The AI-driven B2B Personalization Myth

The AI-driven B2B Personalization Myth‍

AI personalization at scale. 

Is this what’s next?

I hope so, but please let’s make sure that personalization is personal. What do I mean?

For most B2B marketers, personalization means using the contact’s name, title, company in emails. Some marketers get fancy. They’ll reference something the contact mentioned in social media or a key issue discussed in the press about their company. 

Personal vs. Personalized: Understanding the Difference

Those are indeed examples of personalization. But that’s different from being personal. My company’s needs or interests are different from MY needs. I’m on your site because I’m looking to solve a very specific problem. Talk to me about that, not about how you share my love for coffee.

There are generative AI companies today talking about enabling personalization at scale. As far as I can tell, they’re just making it easier to send outreach emails that reference your title, company news, or personal interests. This is personalization. But it’s not personal. 

AI's Role in Elevating B2B Personalization

Now our B2C friends, they get the distinction. When I’m on Amazon, they surface products to me that I actually find interesting. These are based on things I’ve already seen or bought on their website. These recommendations don’t feel spammy to me. They’re relevant and personal.

Learning from B2C: A Blueprint for B2B Success

When I go to Google and do a search, I don’t see ads based on my age, my gender, my location. I see ads based on what I was searching for. These ads are contextually relevant to me and again don’t feel spammy. 

When I talk to my buddy about how I need a new tennis racket, I suddenly see Facebook ads about racket promotions. Yes, this one is scary. It feels like Facebook listens to my conversations and serves up ads. Scary, but not spammy. 

The Future: Anticipating Needs in Real-Time

B2B marketers need to evolve to this type of personalization. You should know the type of content I’m viewing on your website. You see the questions I’m typing in your chat window or the questions I’m asking on your support site. Why can’t you anticipate what I need based on what I’m doing? 

This to me is the next generation of personalization. AI can enable this type of personalization at scale. It’s up to marketers though to make their messages more personal.