• by Ray Schultz , Columnist, 2 hours ago

Email is by no means the least of the options available to B2B marketers, especially those using artificial intelligence, judging by a new global study from McKinsey & Company. 

In fact, email is the overall leader. Among winning B2B marketers,  it is being used in a very personalized way by 50% and at the 1-to-1 level by 15%. 

That does leave room for improvement. Email should be among the most open personalized channels. Why are only 15% of the leaders achieving true 1-to-1?  

As for the other channels, social media is first in 1-to-1, but lags behind email slightly overall. It is followed in 1-to-1 by website and ecommerce (16%), events (17%), chatbots (17%) and search engine optimization; search engine marketing (13%).  

The group defined as laggards is way behind in email, and in all areas, with 18% saying they are very personalized in email and 7% able to do 1-to-1. 

This comparison is key because buyers now use “an average of ten channels across the purchasing journey and expect seamless movement among them; inconsistent information and lack of knowledgeable support are now leading drivers of supplier switching,” the study continues.  

Of course, this has to be put in context. 

“The ground is shifting under B2B sales and marketing,” the study says. What once separated market leaders from the rest of the field—digital tools, omnichannel engagement, and ecommerce capabilities—has become the threshold for survival.” 

The new game is in what the study calls “scaled artificial intelligence.” And brands must be able to serve the 1-to-1 standard of personalization—or close to it—in all channels. Market leaders are way ahead in deploying AI into commercial workflows, and in using “sales-led account-based marketing governance.” 

“Personalization is no longer novel in B2B,” the study notes. “Our survey finds that more than 90% of organizations report personalizing content across email, websites, social media, e-commerce platforms, and other touchpoints.  

The study notes that a performance gap “emerges in the degree and precision of that personalization.”

McKinsey surveyed almost 4,000 B2B decision-makers across 13 countries for the study titled: "The surprising economics of B2B growth: the new survival threshold-and what it takes to thrive."