deeply digital Blog

Why personalised content in emails wins every time

Written by Lauren May | Sep 16, 2024

In the world of B2B marketing, competition for attention is fierce. Between crowded inboxes and the increasing sophistication of digital marketing strategies, cutting through the noise has never been more challenging. 

So, how do you ensure your emails get opened, read, and acted upon? The answer lies in personalisation.


Personalised content in emails isn’t just a "nice-to-have"; it's a must-have. Tailoring your emails to each recipient’s unique needs, preferences and behaviours increases engagement, drives conversions and ultimately strengthens customer loyalty.

Why personalisation matters

Personalisation has moved far beyond simply adding a recipient’s first name to the subject line. It’s about delivering relevant, value-driven content that resonates with your audience on a deeper level. 

At its core, personalisation taps into one key truth: people respond better to content that feels relevant to them. Think about the last time you received a marketing email that clearly wasn’t targeted to you—a generic offer, a product you’ve never shown interest in or a vague subject line. Did you open it? Did you engage with it? Most likely, it went straight to the trash or was left unopened. On the other hand, when an email hits your inbox that directly addresses your needs, uses your name, or references your recent interactions with a brand, it grabs your attention.

Personalisation makes recipients feel understood. In the B2B space, where building long-term relationships is essential, this sense of relevance is even more critical. Instead of broadcasting one message to a broad audience, personalisation allows you to tailor your communication to each prospect or customer, making your email feel like it was written specifically for them.

Driving engagement with personalisation tokens

HubSpot personalisation tokens make this possible. By inserting data like a recipient's first name, company name or even their recent activity on your website, you can craft emails that feel unique. Something as simple as a subject line that says, "Hi [First Name], we thought you’d like this" can significantly improve open rates. It feels personal because it is personal.

But personalisation goes far beyond the subject line. Imagine a customer receiving an email that references their last interaction with your company—whether that’s downloading a white paper, attending a webinar or visiting a specific page on your website. With dynamic content and automation capabilities from HubSpot, you can effortlessly weave these details into your email campaigns, guiding your audience through a journey that feels completely tailored to them.

Think about the last time you received a marketing email that clearly wasn’t targeted to you—a generic offer, a product you’ve never shown interest in or a vague subject line. Did you open it? Did you engage with it?

Crafting relevance with smart content

The HubSpot smart content feature takes personalisation to another level by dynamically adjusting the content within your emails based on the recipient's profile. Let’s say you’re promoting a product or service that varies slightly by industry. With smart content, you can display different messaging, imagery, or even offers depending on the industry of the person reading the email. A manufacturing company might see one version of your email, while a software company sees another, all within the same campaign. This capability ensures that your content resonates, making the recipient more likely to engage.

This same approach can be used to adjust content based on the stage of the buyer’s journey. A lead that has just started exploring your company needs different information than one who is close to making a purchase decision. With smart content, you can automatically tailor your message depending on whether they’re a new lead, a returning visitor or a long-time customer, providing the right level of information at the right time.

Automation that feels human

One of the concerns marketers often have when discussing automation is that it could feel robotic or impersonal. But when done right, marketing automation can actually enhance personalisation and make your communications feel even more human. HubSpot workflows feature allows you to create sophisticated, behaviour-based triggers that ensure your emails are sent at just the right time, with just the right content.

Automation can also be used for nurturing leads throughout the buyer’s journey. A series of emails can be triggered based on specific behaviours, like visiting certain product pages, attending a webinar or revisiting your pricing page. This ensures that every interaction is timely, targeted and helpful, guiding prospects toward conversion without overwhelming them with irrelevant content.

Building deeper connections through personalised email content

In today’s competitive B2B landscape, personalised content isn’t just a tactic—it’s essential to building meaningful connections. By delivering relevant, timely and tailored messages, you not only increase engagement and conversions but also create lasting relationships with your audience.

Whether you’re nurturing leads, engaging with existing customers, or reaching out to cold prospects, tailored content is the key to standing out in an increasingly crowded inbox.

Ready to make every email count? Let’s talk about how we can help you create personalised campaigns that drive engagement and truly connect with your audience.