Personalization has been a staple in modern marketing for years but new data from the Content Marketing Institute shows something important: while 91 percent of tech marketers say they personalize their content, 59 percent of those experiences still feel… basic. We’re talking “Hi, {first name}” and not much else.

And most of that personalization is happening in only one channel: email.

In 2026, personalization must dive deeper. It can’t rely on merge tags. It must support meaningful, behavior-driven, cross-channel experiences addressing a buyer’s real-world needs.

Consistency and segmentation are a great introduction. But context is what wins.

What the Research Says About the Personalization Gap

According to the Content Marketing Institute, personalization overwhelmingly lives in email and far less across digital ads, websites, events and overall content ecosystems. This is a problem, especially since business to business (B2B) buyer journeys have become anything but linear.

Buyers don’t read one email and jump into signing a contract. Pain points will help spark interest, but cannot move someone to action at the initial moment of recognition. They research on their own, ask peers, sit with the problem and eventually make a move when the urgency is real. Referrals play a key role in this process too.

So, if your personalization strategy only impacts the inbox, you’re only showing up in a fraction of the buyer’s overall journey.

To stay relevant, brands must deliver personalization across every touchpoint. But what exactly are buyers expecting?

Customers Expect Contextual Relevance

Strong personalization starts with understanding what buyers are trying to solve. Strategy workshops, buyer feedback and alignment with your sales and product teams help clarify the big idea behind your marketing, but the real question is: how do you get people to pay attention?

In B2B, visibility and familiarity drive purchasing decisions. Buyers choose partners they trust, and trust takes time.

Personalization keeps your brand present during the research phase, the evaluation phase and even the “I’m not ready yet” phase.

Buyers expect you to understand their needs and speak to their stage in the journey. When you connect the dots based on what buyers do, not just who they are, trust grows faster.

To Consider:

Invest in your brand strategy. You, how your sales team talks about your product, and how you market it should all be aligned. Sitting down with strategic experts through a project will help you get the insights you need to adapt to the current market.
Host focus groups or roundtable lunches with industry leaders to learn about their pain points, criteria and expectations.
Draft and execute a thought leadership series that touches on niche problems and typical solutions in your industry. How can you position your company as an expert and make this information relevant to your target customer needs?

AI and Automation Raise the Bar, But They Aren’t Everything

AI continues to transform how business owners search for information and evaluate solutions. That means your visibility in generative engine optimization (GEO), topical authority and message clarity matter more than ever.

Automation is getting better too. Platforms like HubSpot allow marketers to create sophisticated segmentation based on behavior, engagement and activity. Automation can then trigger personalized workflows that reflect a user’s actual journey.

But here’s the catch: AI and automation can’t replace strategy. They simply amplify it. The tech only works as well as the logic behind it.

To Consider:

Is your marketing team talking about GEO and how generative AI affects your visibility?
Look into your automation options. If automation isn’t available, focus on how your ads, landing pages and website content can support smarter segmentation.
Review your post-sale journey. What does good service mean to your target client? How can you revise your current processes for checking in on your ongoing clients? Looking into survey and ticket options to ensure your clients feel comfortable submitting feedback.

Shift From Identity-Based Personalization to Behavior-Based Personalization

Too many marketers personalize based on who someone is, not what they’re doing. The real growth opportunity in 2026 is behavior-based personalization.

Behavior-Based Personalization Opportunities:

Pages viewed
Content formats consumed
Inferred pain points
Buying stage
Account activity or intent signals

Behavior-based personalization works because it speaks to the moment. It meets buyers where they are emotionally and cognitively, not where your database says they are.

Personalization by Journey Stage

Early Stage: Educational content, videos, helpful guides and thought leadership.
Mid Stage: Comparison of tools, feature breakdowns and solution overviews.
Late Stage: Demos, case studies and proof of value.

Personalization by Role and Problem

Role-based messaging is far more effective in B2B than demographic information alone.

A product manager needs something entirely different from a marketing director. A Chief Financial Officer thinks about impact and risk. A Chief Technology Officer thinks about integration and security. Your content should reflect that. What role are you speaking to and how do they process information best?

Personalized content creates a more engaging customer experience. When buyers feel understood, they engage more, convert more, and stay longer.

Cross-Channel Personalization: Where Personalization Must Go in 2026

Email can’t carry the entire experience anymore. Buyers jump from mobile to desktop, from ads to webinars, from social feeds to your website. Your personalization strategy has to follow them.

Channels for Deeper Personalization

Websites & Landing Pages

Dynamic modules
Personalized offers
Adaptive navigation

Digital Ads

Intent-driven variants
Account-specific creative
Retargeting ads based on initial engagement

Events & Experiential

Tailored breakouts
Personalized demo tracks
Follow-up content based on session attendance

Content Ecosystems

Next-best-content recommendations
Adaptive content hubs that reorganize based on behavior

The goal is orchestration. One channel naturally moving the buyer to the next logical step.

What Procurement Should Demand in 2026

If you’re planning to invest in innovative marketing technology, personalization should be a major evaluation factor.

1. Tools That Let Marketers Build Without Developers

Drag-and-drop workflows
Conditional rules
Audience builders
Behavior and stage mapping

2. Strong Testing and Experimentation

A/B and multivariate testing
Adaptive content
Predictive recommendations

3. Cross-Channel Orchestration

Personalization should support:

Email
Websites
Ads
Events
SMS
Social

And be powered by unified customer profiles.

4. Real-Time Responsiveness

Tools should adapt based on:

Time on site
Scroll depth
Recent content
Intent signals

5. Governance and Transparency

Your platform should support:

Consent management
Clean data practices
Version control
QA workflows

Personalization in 2026 Is About Usefulness, Not Names

Almost everyone personalizes, but few do it well. The biggest opportunity in 2026 is to deepen personalization across channels, behaviors and buyer journeys.

When teams combine strategy with the right tools and workflows, personalization becomes a major competitive advantage. Not a trick. Not a tag. But a meaningful experience that helps buyers feel understood and supported from the first click to the final decision.

Want help building a brand that grows with your business?

Hot Dog Marketing specializes in brand strategy, content creation, website development and digital campaigns for professional services and government contractors. Let’s build something that leaves your mark.