Most B2B marketers now use account-based marketing (ABM) to win new accounts. In the 2026 ABM Benchmark Survey from Demand Gen Report, 56% said new account acquisition is their top ABM goal, and 28% said account expansion. The analysis, published June 8, 2026, shows ABM has become a core way B2B teams drive growth.
2026 ABM Benchmark Finds 56% Prioritize New Account Acquisition
The survey found that 84% of respondents use ABM to drive revenue. Of those, 56% said winning new accounts is the main goal. Another 28% said the focus is growing accounts they already have. Together, the numbers show that B2B teams treat ABM as a way to grow revenue, and most aim it at net-new business first.
The survey also found that ABM and demand generation are starting to work together. Nearly half of respondents, 47%, said they link the two processes. Demand Gen Report framed this as a sign that ABM has matured. Broad demand programs and targeted account programs now run side by side, and they share the same budget.
How Demand Gen Report Tracks the Annual ABM Benchmark
The figures come from the 2026 Account Based Marketing Benchmark Survey, reported by Demand Gen Report on June 8, 2026. Demand Gen Report runs this benchmark each year to track how B2B teams plan and measure account-based programs. You can read the full survey results on its site. The analysis did not state a respondent sample size.
Why B2B Teams Are Merging ABM and Demand Generation
ABM is not new, but its role keeps growing. For years, many teams ran it as a small program aimed at a short list of big accounts. The 2026 data points to a wider job. More teams now use it as a main growth method across the funnel.
The move to connect ABM with demand generation is the bigger signal. For a long time, the two often competed. Demand generation cast a wide net. ABM went narrow and deep. The survey shows 47% of teams now run them as one system. That fits a broader B2B trend. Buying groups have grown, and no single channel reaches every member, so teams need both broad reach and sharp account focus. The growth goals track with the wider market too. B2B brands face longer deals and tighter budgets, and leaders want proof that spend turns into pipeline. ABM gives a clear way to tie effort to named accounts and revenue. That is why 84% of teams said they use it to drive revenue.
Talking Shift: Account Targeting Fails If the Brand Is Invisible
The number that should stop B2B leaders is 47%. Linking ABM and demand generation is a sign that the old split between brand and pipeline is breaking down. At Start Some Shift, we read this through the Binary Buyer Thesis: every B2B deal now passes through a Machine layer, like search and AI tools, before it reaches the humans on the buying group. ABM aims at the right accounts, but it only works if the brand already shows up clearly when those buyers and their tools go looking. The risk in this data is that teams sharpen account targeting while the brand stays hard to tell apart in the places buyers research first. Win new accounts by all means. Just remember a targeted message lands far better when the account already knows, and trusts, who you are.
How B2B Marketers Should Act on the 2026 ABM Findings
Based on the survey, here are clear moves for B2B marketing teams:
- Pick a primary ABM goal, either winning new accounts or growing current ones, so focus does not get split by default.
- Connect ABM and demand generation so they share data and targets.
- Map the buying group inside each target account, since these groups keep getting larger.
- Tie every ABM program to named accounts and revenue so you can prove impact.
- Check how your brand shows up when target accounts research you, as well as how you reach out to them.
- Track a simple measure of pipeline per account to see what is working.
- Review the budget split between broad demand and targeted ABM at least twice a year.
What’s Next for Account-Based Marketing in 2026
Watch whether more teams fold ABM and demand generation into one plan over the next year. Watch how teams measure ABM, since proof of revenue is now the main test. Demand Gen Report runs this survey each year, so the next edition will show if the shift holds.
