Beyond “Hi, [Name]”: It’s Time for Meaningful Personalization in B2B
B2B buyers are overwhelmed by increasingly complex purchase decisions involving multiple decision-makers, influencers, SMEs and users. According to Gartner, 77% of B2B buyers describe their last purchase as challenging, requiring a delicate balance of consensus-building among diverse stakeholders representing technology, operations, finance, sales, marketing and others. No surprise these buyers say they welcome personalized, contextually relevant content to guide them through a complex process.
But despite this clearly articulated need, most B2B personalization efforts are barely skin deep: Adding [Your Name] to the subject line or referencing an interest gleaned from the recipient’s LinkedIn profile. Call it digital small talk – a superficial gesture when buyers crave genuine understanding.
The gap between possibility and reality is massive. On one extreme, the promise of truly meaningful personalization, where every interaction addresses a specific persona’s particular interests, be they finance, security, ease of use or anything else. On the other, the reality of siloed data, noninteroperable systems and implementation teams too slammed to tackle anything short of an emergency.
In the ever more competitive B2B space, the victors will be brands that bring this vision closer to reality and provide customers with a relevant and meaningful experience that helps them understand their options and make the right choice.
The desire for personalization isn’t new. Modern buyers, accustomed to predictive algorithms from Amazon, Netflix and TikTok that seem to know them better than they know themselves, now expect this same hyper-personalized experience in their work life.
And in B2B, the need is even greater. For consumers picking a movie or a pair of shoes, the stakes are low: Make a poor choice and maybe your family complains, or your friends make fun of your (lack of) taste. By contrast, B2B buyers may be involved in critical purchase decisions – core applications and technology platforms, for example – that can run seven or eight figures and have a significant impact on how their company operates and competes. Make the wrong choice and you’ll certainly hear about it – possibly on your way out the door.
No surprise that, according to a study by Oracle, “95% of B2B buyers say they choose the company that provides ample, relevant information to guide them through all stages of their buyer journey.” Similarly, McKinsey found “B2B buyers are increasingly seeking ... comprehensive guidance throughout the buying process.”
Yet meaningful personalization – more than just modular content informed by segmentation – remains elusive, in large part because it’s dependent on data.
Personalization would be the proverbial no-brainer were it not for several systemic hurdles.
- Data silos: In a typical organization, customer information is distributed across many departments, locked away in systems not designed for interoperability. So marketing data doesn’t talk to sales data, sales data doesn’t talk to IT data and pretty soon it’s clear why there’s no unified view of the buyer.
- Poor governance: Even when companies do have clean, complete data, they may lack the policies and frameworks to ensure it’s used responsibly and effectively.
- Resource constraints: Enabling personalization requires investment in people, platforms and processes – dollars companies may not prioritize in light of competing pressures.
- Complexity paralysis: The sheer scope of what’s truly needed – data integration, AI tools, compliance processes, delivery channels – can be paralyzing. So marketers may settle for superficial solutions.
The result? Buyers get content that feels generic. Companies miss opportunities to stand out. And the competitive edge shifts to those who dare to tackle personalization head-on.
Given the marketing organization’s customer-facing role, marketing executives are ideally positioned to lead the charge to develop meaningful personalization. What will it take?
- Become data obsessed. Acquiring usable data is probably a hurdle – but it can’t be a showstopper. Audit your current systems to understand where your data is and who owns it. Identify silos and why they exist. Identify gaps and potential third-party solutions. Understand your company’s policies relevant to data collection and use. Invest in tools to integrate data sources and allow for real-time insights.
- Think beyond segments: Segmentation is great, but the winners will be those organizations that can deliver personalization at the level of the individual buyer. Delivering such precision on a mass scale will require leveraging AI not just to recommend content but to anticipate and adapt to the buyer’s needs dynamically.
- Champion the buyer’s journey: Remember, personalization isn’t about you – it’s about the buyer. Map every interaction to the buyer’s decision-making process. Understand pain points, preferences and priorities, then facilitate customer engagements that facilitate the journey.
- Commit to continual improvement: Personalization isn’t one-and-done. Today’s state of the art may fall short tomorrow. Use metrics – pipeline velocity, engagement, revenue impact – to continually refine your approach and test new capabilities.
- Tell your story: Personalization makes for a better customer experience. Use case studies, data and a compelling narrative to make sure current and prospective customers know you’re continually investing in improving their buying experience.
Personalization has been the flying car of digital – a decades-old object of fantasy but making little progress in reality. Personalization has been made more significant strides, and today, robust platforms and processes exist to deliver meaningful, user-level personalization in real time. With buyers increasingly demanding not just relevance but specific guidance, organizations that have been slow to move on personalization now have the imperative to do so. The personalization car is ready to fly.