Busting 5 Personalization Myths

As the number of consumers demanding tailored digital experiences continues to grow, personalization has become one of the biggest, and most effective trends in the world of marketing. But with its rising popularity, it’s clear that the word “personalization” means many different things to different people.

To clarify exactly what personalization is and how to use it to convert more website visitors, Tracy Sestili, Chief Revenue Officer at Intellimize, and Caitlin Seele, Director of Revenue Marketing at Drift, lead a webinar called Transforming Browsers to Buyers. Although they covered countless insights on effective website personalization, a highlight of the discussion was when the two busted five common personalization myths, one by one.

Keep reading to learn about five personalization myths and why they’re false. And, if you prefer to listen to, rather than read these myths, be sure to check out the full webinar here.

Personalization Myth #1: Personalization = Tokens/Rules

When it comes to personalization, many think of it as simply using tokens and rules to insert information like first names or company names into emails and websites. And, who can blame them? Using tokens and rules is a foundational personalization strategy many brands leverage, but, they’re not the end-all-be-all. 

To achieve true, effective personalization brands need to humanize their digital experiences which means going beyond “Hi {{lead.First Name:default= }}” and rigid rules. You’ll need to personalize messaging, content, and imagery across your site to create combinations of elements that resonate with each particular visitor and reflect where they’re at in the buyer’s journey. In doing so, you’ll be able to create experiences that show visitors information that’s relevant to them in a way that feels organic and non-invasive.

This doesn’t mean you can’t use tokens and rules, but rather that you should think of those as one facet of your larger personalization strategy.

Personalization Myth #2: Segmentation is Only Firmographic

When building a website personalization program, it’s natural to create segments based on firmographic data like company size or location. Unfortunately, that’s where many marketers stop.

To create a personalization strategy that converts, you’ll need to go beyond firmographic data and begin structuring your segments around pain points and use cases. In fact, according to Demand Gen Report, 63% of B2B buyers lean towards companies that provide easy access to relevant content that speaks directly to their company’s pain points. Ka-ching!

Personalization Myth #3: One-to-one is Always Better

When thinking about personalization, marketers often consider one-to-one personalization the gold standard. But just because it’s an impressive marketing feat and resume builder doesn’t mean that it’s right for your specific company.

When getting started with personalization there’s no need to dive straight into the deep end with one-to-one personalization. One-to-many or one-to-few personalization campaigns can allow you to test messaging and value propositions on a larger audience before you invest your time into a hyper-personalization approach. Best of all, when done correctly one-to-few campaigns can often feel like one-to-one, saving you time in the long run.

Of course, if you find that one-to-one personalization is best for your business, go for it! But, there’s no need to implement hyper-personalization just to keep up with the Joneses.

Personalization Myth #4: Personalization is Just for Landing Pages

McKinsey found that buyers not only expect personalized experiences but also seamless ones across more than ten channels. This means that you need to go beyond just personalizing landing pages and start considering other marketing properties as well like ads, emails, sales outreach, and more.

As with many of the other strategies in this post, landing pages are a great place to start applying your personalization strategy but aren’t the only channel you should be thinking about.

Personalization Myth #5: You Need AI to Personalize

While you don't need AI to personalize, you do need AI to strategically scale your personalization program. AI-driven tools like Intellimize’s AI Optimize enable businesses to test thousands of page variations simultaneously. With Intellimize you can tailor your website to each visitor by surfacing the variation of your website that’s most likely to lead that specific person to conversion.

With AI Optimize you’re able to test hundreds — potentially even thousands — of different page combinations at the same time, allowing you to scale your personalization program with ease.

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If you’re looking for an even deeper dive into these five personalization myths including facts, figures, and real-world examples be sure to check out Transforming Browsers to Buyers‍

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