By: Katie Hrdy, Content Marketing Manager at Evergage (pictured above)
Imagine you’re a small business owner in
the market for a marketing automation solution. You’ve never used marketing
automation before, so you want to learn a little more about it. After finding
yourself on one company’s homepage, you are immediately hit with a message that
says, “FILL OUT THIS FORM TO SPEAK WITH ONE OF OUR SALESPEOPLE.”
the market for a marketing automation solution. You’ve never used marketing
automation before, so you want to learn a little more about it. After finding
yourself on one company’s homepage, you are immediately hit with a message that
says, “FILL OUT THIS FORM TO SPEAK WITH ONE OF OUR SALESPEOPLE.”
You think, “You’re moving too fast! I
just wanted to learn a little more about marketing automation and how it might
work for my business.”
just wanted to learn a little more about marketing automation and how it might
work for my business.”
As a marketer, you know that person would
be better served with an introductory video or eBook. So at first glance it
looks like the message was coming on too strong and should probably not be on
the homepage at all. Yet that message may have been helpful to a visitor who
has returned to the site many times and consumed many pieces of content, but
has not yet spoken to a salesperson.
be better served with an introductory video or eBook. So at first glance it
looks like the message was coming on too strong and should probably not be on
the homepage at all. Yet that message may have been helpful to a visitor who
has returned to the site many times and consumed many pieces of content, but
has not yet spoken to a salesperson.
So then how do you decide which type of
visitor to cater to on your website? First-time visitors? Returning visitors?
Customers? Visitors from different industries? Should you just lead with a very
broad message?
visitor to cater to on your website? First-time visitors? Returning visitors?
Customers? Visitors from different industries? Should you just lead with a very
broad message?
Personalized web experiences to the rescue
Why do these questions matter? Because
content plays an important role in the B2B buyer’s journey. According to Demand
Gen’s 2016 Content Preferences Survey Report, 51% of B2B buyers rely more on
content now to research their buying decisions than they did a year ago. And
B2B marketers have many different types of content on their websites to cater
not only to different buyer personas but also to the different stages in the
buying journey.
content plays an important role in the B2B buyer’s journey. According to Demand
Gen’s 2016 Content Preferences Survey Report, 51% of B2B buyers rely more on
content now to research their buying decisions than they did a year ago. And
B2B marketers have many different types of content on their websites to cater
not only to different buyer personas but also to the different stages in the
buying journey.
How can they get the right content in
front of each visitor? Real-time personalization can address this challenge. It
works by collecting detailed data on each of your visitors (number of visits,
what they view on your site, how much time they spend on each page, where they
come from, what content they download, etc.) and then applying rules or
algorithms to instantly provide the the most relevant content or experience.
front of each visitor? Real-time personalization can address this challenge. It
works by collecting detailed data on each of your visitors (number of visits,
what they view on your site, how much time they spend on each page, where they
come from, what content they download, etc.) and then applying rules or
algorithms to instantly provide the the most relevant content or experience.
Real-time personalization in action
Let’s pick an easy example: personalizing
the homepage hero area. Let’s assume the marketing automation vendor mentioned
earlier has implemented a personalization strategy focused on changing the
homepage hero based on who the visitor is and what content he has interacted
with so far:
the homepage hero area. Let’s assume the marketing automation vendor mentioned
earlier has implemented a personalization strategy focused on changing the
homepage hero based on who the visitor is and what content he has interacted
with so far:
1. A first-time visitor sees a one-minute overview
video in the homepage hero, which educates him on the problems the vendor
solves. Upon watching the video, the visitor determines that the vendor’s
website and offerings are relevant to him.
video in the homepage hero, which educates him on the problems the vendor
solves. Upon watching the video, the visitor determines that the vendor’s
website and offerings are relevant to him.
2. After he finishes viewing the video, the hero
area changes and the next time he is on the homepage he is offered an eBook
with a how-to guide related to the problem the vendor solves. As a bonus, at
this stage the vendor collects the visitor’s information to incorporate him
into its lead nurture program.
area changes and the next time he is on the homepage he is offered an eBook
with a how-to guide related to the problem the vendor solves. As a bonus, at
this stage the vendor collects the visitor’s information to incorporate him
into its lead nurture program.
3. Once he has downloaded the eBook, the hero area
changes again to suggest that he view a case study highlighting a use case that
he has spent time viewing on the site.
changes again to suggest that he view a case study highlighting a use case that
he has spent time viewing on the site.
4. After he’s seen the case study, a message
suggests that he sign up for a demo of the vendor’s product and speak to a
salesperson.
suggests that he sign up for a demo of the vendor’s product and speak to a
salesperson.
With this approach, each time he
completes a step or returns to the home page (in the current session or a
future session) he is introduced to a new piece of content that he hasn’t seen
before. This allows you to guide him through his journey using the content
you’ve created specifically for each stage from initial visit to a sales
conversation.
completes a step or returns to the home page (in the current session or a
future session) he is introduced to a new piece of content that he hasn’t seen
before. This allows you to guide him through his journey using the content
you’ve created specifically for each stage from initial visit to a sales
conversation.
Wrap-up
Real-time
personalization can help you make the most of the content you create and ensure
a relevant experience for each of your web visitors. Join us at the MassTLC
Conference “The Next Generation
Customer Journey” on March 24th to learn more about aligning
content to the buyer’s journey. It will
be a day packed with content, thought leadership and networking with your
peers.
personalization can help you make the most of the content you create and ensure
a relevant experience for each of your web visitors. Join us at the MassTLC
Conference “The Next Generation
Customer Journey” on March 24th to learn more about aligning
content to the buyer’s journey. It will
be a day packed with content, thought leadership and networking with your
peers.
