Why should B2B tech marketers care about personalization more than ever? Because the way buyers buy has changed. They don’t make calls to explore solutions anymore. They do their own research, read content, and compare options, quietly. A 6sense survey found that buyers are 70% through their journey before they ever talk to a vendor. That means marketers have fewer chances to influence decisions through direct conversations.
You have to build an early relationship with buyers if you hope to remain in the game. Customized content that meets their needs at every step of the journey is the best way to do so. Customization differentiates you, builds trust, and enables you to lead the buying team, even when they’re not ready to talk.
In this blog, we’ll cover the key personalization strategies every tech CMO should know. But first, let’s see why.
Why It’s More Important Than Ever to Personalize
Compared to the past, buyers invest more time in self-solve. Marketers need to engage with key decision makers with tailored content and messaging to leave a lasting impression, as data shows only a small portion of the buyer journey is spent with a salesperson. To stay top of mind throughout the entire buying process, you need to connect that content to the buyer journey with a full-funnel approach as buying cycles are also taking longer to complete.
The demand for more personalization is also driven by the changing demographics of the buying committee. In 2024, 3/4 of company buying teams will be made up of millennial buyers, 25-44 years old and taking on more decision making responsibilities. These buyers are mostly drawn by digital incentives. They have preconceived notions and expectations of their buying experience because they grew up in an era of rapid technology innovation. They carry preconceived views and expectations for their shopping experience since they came of age during a period of swift technological development. They are aware that through their online behaviors and content viewing they are communicating and declaring themselves and their interests and that providers are able to utilize those insights to develop more appropriate interactions. Millennial buyers demand personalization, not just want it.
Why do We Need Personalization in B2B?
B2B personalization is like other passing industry trends – it’s here to stay. But why?
People very clearly want it
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80% of people have said personalized experiences are important for customer satisfaction. It’s the payoff people increasingly expect for sharing their data and information with you. Research by Salesforce has shown that almost 60% of consumers are willing to share personal data in exchange for personalized offers or discounts.
It cuts through the noise
B2B buyers are bombarded with marketing messages from every angle. Emails, ads, social media, everyone’s vying for their attention. In such a crowded marketplace, generic marketing just doesn’t cut it. Personalization will cut through the noise and get your message heard.
It increases engagement and growth
B2B buyers are more likely to engage with brands that treat them as individuals and make them feel valued by offering personalized experiences. Personalization makes your marketing more relevant and compelling, driving higher engagement and ultimately, more conversions.
Salesforce research has found that high-performing marketing teams are more likely to use personalization on targeted web experiences. McKinsey & Company also found that effective personalization increases customer loyalty, basket size, cross-selling, purchase frequency and beyond. Better performance in these areas can also increase average order value.
It builds trust and credibility
Businesses want to work with partners they trust and believe will deliver value. Personalization shows you’ve done your homework and are genuinely invested in their success. This will build credibility and strengthen your relationship with them.
It maximizes ROI
Marketers want to maximize their return on investment (don’t we all!). By delivering more relevant and targeted marketing messages, you increase the chances your messages will resonate with your audience and drive desired outcomes, whether for inbound lead gen, outbound lead gen and sales or customer retention.
Today’s tools and technology means you can track and measure the impact of your personalization efforts so you can continually optimize and improve your results.
B2B Personalization Strategies Making Big Difference
1. Implement Account-Based Marketing (ABM)
ABM addresses every client as an individual market and focuses on tailoring marketing efforts to align with the specific needs and characteristics of each account. This means that marketing campaigns can be more targeted and effective, improving engagement and conversion.
According to a recent ITSMA survey, businesses who employ ABM see a 200% increase in income from their marketing initiatives when compared to those that do not. Additionally, TOPO’s research revealed that the average contract value (ACV) of businesses after ABM was 171% higher than the ACV of businesses before ABM. Furthermore, according to a study, 45% of businesses said they had more than doubled their return on investment from their ABM investment.
The effectiveness of ABM as a strategic strategy in B2B marketing and sales is demonstrated by these figures. Businesses may greatly increase their engagement, conversion rates, and overall income by concentrating on important accounts and implementing customized techniques.
2. Personalized Email Marketing Campaigns
A key element of any B2B marketing plan is personalized email marketing. Email is still one of the best ways to interact with potential customers, nurture current leads, and increase conversions.
Segmented Email Campaigns
Segmenting your email lists is possibly the simplest yet most effective personalization strategy. You can send tailored email content that resonates with each unique segment by segmenting your contacts based on factors like industry, firm size, past interactions, or sales funnel stage.
Open and click-through rates can be considerably raised, for instance, by using a subject line that addresses a prospect’s industry difficulties or a customized product offer based on their browsing history. Research indicates that segmented email marketing have the potential to enhance income by up to 760%.
Automated Processes
Email list segmentation is only one aspect of personalization. Because automated email workflows guarantee timely, pertinent emails, they can further personalize communications. Establish automatic processes that are triggered by particular actions, such a lead accessing a price page, downloading an eBook, or leaving a shopping cart empty.
3. Lean on Data
By adjusting content according to funnel stages, data is essential for enabling customization and creating in-depth experiences. In addition to helping buying committees discover and rank the most important buyer personas to sway decisions, it offers insights that let you match your content to the popular subjects your target audience is studying.
The complexity of most B2B purchasing processes is increasing, so in order to have the best idea of who to engage and what content would most effectively connect with them, you need to have access to a variety of data sources. Every member of the buying committee has unique issues, and they all want to find a workable solution. You may develop content and messaging that informs customers about your solution, encourages them to go through the funnel, and convinces them that you are the best partner to help them achieve their objectives by using data-driven insights about these issues.
4. Engage Customers According to Their Current Stage of the Purchasing Process
The way you interact with them is just as important to personalization as the content you utilize. Not every member of the buying committee moves through the buyer’s journey at the same pace. One person may be at the consideration stage while the others are still in the awareness stage. Mapping content to the buyer’s journey stage is the most effective way to offer the messaging and content needed to assist customers come to a consensus more rapidly.
You can divide and organize your content according to each step with the aid of the above-mentioned assets and content types. There is no magic number when it comes to content categories; instead, concentrate on the kind of content that offers that extra degree of customization.
5. Evaluate the Effectiveness of Your Campaign and Adjust Your Strategy
For optimal outcomes, data-driven customisation tactics need to be continuously assessed, evaluated, and refined. You cannot afford to launch a campaign just to evaluate and assess the outcomes at the end, considering the resource intensity of your multi-channel account-based marketing initiatives. Making a purchase is a lengthy and complicated process; figuring out what went wrong in the end means losing money, time, and probably a sale. As the market changes, you need an agile strategy that enables constant adjustments.
Observing engagement and pipeline indicators reveals significant chances for campaign optimization. With the help of these insights, you can optimize your strategy using data to raise revenue from target accounts, boost the return on investment (ROI) of your marketing campaigns, and boost win rates by creating more individualized and relevant marketing material for your target accounts.
Personalization and AI
Customers now expect personalization; it’s no longer a ‘nice to have.’ But achieving that goal on a large scale? That remains a significant ABM challenge. Despite mounting pressure to provide more relevant, customized experiences across all touchpoints, 63% of digital marketing leaders say companies are having trouble with customization. However, only 17% of marketing campaigns use AI and machine intelligence, indicating a sizable gap (and a great opportunity).
Thinking ahead that gap is already being closed by B2B marketers. According to a Madison Logic and Harris Poll, 67% of respondents are spending more money on AI solutions to support real-time analytics, content production, and lead generation. Marketers may examine buying group activity in real time by using machine learning for B2B targeting. This allows them to spot trends, intent signals, and content preferences that would typically take hours of manual labor. At each point of the funnel, more efficient account interaction may be achieved by implementing these AI ABM strategy insights.
You can teach your AI agents, for instance, to recognize important decision-makers in a target account who are looking up particular subjects (such as cloud migration or ERP solution vendors) on websites run by third parties. Your website’s dynamic content blocks, predictive call-to-actions, real-time chat interactions, outbound messaging, and sales information about accounts warming up to a certain message can all be triggered by that data.
Concluding Thoughts
Personalization in B2B marketing isn’t a trend, it’s a must. Today’s tech buyers want messages and content that’s tailored to them. With longer buying cycles and more decision makers involved, you need to get the right message at the right time. From account based marketing and personalized emails to data driven insights and AI tools, there are many ways to get it right. Just start small, measure what works and keep improving. Tech CMOs who personalize will stand out. They’ll build stronger relationships, better engagement and more revenue long term. So, don’t wait. Personalize now.