Website Personalization that Drives B2B Marketing Performance (And How Adobe Does It)

January 2012

Gleansight Deep Dive
.

Harnessing the Power of Website Personalization
to Drive B2B Marketing Improvement
About the Pie Chart How B2B Marketers Can Capitalize on an Emerging Technology
The data presented in the pie chart is That Gleanster Terms “Real-time Website Content Versioning”
derived from the Q2 2011 Gleanster
benchmark report B2B Precision
Marketing. The data presented in the Personalization sits at the very heart of marketing performance improvement
body of this report is derived also from
the Q1 2012 Gleanster benchmark
in B2B companies as well as in B2C companies. The latter camp has made
report Web Content Management. enormous strides in recent years in being able to present customers and
The data serves as the basis for prospects with relevant content, offers, recommendations and other types of
this Gleansight Deep Dive, which
provides analyst commentary related
messages via online channels, including the company website, in an automated
to a particular aspect of the topic. and systematic fashion. They have done this through a variety of means — for
The objective is to provide additional
perspective and illuminate certain
example, by using cookies that tie user sessions to web content management
key considerations regarding the systems. Underlying the technologies are analytic capabilities designed to
implementation of the related technol-
ogy-enabled business initiative.
impute an individual’s propensity to make a purchase decision based on such
factors as their online browsing behavior and also, when possible, by incorpo-
This Deep Dive explores the benefits
rating personal profile data that might include their past purchase history and
of website content personalization. various geo-demographic and psychographic attributes.
It looks at how B2B marketers have
traditionally achieved some semblance
of personalization as well as an
emerging technology for enabling
what Gleanster terms Real-time
Website Content Versioning. It also
looks at some of the existing alterna-
tives as well as the adoption curve of
a somewhat analogous approach to

96%
delivering relevant content — namely,
email marketing personalization.

Percentage of Top Performers that cite the ability to increase customer
acquisition as the top reason to invest in technologies and capabilities that
To learn more about Gleanster’s drive B2B precision marketing effectiveness
research methodology, please click
here or email research@gleanster.com.
It hasn’t been so easy for B2B companies. That challenge, however, is being dutifully
These marketers are at a disadvantage in addressed today by technology innovation
that they operate in a fundamentally different that has produced a next-generation approach
Rate & Review world — one where the buying intentions, not to website content personalization. The
to mention the identities of the influencers approach, which began to prove out its value
Related Research
and decision-makers ultimately responsible last year and is likely to gain much broader
Tell a Friend for making the buying decisions, are generally adoption in 2012, makes it possible to identify
unknown. It’s a world where the ability to the company affiliation of a website visitor the
Note: This document is intended for individual dynamically serve up relevant content at the very moment they hit the company’s website,
use. Electronic distribution via email or by post-
ing on a personal website is in violation of the so-called “moment of truth” has tradition- even before the visitor’s web browser has
terms of use. ally presented a monumental challenge. loaded a single metabyte of display content.

Entire content © 2011 Gleanster, LLC. All rights reserved. Unauthorized use or reproduction is prohibited.

Deep Dive: Harnessing the Power of Website Personalization for B2B Marketing Improvement 2

When combined with a business rules and web on the business card of the current website
content management system, the IP address visitor and then acting upon this knowledge
mapping-based technology can deliver real in an automated and real-time fashion to
marketing magic. Imagine being able to, in engage that individual in a context-sensitive
the blink of an eye, present a new website fashion. Too good to be true? It’s not the first
visitor with content — not only text, but also time a new technology has promised to bring
graphic elements and even video and other to fruition that long-heralded vision of one-to-
rich media — one marketing

“Relevant website content
that speaks to personalization,
them in a highly although few
relevant fashion
based on their means more website traffic, have touted
anything that
company’s
firmographic
longer website sessions, and resembles this
capability in
profile and
anticipated
more frequent website visits.” the context of
B2B. Figure
needs. Website 1 illustrates
copy could reference the name of their some of the key milestones in the evolution
company and, using real-time database of website content personalization.
queries, activate “best next actions” according
The system of IP mapping goes far beyond
to a set of predefined parameters. Is the
merely making it possible to serve up regional
company a medium-sized business? That
or localized content based on the geographic
may influence how the product or service is
location of a website visitor, as is now common
positioned on the homepage and even which
practice. Instead, the technology seeks to
products or services to feature, in the first
enable what Gleanster calls Real-time Website
place. It may also dictate which client examples
Content Versioning (RWCV). And although
and informational resources to present. Does
still in its infancy, it has shown enormous
the company have a retail franchise structure?
promise in helping more than a few B2B
Are sales down from last year? Is it a seasonal
companies improve website effectiveness in
business? Is it currently doing business with
ways that drive significant increases in lead
a competitor? Does it sell direct or through
generation and new customer acquisition.
reseller channels? Where is the company likely
to be in the consideration-and-buying process? Website Content Personalization
Precision marketing nirvana is knowing as It’s a foregone conclusion that personalized
much as possible about the company printed website content should – and generally does –

Rate & Review
Related Research
Tell a Friend
Note: This document is intended for individual
ing on a personal website is in violation of the
terms of use.


lead to higher conversion rates and increased content and the likelihood that the accumula-
return on marketing investment (ROMI). It’s tion of interactions will ultimately culminate
not surprising then that, according to survey in a transaction and new client relationship.
data captured for the Q1 2012 Gleansight
In fact, according to Gleanster research,
benchmark report Web Content Management,
“content engagement time” is a performance
a majority of companies within the B2B realm
metric that Top Performers are more apt to
are investing in technologies, capabilities, and
use than Everyone Else (67% compared to
resources to bring the concept of web content
54%). The reason, no doubt, is that the former
personaliza-
have a deeper
tion to life. In
fact, 71% of “Today, the vast majority understanding
of the direct
Top Perform-
ers, compared of visitors to a company’s correlation that
exists between
to 60% of
Everyone website remain anonymous.” the amount
of time that a
Else, indicated
prospect spends
that they
on the company’s website browsing and
are making improvement in web content
interacting with relevant content and eventual
relevance a priority focus area this year
buying outcomes. Companies can deploy
(see Figure 2). These companies recognize
web analytics to track and measure engage-
that a one-size-fits-all approach to prospect
ment time and activity in the aggregate, with
engagement via the website generally results
click tracking, heat maps and other reporting
in higher abandonment rates, fewer return
tools providing some level of insight into how
visitors, and fewer overall conversions than
website visitors are interacting with the content
an approach that offers content tailored to
and where they are spending their time.
specific segments of website visitors.
But these tools have limited value when all
Simply put, relevant website content means
visitors are seeing the same content, regard-
more website traffic, longer website sessions,
less of company size, industry vertical and
and more frequent website visits. More to
other defining characteristics that align with
the point, Gleanster research points to a
differentiated engagement tactics, and also
direct correlation between the amount of time
regardless of where they rank as a target
that a prospect (which, in a B2B situation,
account from the perpective of the sales
is actually likely to involve multiple individu-
organization. In an ideal world, a company
als – both influencers and decision-makers
would receive a notification whenever a high
– from the same company) spends on the
value, high priority target account spent an
company website engaging with relevant
average of x number of minutes on the website

Figure 2: B2B Companies Focus on Improving Web Content Relevance

Rate & Review
Related Research
71% 60%
Tell a Friend
71% of Top Performers (compared to 60% of Everyone Else) within the B2B realm
use. Electronic distribution via email or by post- indicate that “improving web content relevance” is a “high priority” focus area in 2012
terms of use.

Source: Gleanster


perusing relevant content and engaging Most B2B companies are unlikely to need
in calls-to-action of a specific kind (e.g., hundreds of permutations, in contrast to their
downloading a particular white paper or other B2C brethren, but they certainly need their
content asset). They would know who these messaging to be sufficiently granular. That
companies are by name. Moreover, they would granularity comes not only from prospect profile
be able to adaptively engage these website information, which they may or may not have,
visitors in a real-time fashion to enrich the but also from their online behavior. What are
quality of their experience and help ensure they clicking on? What are they downloading?
that they’ve accomplished their objectives.
Of course, B2B marketers have a number of
Current State of B2B Content Targeting tools at their disposal that go beyond push
email for delivering relevant content to target
For many B2B marketers, email has served,
customers and prospects. These tools can
and continues to serve, as the backbone of
have a positive impact on achieving the desired
their prospect engagement strategy. The ability
objectives
to personalize
around lead
“The interest level and
email content
generation and
according to the
conversion
firmographic
attributes of the buying intentions of any and are being
increasingly
target recipient
ranks as a key
given contact name within embraced by
B2B marketers
success factor
by Top Perform-
a B2B distribution list who, by and

ers. Everything
from subject
are seldom known and large, are under
more pressure

line and copy difficult to ascertain.” than ever to
maximize
to the selection
the value
and position-
of their marketing investments and
ing of the various graphic elements within the
demonstrate ROMI. In many cases,
body of the email can and should be designed
their job security depends upon it.
to resonate with the target audience based
on who they are (title, role, function within the An example is event-based marketing triggers,
organization), the business of their company in which case a business rules engine is used
(industry sector, company size, customer base) to automatically send an email with embedded
and the likely nature of their current needs content or related landing page links in
and buying intentions. The problem, of course, response to a website visitor who has “tripped
is that the interest level and buying inten- a wire,” so to speak — by downloading a white
tions of any given contact name within a B2B paper from the company website, for example,
email distribution list are seldom known and or via a content syndication partner. Inviting
difficult to ascertain. This dearth of informa- new email subscriber opt-ins to a website
tion can prove to be detrimental if companies preference center where they can indicate their
choose to hawk their wares to prospects needs and select from topics of interest as they
that aren’t currently in the market to buy. relate to the company’s products or services
can also trigger predefined responses.
The content permutations in an email
marketing campaign, whether one focused Marketing triggers work well in theory. But
on customer acquisition, customer retention, again, In practice, only a small percentage
and/or customer cross-sell / up-sell, can (in most cases, less than 1%) of a company’s
be as numerous as a company deems website visitors take the bait — that is,
necessary. Most large enterprises rely on the engage in a call-to-action that enables the
principles of experimental design, conduct- company to capture their contact informa-
Rate & Review ing extensive multivariate, or A/B, testing to tion, let alone gain actionable insights into
help ensure that their marketing content is their (and their company’s) buying intentions
Related Research optimized by narrowly-defined segments of with respect to a particular product or service
prospects and/or customers. Experimental offering. Today, the vast majority of visitors
Tell a Friend
design helps ensure that they are generat- to a company’s website remain anonymous,
Note: This document is intended for individual ing the best possible campaign performance and enticing them to volunteer their contact
use. Electronic distribution via email or by post- information is likely to remain a monumen-
given their budgetary, time, or other contraints
terms of use. and based on their marketing objectives. tal challenge for most B2B marketers.



Knowing when prospects are in buying mode, browser that can be used to identify them in
or at least in the early consideration stage, the future. When the visitor visits a website
may be indicated by their browsing behavior that supports retargeting, companies have the
or response ability to display
to a call-to- a follow-up ad

action — or, “Companies need to be able to this same
importantly, prospect across
by the simple to determine what content multiple websites.
fact that they
visited the is most likely to resonate While the
technology may
website, in
the first place. with prospective buyers by help marketers
increase brand
Company
identification
narrowly defined segments awareness, the
relevancy of
technologies
can help
and to then create and deliver the content is
generally lacking.
compensate the messages and offers in Moreover, the
for the fact continuous
that only a compelling fashion.” recurrance of
a small the same ad can
fraction of feel like a pesky
website visitors submit an email address. housefly following you around the room,
Information captured through website buzzing incessantly in your ear.
visitor analysis can inform email, direct
mail and/or phone outreach.
Content Mapping
Next-generation tools promise to make
Another recent technology innovation that
Real-time Website Content Versioning a reality.
pertains to content personalization is retarget-
Yet, even then, companies need to be able
ing software. Also known as remessaging and
to determine what content is most likely to
remarketing, retargeting means presenting a
resonate with prospective buyers by narrowly
targeted display ad via various ad networks
defined segments and to then create and
to a prospect after they were either previously
deliver the messages and offers in a compel-
presented with an ad but failed to convert or
ling fashion. Addressing them by industry or
they visited the company’s website but failed
even company name only goes so far, and, in
to convert. The technology works by allowing
fact, may have a negative impact if the content
a website tag to write a cookie on the visitor’s
itself doesn’t also reflect an understanding

Rate & Review
Related Research
Tell a Friend
terms of use.


of their identity. Figure 3 illustrates the basic you may want to just clear your cookies.”
steps in data querying between website visitor
On the topic of cookies, proposed “Do Not
identification and web content delivery.
Track” legislation may severely curtail the use
According of cookies for
to the
benchmark
“In the past, it has been website content
personaliza-
report B2B
Precision
next to impossible to tion. IP lookup
technologies
Marketing,
93% of Top
optimize website content, comply with
“Do Not Track”
Perform- for the simple reason that standards of

doing so requires advanced
ers view online privacy
the need because there
to create
narrowly- knowledge of the identity is no applica-
tion or usage of
defined
customer
and characteristics of the cookies or pixel
tracking, and that
segmentation
schemes
individual website visitor.” may ultimately
be viewed as the
as key to icing in the cake.
maximizing the value of an investment in a
related initiative. Companies, like individual
Website Content Optimization
consumers, don’t exist as two-dimensional Multivariate experimental design processes,
cardboard cutouts. Rather, companies are also know as A/B testing, are used to
complex and unique entities that possess an scientifically match different prospect
enormous range of differing characteristics. segments with different marketing treat-
When creating a segmentation scheme, ments, content variations, to optimize
consider the following firmographic attributes: offer-matching. As discussed, the technique
is standard in email marketing, where the
• Company size / revenues
target audience is well-defined in advance.
• Industry / types of products The concept is equally applicable in the
& services sold context of website content, given the ability
• Geographic location to do real-time identification. In both cases,
the objective is content optimization.
• Markets served
In mathematics, optimization refers to
• Competitor / market activities choosing the best element from some set
• Business structure or of available alternatives. It’s about solving
process considerations problems in which one seeks to minimize
or maximize a function by systematically
• Perceived wants and needs
choosing the values of variables from within an
• Perceived readiness-to-buy stage allowed set. It means finding “best available”
• Projected customer value values of some objective function given a
defined domain. In the past, it has been next to
By understanding customer context and impossible to optimize website content, for the
serving up relevant content in response simple reason that doing so requires advanced
to that understanding, companies can knowledge of the identity and characteristics
deliver more relevant and productive of the individual website visitor. Lacking this
prospect and customer experiences. capability, companies have strived to optimize
When it comes to Real-time Website Content by routing content based on the visitor journey
Versioning, one question to ask is whether a through the website, by allowing people to
Rate & Review high degree of personalization on company navigate their way to relevant content.
Related Research website could be off-putting. Early adopters The goal and perhaps a key performance
don’t seem too concerned. “We are targeting metric should be to reduce the amount of
Tell a Friend B2B marketers who do online marketing searching and navigation required to arrive at
and testing and targeting and understand the “right” content, by being able to anticipate
use. Electronic distribution via email or by post- that,” noted one marketer. “Way more than what that content is and then serving it up
ing on a personal website is in violation of the creepy, it’s just awesome. It would probably in a real-time manner. With the implementa-
terms of use.
be very different in a B2C environment, where tion of real-time website content versioning,


friction is reduced and the notion of “zero- conversion lift over the generic versions. “In
Deep Dive Talking Points click website” inches closer to reality. most of the A/B tests, offers targeted specifi-
cally by industry generate a call-to-action lift
The following are a few key takeaways: Of course, B2B marketing success doesn’t
of 5-15%,” he says. “We’re now optimizing
happen solely by being able to identify
• The ability to dynamically serve up the funnel metrics to get down more into the
relevant content at the so-called website visitors by company and industry
sales oppor-
“moment of truth” has tradition- or even
tunities and
ally presented a monumental
challenge for B2B marketers
by buying
intention and “Combining Real-time sales-accept-
ed leads and,
• An emerging approach that
uses IP mapping technol-
purchase
authority
Website Content Version- ultimately,
ogy seeks to enable what
Gleanster calls Real-time
— that is,
whether
ing technology with its revenue.
Any time

own image rendering
Website Content Versioning. we’re able to
they’re a
• Company identification technolo- increase our
decision-
gies can help compensate
for the fact that only a small maker, an system, Adobe is now able conversion
rate on those
to serve up highly targeted
fraction of website visitors influencer
submit an email address. offers, we’ll
or merely an
typically see
• Addressing website visitors by
industry or even company name
employee
entirely discon- messages and offers.” a lift further
may have a negative impact if the down the
nected from
content itself doesn’t also reflect funnel.”
the process. The art of creative development
an understanding of their identity.
will continue to be as important as ever in Clearly, there’s stil work to be done.
• The goal should be to reduce the terms of eliciting a positive response. The To date, for example, Adobe has been
amount of searching and naviga-
challenge is to marry the art with the science. successful in matching traffic on less than
tion required to arrive at the “right”
content, by being able to anticipate a quarter of website visitors. That percent-
Case in Point: Adobe Systems age is likely to increase over time as the
what that content is and then
serving it up in a real-time manner. Software giant Adobe Systems began testing IP mapping library continues to grow.
the waters of Real-time Website Content
Adobe has experimented with account
Versioning in early 2011, using industry
identification not only by industry by also
vertical, account size, and even individual
by company name on external display
company name as the basis for personalized
media on sites like Clickz and eMarketer.
content targeting. According to the project
In some instances, a call-to-action would
managers at Adobe, deploying IP mapping
promote a guide with the message that it
to auto-fill banner ads and webpages with
had been specifically prepared for, say,
content that relates specifically to the identity
Hewett-Packard.“We’re going to continue run
of the individual browser or visitor has thus
these programs because we know that they
far produced some impressive results.
create more relevant content for users,” says
Like all marketers, Adobe has traditionally Fuhriman. “We don’t have significant findings
been limited to using generic and broadly down towards the bottom of the funnel but
applicable offers and headlines in the online it’s hard for us to come up with that sort of
channel. Combining Real-time Website significance for anything because the bottom
Content Versioning technology with its own of the funnel is so much bigger than the top.”
image rendering system, Adobe Scene
Adobe has also experimented with using
7, while also pulling information from a
Real-time Website Content Versioning to
content optimization plug-in called Test
integrate auto-fill into registration forms,
and Target, Adobe is now able to serve
by pre-populating the forms with existing
up highly targeted messages and offers.
database information. “We’ve been able
For example, a headline that may have
to shorten the form by making the fields
read: “How sophisticated is your online
that are populated disappear, allowing
marketing?” can now, depending on the
Rate & Review us to go from 12 fields down to 8,” says
industry profile of the website visitor, read:
Fuhriman. “We’ve done a version where
“How sophisticated is your online marketing
Related Research it looks the same, with the 8 fields, but
for retailers?” or “How sophisticated is your
there’s an option to expand the 5 fields
Tell a Friend online marketing for travel and hospitality?”
that have been populated so people can
Note: This document is intended for individual According to Jeff Fuhriman, senior manager, see what’s been populated. The version
use. Electronic distribution via email or by post- Interactive Conversion Optimization, targeted that hid the fields completely provided a
terms of use.
headlines consistently yield a significant 33% lift for us, which is very impressive.”



Lead Author

Jeff Zabin
Research Director
Jeff Zabin previously served as
Research Fellow at Aberdeen
Group and in product marketing
at FICO. He can be reached at
jeff.zabin@gleanster.com.

Related Research
Recently published Gleansight benchmark reports that may be of interest
to senior industry practitioners include:

Social Media Engagement
Email Marketing Personalization
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Website Personalization that Drives B2B Marketing Performance (And How Adobe Does It)

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Website Personalization that Drives B2B Marketing Performance (And How Adobe Does It)