How B2B Marketers Can Step Up Their Precision and Personalization

Without a foundational understanding of one’s customers, companies can neither segment, target nor personalize marketing efforts. Nowhere is this more important—and difficult—than for business-to-business (B2B) companies, which usually speak to more than one decision-maker. eMarketer’s Lauren Fisher spoke with Ian Dahlman, vice president of search and analytics at digital advertising agency gyro, about how B2Bs are using audience data and insights to do better and more precise marketing. Dahlman was interviewed as part of eMarketer’s August report, "Using Marketing Data for Merchandising: Optimizing Inventory Levels and Launching New Products."

It’s still early in terms of being able to consistently have that deeper understanding of each of those groups on an ongoing, iterative basis. There are clients who are absolutely doing it, and they made the right investment. But it’s not an upfront, one-time investment; it’s an iterative thing.