit. Account based marketing, ABM, flips the usual funnel logic: instead of collecting as many leads as possible, you choose the companies first and then aim marketing and sales at the right people there. HubSpot has built-in tools for exactly this. Here we walk through how to set up ABM in HubSpot step by step.

## What is ABM?

ABM is a strategy where marketing and sales together select a number of target companies, called target accounts, and work them with tailored content, ads and personal outreach. The focus is on the company as a whole, not on individual leads. It works especially well when you have high deal values, long sales cycles and several people influencing the buying decision.

## What do you need in HubSpot?

The ABM tools are available in Marketing Hub and Sales Hub at the Professional and Enterprise tiers. Some features, such as working in the target accounts view, require the user to have an assigned seat. With a Starter license you can flag companies manually, but you don't get the dashboard, recommendations and the ready-made ABM views.

![Darts in the bullseye of a dartboard, symbolizing target accounts in ABM](https://leadlabs.se/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/abm-target.jpg?width=1400&height=850&name=abm-target.jpg)

## Step 1: Define your ICP and tiers

Start outside HubSpot. Which companies are your best customers today and what do they have in common? Industry, size, geography, tech stack and business situation are usually the most important criteria. Feel free to use our [Ideal Customer Profile template](https://leadlabs.se/en/insights/ideal-customer-profile-mall-f%C3%B6r-b2b?hsLang=en).

HubSpot has the company property **Ideal customer profile tier** with three levels:

- **Tier 1:** a perfect fit. This is where you spend the most time and the most personal effort.
- **Tier 2:** a good fit. Partly tailored campaigns per industry or segment.
- **Tier 3:** an acceptable fit but lower priority. More automated outreach.

Set the tier with a workflow instead of manually. HubSpot has a ready-made template, Update company properties based on defined criteria, that you can start from and adapt to your criteria.

## Step 2: Flag your target accounts

The company property **Target account** is a simple checkbox. When it is set to true, the company counts as a target account and shows up in all ABM views and reports.

Keep the list manageable. For most Swedish B2B companies, 50 to 200 accounts is enough to start with. HubSpot can also suggest recommended accounts based on which companies resemble your existing customers, which is a good way to find accounts you have missed.

## Step 3: Map buying roles

In a B2B purchase it is rarely one person who decides. The contact property **Buying role** describes the role each contact plays, for example Decision Maker, Budget Holder, Champion or Blocker. A contact can have several roles.

For every Tier 1 account you should know who makes the decision, who owns the budget and who drives the issue internally. If a role is missing, you know where you need to prospect. This is where [Apollo connected to HubSpot](https://leadlabs.se/en/insights/apollo-hubspot?hsLang=en), for example, can help you find the right people.

## Step 4: Build segments for your campaigns

Create company and contact segments based on the ABM properties, for example:

- All target accounts in Tier 1
- Decision makers at target accounts without an open deal
- Contacts at target accounts who visited the pricing page in the last 30 days

You then use the segments in email, [workflows](https://leadlabs.se/en/insights/workflows-hubspot?hsLang=en), [smart content](https://leadlabs.se/en/insights/smart-content-hubspot?hsLang=en) on your website and as ad audiences.

## Step 5: Advertise to your target accounts

LinkedIn is the obvious channel for ABM in B2B. With [LinkedIn Ads connected to HubSpot](https://leadlabs.se/en/insights/hubspot-linkedin-ads?hsLang=en) you can sync a company segment as an audience and show ads to the right roles at exactly the companies you have chosen. Combine with contact segments to retarget people who have already engaged.

A tip is to make the ads specific per tier or industry. The closer the message is to the recipient's reality, the better it works.

## Step 6: Let sales and marketing work from the same list

ABM only works when sales and marketing work the same accounts. HubSpot has two views for this:

- **Target accounts home:** a combined view of all target accounts with engagement, open deals and which buying roles are missing.
- **Account overview:** a summary per account with contacts, activities and deals, so the sales rep can quickly see the situation before a call.

Let marketing warm up the account with content and ads, and let sales follow up with personal [sequences](https://leadlabs.se/en/insights/sequences-hubspot?hsLang=en) when engagement increases. With the Slack integration, reps can get notified when something happens on their accounts.

## Measure the results

![Dashboard with charts for measuring ABM in HubSpot](https://leadlabs.se/hs-fs/hubfs/Blog/abm-dashboard.jpg?width=1400&height=933&name=abm-dashboard.jpg)

HubSpot's ABM dashboard shows, among other things, how many target accounts are engaged, how many have open deals and how the pipeline is distributed per tier. Measure on accounts, not on leads. Good questions to follow up every month:

- How many target accounts have we been in contact with?
- How many do we have at least two buying roles on?
- How many have moved on to a meeting and a deal?
- How large is the average deal value compared with other deals?

Read more about [reports and dashboards in HubSpot](https://leadlabs.se/en/insights/reports-dashboards-hubspot?hsLang=en).

## Common mistakes

- **Too many accounts.** 1,000 target accounts is not ABM, it is regular marketing with a new name.
- **Sales isn't involved.** The list must be created and owned together with sales.
- **Poor data.** Duplicates and wrongly associated contacts make accounts look empty. Start with [data quality](https://leadlabs.se/en/insights/data-quality-hubspot?hsLang=en).
- **No personalization.** The same message to everyone turns ABM into an expensive version of regular campaigns.

## Frequently asked questions about ABM in HubSpot

### What is account based marketing?

A B2B strategy where marketing and sales select specific target companies and work them with tailored content, ads and personal outreach, instead of chasing as many leads as possible.

### Which HubSpot license do you need for ABM?

The ABM tools are included in Marketing Hub and Sales Hub Professional and Enterprise. Some views require the user to have an assigned seat.

### How many target accounts should you have?

It depends on your sales capacity, but 50 to 200 accounts is a good start for most. Better to have fewer accounts that you have time to work properly.

### What is a buying role in HubSpot?

A contact property that shows the person's role in the buying decision, for example decision maker, budget holder or champion.

### Can you run ABM ads through HubSpot?

Yes. By connecting LinkedIn Ads to HubSpot you can sync company and contact segments as ad audiences and follow up results at account and deal level.

## Summary

ABM in HubSpot is about choosing the right companies, mapping the right people and letting marketing and sales work from the same list. Define your ICP and tiers, flag your target accounts, fill in buying roles, build segments and ads, and measure on accounts and deals.

Want help setting up ABM in HubSpot? Get in touch with LeadLabs.

## Read also

- [Ideal Customer Profile template for B2B](https://leadlabs.se/en/insights/ideal-customer-profile-mall-f%C3%B6r-b2b?hsLang=en)
- [HubSpot and LinkedIn Ads](https://leadlabs.se/en/insights/hubspot-linkedin-ads?hsLang=en)
- [Lead scoring in HubSpot](https://leadlabs.se/en/insights/lead-scoring-hubspot?hsLang=en)

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