B2B buyers are warier than they were before the pandemic — at least in Great Britain, but probably in the U.S., too, judging by B2B Buyer Insights, a new study by durhamlane in partnership with Cyance. 

Of the 80 buyers polled, 50% are consuming and marketing content than they did before 2020. But 79% report that they are served irrelevant content from vendors despite spending more time researching purchases.  

In addition, 47% face more budget resistance. And 60% say purchase decisions are affected by shifting business priorities.

Worse, 58% agree with the statement that purchase decisions are more likely to be put on hold due to changing priorities, 9% strongly so, and 49% ay the same about potential buys. 

But 45% rely on word of mouth and referrals, and 51% spend more time evaluating and analyzing before making a decision.  

Of note to email marketers tasked with delivering content through the funnel is that 60% of buyers “find it helpful to receive relevant information form B2B throughout my buying journey,”

Here is what they expect of content: 

• Educates me on how to overcome my challenges & solve points — 69% 
• Resources tailored to the current stage of my buying journey — 53%
• Helps me to make informed purchase decisions — 50% 
• Information about features and functionality — 30%
• Creative and hyper-personalized content — 26%

But barely more than 20% agree that most B2B vendors provide them with relevant information. Almost 50% disagree and the remainder are neutral.  

Sadly, over 80% agree that they share irrelevant information from vendors with decision-makers. 

Good B2B personalization achieves these goals, in this order:

• Identifying & understanding the pains/challenges related to my job
• Understanding my job role/function
• Understanding the industry/sector I work in
• Identifying recent changes or events related to my company
• Personalizing digital marketing assets
• Personalizing physical marketing assets
• Identifying interests/hobbies related to my personal life.