Identifying Account Cohorts

Let’s talk about the trust gap in modern sales and marketing. It’s not for lack of trying. Marketers create case studies, curate customer testimonials, sponsor third-party industry reports, and use executive speaking engagements to build brand credibility. Salespeople build relationships early, provide value-led evaluation, and help champions expand their influence with stakeholders.

But when these tactics get applied at scale, they tend to fall flat. A great case study around a specific use case can help close a client with a similar need. When that same case study turns into a “touchpoint” in a wider campaign to reach more accounts within the same vertical, it’s just another proof point. Interesting, sure, but easy to dismiss.

Trust requires relevancy, and to do it, we have to focus.

ABM and ABX are nothing new; most businesses have just been doing it wrong. MarTech vendors convinced us all to group our target accounts by revenue tiers, and then break them down by industry verticals, so we would all end up with account segments that could be easily targeted with always-on display ads. As a result, marketers rushed to create “1:few” landing pages and content and email tracks that reflected more about their business’s own territory divisions, and less about the needs these accounts had in common. Salespeople wanted more support from marketing, so they got it – “see, all of your accounts are getting an ad about an ebook.”

Instead, group accounts by a common need. When you get really clear about what your buyers need, and how you can help them meet it, you can build much more impactful experiences: a case study that's not just about the result, but the narrative of how someone accomplished a goal; a hosted share group where a salesperson helps a buying group solve a problem together; a product showcase video that walks customers through a new use case.

That focus also lets you bring in more relevant sources of authority. Your brand multiplies its credibility when you show up with industry experts, customer advocates, and ecosystem partners throughout your content, messaging, and events.

At Kyn, we call this Cohort Marketing: accounts grouped around a shared need, engaged through an Account-Based Experience (ABX) campaign that combines marketing and sales actions to create meaningful interactions with buyers. This means more than running display ads and an email track to a custom landing page. It also means bringing prospects, customers, and experts together in real experiences, such as hosted road shows, on-site immersion day workshops, virtual share groups, and VIP hospitality events.

When done well, a cohort campaign doesn’t just generate a couple of new deals. It creates a feedback loop of interaction and intent that sales and marketing teams can use for further personalization, uncovering new opportunities, and 1:1 account deep-dive programmes that use tactics like direct mail, champion-level support, RFP microsites, and account-specific demo videos to increase win rates and accelerate deals.

It’s all about getting closer and closer to buyers’ unique needs.

It starts by asking the right questions.