GEO in Account-Based Marketing: Strategy Tips for Better Results

Account-based marketing (ABM) has always been about relevance. Instead of creating broad campaigns to reach as many prospects as possible, B2B marketers identify high-value accounts and create targeted experiences that engage the people who matter most.

Now, generative AI is changing how those people discover information online. As prospects use AI-powered search and conversational tools to research companies, products, and solutions, B2B marketers need to think beyond traditional search engine optimization (SEO).

Generative engine optimization (GEO) can help brands increase their visibility in AI-generated answers. And by using GEO in account-based marketing, marketers can make those campaigns even more effective. Here’s how it works.

What Is GEO in Account-Based Marketing?

Generative engine optimization, or GEO, is the practice of optimizing content so it has a better chance of being discovered, understood, and referenced by generative AI platforms. ABM, meanwhile, focuses marketing and sales efforts on specific accounts rather than broad audiences. The two share one main principle: relevance matters.

Traditional ABM strategies use information about an account, such as its industry, size, business needs, or buying stage, to determine what content and messaging will resonate. GEO then adds another layer by considering how AI-powered search experiences interpret queries and surface information.

Together, GEO and ABM can help marketers create content that is both highly relevant to target accounts and more discoverable within today’s AI-driven research process.

Why Integrate GEO Into Your ABM Strategy?

AI is becoming an increasingly important part of the B2B research journey. These days, prospects can use generative search tools to educate themselves, compare companies, and identify potential solutions before ever interacting with a sales representative. This creates a new opportunity for marketers who are looking to get ahead of the competition.

Instead of waiting until someone from a target account visits your website or responds to an outreach campaign, GEO can help your brand become part of that prospect’s research.

For example, imagine you’re targeting enterprise companies looking for an adaptive resource center. A prospect might ask an AI platform, “What should enterprise marketing teams look for in an adaptive resource center tool?” If your content provides a clear, authoritative answer, it can appear as the solution to their question.

GEO therefore extends ABM beyond direct targeting and into discoverability.

5 Ways to Use GEO and ABM Together

So, how can you start using GEO in account-based marketing to create a truly impactful strategy? Here are five tips you can implement.

1. Identify the Questions Your Target Accounts Are Asking

There’s no need to start from scratch because you can make use of your existing ABM research. Your sales and marketing teams likely already know the pain points and priorities associated with your target accounts. Turn those insights into questions your prospects might ask search engines and AI platforms.

For example, consider issues involving industry challenges, business problems, vendor comparisons, pricing, and best practices. This will give you a starting point for creating content focused on GEO and aligned with the information needs of your target accounts.

2. Build Content Around Account and Audience Context

Generic content isn’t likely to differentiate an ABM campaign from the competition. Instead, you want to use information you’ve gathered about your target accounts to develop content that speaks directly to their needs. Consider industry-specific challenges, company size, job roles, use cases, and where they are at in the buyer’s journey.

This is where AI in account-based marketing strategy can become especially useful. AI can help marketers analyze large volumes of account and content data, identify patterns, and uncover opportunities for more relevant content experiences.

3. Optimize Content for AI Discovery

Make sure that the content you produce for your ABM campaigns follows GEO’s best practices. This involves clearly answering questions, offering valuable content, demonstrating your expertise, and arranging the information in a manner that is easy for AI systems to interpret.

Use descriptive headings, concise answers, original insights, and credible supporting information to ensure your content rises above the competition. You can even use our tool, GEOSherpa, which was designed to help marketers get their content discovered by answer engines.

However, don’t forget your existing content. Updating older ABM content with clearer answers and more comprehensive information can create new opportunities for AI visibility without requiring your team to start fresh. One simple change is adding FAQs to older blogs.

4. Personalize Content Experiences for Target Accounts

Account-based marketing in B2B companies is ultimately about delivering relevant experiences. That means a target account visiting your website shouldn’t necessarily see the same content as an anonymous visitor. Use contextual information to surface resources that align with the target account, such as their industry, interests, previous interactions, or stage in the buyer’s journey.

5. Measure Visibility and Engagement Together

Traditional ABM metrics might include account engagement, website visits, conversions, pipeline influence, and revenue. However, GEO adds another set of metrics to watch.

Marketers will want to monitor whether their content is appearing in relevant AI-generated experiences, which topics generate the most visibility, and whether AI-driven discovery ultimately contributes to engagement with target accounts.

Account-Based Marketing Strategies Need to Evolve

The best ABM strategies have always evolved alongside the way buyers research and make decisions. And as AI changes that process, ABM needs to recognize it as another discovery channel.

Now, this doesn’t mean abandoning all the basics of ABM. Your account-based marketing template, targeting criteria, account research, personalization, and sales alignment still matter. You want to layer in GEO alongside your existing account-based marketing framework.

The same applies when evaluating potential account-based marketing platforms. Look beyond tools that help you identify accounts or automate campaigns. You want technology that can help you understand context, personalize content experiences, and connect prospects with relevant information throughout the buying journey. (That’s exactly why we created PageSherpa and ContentSherpa.)

Make GEO Part of Your ABM Strategy

As AI continues to influence B2B discovery and research, visibility in generative search is becoming an important consideration for marketers. By using GEO in account-based marketing, you’re more likely to give your audience the right information at the right time.

Luckily, Hushly is here to help with our suite of tools, including GEOSherpa.

Want to see how it works? Book a demo with us today.