B2B personalized marketing in practice: How to effectively reach your target accounts
17 December 2024
0 min read
Demand for personalization in B2B marketing is higher than ever. Buyers expect tailored experiences at every step, and marketing teams are under pressure as conversion rates drop. But personalizing marketing at scale is no easy task.
Marketers can make personalization work by using smart data, understanding buyer needs, and choosing the right tools. It’s about creating personalized interactions that value B2B customers and build a stronger, more memorable brand.
In a recent webinar with Molly Bruckman, Head of CX & Growth at Mutiny, our Senior Digital Marketing Manager, Ilana Trapeznikov, and US Demand Generation Manager, Brock Goddard, discussed personalization in B2B marketing. They explored the challenges of scaling it and how to achieve measurable results.
Watch the session above or read the key takeaways on how B2B marketers can use personalization to improve engagement and ROI.
1. Why personalization matters to B2B buyers
B2B companies are under pressure to improve their digital channels to better connect with and convert buyers. By creating personalized experiences, marketers can engage potential customers more effectively, leading to stronger relationships, more leads, and better business results.
Beyond just improving conversion rates, personalized marketing also drives significant business value. It helps marketers contribute meaningfully to revenue growth by increasing the number of leads. Ultimately, it supports revenue growth.
2. The problem with confusing websites
Too many websites miss the mark. They’re generic, filled with vague messaging that tries to appeal to everyone, meaning they resonate with no one. Visitors then leave unsure of what your company does or how it can help them.
At the same time, marketers have access to more data than ever before. They can track website visitors, update CRM information, and run cold outreach campaigns. But what if this data could be used for more? Instead of just storing it, it can be used to create personalized experiences for your target markets.
By showing visitors content tailored to their needs, you easily attract their attention. You move beyond generic messaging and make the most of the customer data you already have. This gives prospects exactly what they’re looking for when they need it, providing a smoother buying experience.
3. Personalization in practice
Three use cases show how personalization can create a real impact. These are breaking into new accounts, accelerating pipeline, and expanding and retaining B2B customers.
a. Breaking into new accounts
Personalization is key when targeting new accounts. Focus on creating highly customized, one-to-one outreach. For instance, using a prospect's name or company in your message makes it feel more personal and effective.
However, timing is everything. Personalizing too much on a prospect’s first visit to your website can come off as intrusive. Instead, focus on outbound strategies like personalized emails or one-to-one microsites. These microsites can showcase that you understand their needs and have done your research.
Adjust your message based on their persona, company type, or any B2B customer data you’ve collected. The goal is simple: show them you understand what they’re looking for and stand out from the competition.
b. Accelerating pipeline
As prospects move further down the funnel and meaningful conversations begin, personalization should become more focused. By now, you’ll have a clearer understanding of their specific needs, challenges, and goals, often thanks to insights from your sales team.
At this stage, it’s important to tailor your messaging to address their unique pain points. Show them you’re listening and that your solution meets their needs. Personalized emails, targeted content, or helpful demos can help keep the deal moving forward.
c. Expanding and retaining customers
Once someone becomes a customer, personalization focuses on building the relationship and guiding them toward their next steps. This could include sending upsell messages, adding personalized CTAs to your website, or sharing relevant case studies.
Use the data you've gathered to create tailored customer experiences that strengthen the relationship and promote long-term loyalty.
4. The stages of personalization
Understanding the stages of personalization lets companies create marketing strategies tailored to their maturity level. The webinar introduced a framework based on the “crawl, walk, run, sprint” approach used in start-ups. In this case, it’s used to help businesses assess and grow their personalization capabilities.
Crawl phase – This is about setting up the basics. It includes launching your first campaign, working with a few sales reps, and testing personalization strategies. A common mistake is expecting immediate results, like booking lots of meetings. Instead, focus on building processes, getting things moving, and working closely with sales to stay aligned.
Walk phase – After your first campaign, this focuses on expanding impact. Instead of working with a few pilot reps, collaborate with the entire sales team. Codify playbooks, streamline workflows, and aim for consistent wins. Share early successes to build momentum and lay the foundation for scaling personalized marketing programs.
Run phase – By this point, your workflows are solid, and the data is delivering consistent results. The focus then shifts to scaling personalization across priority accounts. You’ll now have a mix of evergreen plays—proven strategies that deliver consistent results—running across the board.
Sprint phase – This is where ABM (Account Based Marketing) becomes a top revenue driver for your organization. It’s now about optimizing, running creative campaigns, and acting on new industry opportunities. Personalization is now fully integrated into your overall marketing strategy and you're constantly iterating to stay ahead.
5. Developing a personalization strategy
Creating an effective personalization strategy starts with teamwork and a clear plan. Ilana shared how Exclaimer tackled this process. The team brought together key stakeholders, including demand generation managers, digital teams, and content experts. This helped build a shared understanding of personalization and its priorities.
Through brainstorming, they identified target audiences and looked for ways to improve personalization by enhancing data segmentation. They then created a chart matching audience segments with specific tactics, such as tailored CTA buttons or dynamic banners. Finally, they organized these ideas into short-term, medium-term, and long-term priorities to guide their next steps.
6. Overcoming challenges in scaling personalization
Scaling personalization often requires moving past manual processes that slow things down. Ilana explained how Exclaimer initially struggled without automation, forcing the team to build each campaign manually. To address this, they invested in the right platforms and developed frameworks to make their efforts more efficient.
Tools like Mutiny have been a game changer for Exclaimer. They enable us to create dynamic microsites, personalize website navigation, and set up tailored account experiences automatically. By pulling updated data directly from our CRM, these workflows save time and deliver more relevant user experiences.
For instance, Mutiny’s platform allows us to automatically adjust messaging, images, and CTAs based on audience attributes. This makes one-to-one campaigns easier to execute, even with large datasets.
7. Practical examples of personalization across the buyer journey
Personalization is all about creating tailored interactions throughout the customer journey. The webinar highlighted several great examples of how personalization can be done effectively:
Microsites for targeted accounts – Mutiny explained how they create custom microsites with personalized features like company logos and tailored value propositions. These microsites also include client-specific use cases to deliver highly relevant content to their audiences.
Personalized email banners – Exclaimer showed how personalized email signature banners can act as a smart delivery tool. They redirect target accounts to specific microsites or landing pages for a smooth customer experience from outreach to engagement.
Collaborating with sales teams – Both Exclaimer and Mutiny stressed the importance of working closely with sales teams. Sales can use microsites or one-to-one ads during prospecting. Automated notifications alert teams when a prospect engages with key content, enabling prompt follow-ups.
8. Measuring personalization success
Tracking the impact of personalization efforts requires clarity on which metrics tie directly to business growth. For example, companies should measure how personalization affects metrics beyond just clicks or open rates. This includes pipeline velocity, conversion rates, or deal size.
Molly outlined Mutiny’s approach, which includes monitoring microsite views to prioritize high-intent accounts. Real-time notifications for website interactions let sales teams strike when interest is highest. Exclaimer uses a similar approach to track the effectiveness of their email signature campaigns. These campaigns determine which strategies drove the most visitors to personalized landing pages.
Ultimately, these signals show how well personalization resonates with your audience. They also highlight areas where there’s room for improvement.
9. The future of personalization in B2B marketing
The path forward for personalization in B2B lies in refining one-to-one efforts. Using technology will help you scale more efficiently.
Mutiny shared their plans to further integrate advanced AI. This will streamline the process of crafting personalized content, enabling faster, more targeted outreach. Meanwhile, Exclaimer aims to deepen their use of product features to personalize even the smallest touchpoints.
Testing and iterating will remain crucial as personalization strategies evolve. Regular experimentation with messaging, formats, and delivery methods ensures campaigns stay effective as buyer preferences shift.
Building deeper connections with B2B personalization
Personalization is now a core B2B marketing strategy. It helps build deeper connections, improve engagement, and drive measurable business value. By using data to tailor messaging and streamline the buyer experience, marketers can set themselves apart from competitors. This allows them to deliver the interactions buyers now expect.
At Exclaimer, we’re here to help businesses make personalization simple at any scale. From consistently branding business emails to enhancing ABM strategies, our platform empowers organizations to connect with their buyers. It delivers the right message at the right moment.
Take the next step and explore how Exclaimer can help your business scale personalization and achieve better engagement. Sign up for a free trial or get an online demo to see the impact firsthand.
