Customized Marketing Plans Can Make A Big Difference in B2B

A common rut that b-to-b marketers often fall into is the “assumption trap.”  They assume since a segmented set of prospects are all very similar on the surface, they likely share identical needs.

So they take a one-size-fits-all approach to their marketing, figuring the response will be the same across the board.

But just as two people from the same background and demographic can have vast differences (heck, even siblings, for that matter!), so too, can seemingly identical businesses.

Kevin Akerman of Experian Marketing Information illustrated a great example of this in last month’s DM News.  His hypothetical compared  two small businesses in the home construction industry. Each had been operating for more than five years, had less than 10 employees and enjoyed a good commercial credit history.

The similarities ended there, however.

It turns out one of the businesses specialized in customized luxury homes for wealthy clientele who could afford mortgages in the $700K range. The other business was focused primarily in constructing low-income housing developments.

Further research of each business owner revealed the luxury home builder to have an annual income of $250K, nearly five times that of his counterpart.

Clearly, marketing to these two business owners in the same way would be counter-productive. It’s easy to see how market segmentation would group them as similar targets, but their contrasts require two very different offers.

In this case — as in most — it’s critical that B2B marketers do their homework and develop a clear picture, prospect by prospect. With a sharper focus on  each target, a customized marketing approach can be applied, and chances for a direct hit are increased.

Sweat the small stuff, indeed.