How to Adopt Omnichannel Personalization in B2B Marketing

B2B marketers are continuously looking for different strategies to connect with their target audiences. Omnichannel personalization is one such strategy that is getting a lot of traction nowadays considering the amount of content that is being consumed by decision makers on different platforms. This strategy involves customized marketing messages and experiences for prospects across different touchpoints. By understanding the concept of omnichannel personalization in B2B marketing, businesses can unlock new opportunities to engage with their audiences better.

| B2B customers now regularly use ten or more channels to interact with suppliers (up from just five in 2016). (McKinsey)

| 90% of leading marketers say personalization significantly contributes to business profitability. (Google)

| More and more customers (69 percent) want a personalized and consistent customer experience across multiple channels, both physical and digital. However, few organizations are following through on it. (Segment)

It goes beyond traditional marketing tactics by leveraging data and technology to create seamless and personalized experiences across different mediums such as websites, email, social media, and more. This approach recognizes that B2B buyers are no longer confined to a single channel but interact with brands through multiple touchpoints on different platforms. By adopting an omnichannel approach, marketers can ensure that their messages are consistent, relevant, and delivered at the right time and medium to their audiences.

The Importance of Engaging Audiences Across Touchpoints

Engaging audiences across touchpoints is crucial for any B2B marketing campaign’s success. For businesses, each touchpoint allows connecting with potential customers and guides them through the buyer’s journey. By implementing omnichannel personalization strategies, businesses can create a cohesive and interconnected experience that resonates with their target audiences effectively.

| Customers want businesses to understand their requirements and expectations, while 66% feel they are often treated like numbers. (Salesforce)

| Companies that thrive at personalization earn 40% more money from these activities than the average competitor. (McKinsey)

This helps organizations to engage their audiences across multiple touchpoints and increase their brand visibility. By being present and active on multiple marketing channels, businesses can reach a wider audience and increase their chances of getting noticed by their target audience. Moreover, by delivering consistent and personalized content, businesses can build trust and credibility with their audiences. This leads to increased brand loyalty and advocacy and happy customers are likely to recommend a brand to similar businesses.

Engaging audiences on different platforms allows businesses to gain valuable insights. By tracking customer interactions and behaviors across different channels, marketers can gain a better understanding of their preferences, challenges, and buying patterns. This crucial data can then be used to build target marketing strategies and deliver more personalized experiences. This eventually drives better conversion rates and revenue growth for organizations.

| Companies that use advanced personalization see a return on investment of $20 for every $1 invested. (Liveclicker)

| Personalization can lower acquisition costs by up to 50%, improve revenues by 5 to 15%, and enhance marketing spending efficiency by 10 to 30%. (McKinsey)

Key Touchpoints in the B2B Buyer’s Journey

To effectively implement an omnichannel personalization strategy in B2B marketing, it is crucial to understand the most important and usual touchpoints in the buyer’s journey. These touchpoints represent a series of different stages that a prospect goes through before making a final purchase. By identifying and targeting these touchpoints seamlessly and consistently, marketers can deliver personalized and relevant content that guides them toward making a purchase.

The first touchpoint is the awareness stage. At this stage, potential buyers are only looking for information and solutions to some of their existing problems or potential opportunities. Marketers can engage with them through educational marketing content in the form of blogs, white papers, guides, etc. Businesses can capture the attention of their prospects and establish themselves as thought leader in the industry who want to provide the right education about the topic of their interest.

The next touchpoint is the consideration stage. Here, potential buyers have identified their problem or opportunity and are looking for different solutions. Marketers can engage with them through channels such as email marketing, paid campaigns, webinars, and case studies. By delivering personalized content that addresses their specific challenges and showcases the benefits of their solution, businesses can position themselves as the preferred choice.

The final touchpoint is the decision stage. At this stage, potential buyers have identified several choices and would like to compare. Marketers can engage with them through personalized sales outreach, product demos, in-person events, comparison charts, product sheets, offers & discounts, and testimonials. By delivering content that instills confidence and addresses any concerns or objections, businesses can secure the deal and convert the potential buyer into a paying customer.

Strategies for Implementing Omnichannel Personalization

To effectively implement an omnichannel personalization strategy in B2B marketing requires step by step approach:

• Data integration: Integrate data from all the different sources such as CRM systems, marketing automation platforms, and customer support systems to create a holistic view of each buyer. This gives a better understanding of the prospects and allows for more accurate personalization and targeted messaging.
• Segmentation: Categorize the collected data into different segments based on attributes such as industry/sub-industry, location, revenue, company size, job title, buyer stage, etc. This lets you deliver a more personalized message that resonates with these segmented audiences.
• Marketing automation: Use a marketing automation platform to deliver personalized content based on automated workflows at scale. This ensures that each buyer receives the right message at the right time based on their previous action or interaction.
• Content personalization: Customize your content to the specific needs and preferences of each buyer that you have segmented. This can include personalized emails, website content, paid ads, and product recommendations.
• Seamless experience: Ensure that messages are consistent across all channels. This creates a cohesive and seamless experience for potential buyers and instills a sense of confidence in the brand.

Common Challenges in Omnichannel Personalization

Omnichannel personalization in B2B marketing comes with its own set of challenges and should be thought of well in advance. Let’s look at these challenges and how to overcome them:

• Data silos: Disconnected data sources can make the entire omnichannel personalization initiative ineffective. Make sure you have a proper data collection and management system in place. Start capturing, managing, and refining your data from different sources in a centralized system.
• Lack of resources: Limited resources can be another challenge. Start small and prioritize the most impactful touchpoints for omnichannel personalization targeting.
• Lack of customer insights: Without a deep understanding of customer behaviors, personalization efforts may fall short. Conduct deep market research, leverage analytics tools, and collect feedback to gain valuable insights firsthand.
• Privacy concerns: Personalization requires collecting and using customer data. To address privacy concerns, be transparent about data collection practices and ensure compliance with relevant regulations with complete data policy disclosure.

| Personalization is appreciated by 69 percent of customers as long as it is based on data they have explicitly shared with a business. (Segment)

| Only 6% of businesses can properly consolidate data into a single representation of the customer for tailored experiences across channels. (DynamicYield)

Measuring the Success of Omnichannel Personalization Efforts

To measure the success of omnichannel personalization efforts, businesses need to track key performance indicators (KPIs) that align with their marketing goals. Here are some KPIs to consider:

• Engagement metrics: Monitor metrics such as impression, click-through rates, time spent on a page, content download, demo booked, and social media engagement. These metrics provide clear insights into the level of engagement and interest generated by your personalized content.
• Conversion rate: Measure the percentage of leads or potential buyers that convert into customers. A higher conversion rate indicates the effectiveness of your overall omnichannel personalization efforts.
• Revenue attribution: Track the revenue generated from each marketing channel and touchpoint. This helps identify the channels that deliver the highest return on investment (ROI) and optimize your marketing efforts accordingly.
• Customer lifetime value: Measure the total value a customer brings to your business over their lifetime. A higher customer lifetime value indicates the impact of personalized experiences on customer loyalty and repeat purchases.

By thoroughly understanding the concept, benefits, and challenges of an omnichannel personalization strategy, businesses can unlock the power to connect with their audiences effectively at every touchpoint. From delivering personalized content to engaging potential buyers across multiple channels, this approach can drive great engagement, increase brand loyalty, and accelerate sales growth.

To successfully implement omnichannel personalization, businesses should leverage the right tools and technologies, overcome common challenges, and measure the success of their efforts through relevant KPIs. By continuously refining their strategies based on data and customer insights, businesses can stay ahead of the curve and achieve B2B marketing success in today’s digital age.

So, if you want your B2B marketing to reach new heights, start unlocking the power of omnichannel personalization and connect with your audiences at every touchpoint.