Fraud Blocker Behavioural Segmentation for Hard-to-Reach Audiences
top of page

Behavioural Segmentation for Hard-to-Reach Audiences

  • Writer: Henry McIntosh
    Henry McIntosh
  • 2 days ago
  • 14 min read

Updated: 1 day ago

Behavioural segmentation helps businesses connect with niche B2B audiences by analysing actions and preferences instead of relying on broad categories like industry or company size. This approach is especially useful for targeting decision-makers in specialised sectors such as technology and financial services, where traditional methods often fall short.


Key Takeaways:

  • Challenges with Niche B2B Audiences: Small audience sizes, long sales cycles, and complex buyer journeys make traditional segmentation ineffective.
  • Why Behavioural Segmentation Works: Focuses on real actions (e.g., content downloads, webinar attendance) to identify intent and craft tailored campaigns.
  • Combined Approach: Merging behavioural data with firmographic insights (e.g., company size, revenue) improves targeting accuracy.
  • Tools and Strategies: CRM systems, predictive analytics, and intent data are essential for identifying high-value prospects and timing outreach effectively.
  • Data Challenges: Poor data quality and privacy regulations like GDPR require careful handling, but contextual targeting can mitigate these issues.
  • Results: Businesses using behavioural segmentation report higher ROI, faster lead conversions, and better customer engagement.

By focusing on behaviour rather than assumptions, marketers can create personalised campaigns that resonate with hard-to-reach audiences, improving conversion rates and long-term success.


Behavioural Segmentation Basics for B2B Marketing


Understanding Behavioural Segmentation

Behavioural segmentation focuses on grouping prospects based on their actions, preferences, and decision-making factors, rather than relying solely on traditional demographics like company size or industry. This method digs deeper into understanding how and why a potential customer chooses to invest in a product or service.

What sets behavioural segmentation apart is its emphasis on uncovering the motivations behind a prospect's actions. It considers how they engage with your brand throughout their buyer's journey, offering insights beyond surface-level demographics.

"Behavioral segmentation is a game-changer in B2B marketing - not just a buzzword, but a strategic weapon for personalisation and performance." - John Martin, B2B Marketer

Instead of assuming a company needs your solution based on its demographic profile, behavioural segmentation allows you to pinpoint prospects who are actively showing interest, such as researching relevant topics or downloading valuable resources.

Here's why this matters: 77% of marketing ROI comes from segmented, targeted, and triggered campaigns. Companies that personalise their strategies for specific customer segments see annual profit growth of 15%, compared to just 5% for those that don't. By focusing on actions, you can better understand the behavioural data driving engagement.


Types of Behavioural Data for B2B

In the B2B world, behavioural data includes both online activities on your website and offline interactions with your business. This information provides insights into why prospects act as they do, enabling more precise marketing efforts.

Key behavioural data points for B2B marketers include:

  • Purchase history
  • Help desk interactions
  • Content downloads
  • Browsing behaviour
  • Webinar attendance
  • Engagement with social media or app content

Category

Description

Purchasing Habits

Analysing buying patterns, such as reliance on reviews or sensitivity to price

Timing of Usage

Identifying when customers engage with your business (e.g., weekends, holidays)

Benefits Sought

Pinpointing features or perks that attract and retain customers (e.g., quality, rewards)

Customer Loyalty

Investigating factors that drive loyalty and retention

One of the most powerful tools in this approach is tracking intent signals - clues derived from a prospect's online behaviour, such as their content consumption habits. For example, if someone consistently downloads whitepapers or attends webinars on a specific topic, it indicates a strong buying intent. This strategy works: retargeted ads achieve a click-through rate of 0.7%, which is 10 times higher than standard display ads.

By combining these insights, marketers can refine their strategies to target prospects with precision.


Combining Behavioural and Firmographic Data

Once you've identified behavioural patterns, integrating them with firmographic data - details such as company size, location, and revenue - provides a fuller picture of your prospects. While behavioural data explains what prospects do and why they might buy, firmographic data tells you who they are. Together, these insights enable highly targeted and effective marketing efforts.

Businesses that leverage this combined approach often see a 5-8x boost in ROI from personalised outreach and account-based marketing. For instance, segmented email campaigns achieve a 14.31% higher open rate, a 9.37% lower unsubscribe rate, and double the clicks compared to non-segmented campaigns. These results stem from delivering content that resonates with both the prospect's identity and their behaviour.

"Segmentation means nothing without relevance." - Ugochukwu Onwunyi, Digital Marketing Assistant | Lead Generation & Email Outreach Expert | Project Manager

To make this work, use tools like CRM systems, analytics platforms, and marketing automation software to monitor user behaviour and interactions. It's essential for sales and marketing teams to understand these behavioural segments, tailoring their outreach accordingly. Track metrics such as open rates, conversion rates, and customer lifetime value to ensure your segmentation strategies remain effective and evolve over time.


Customer segmentation in complex B2B markets


Common Challenges in Audience Segmentation

While behavioural segmentation offers clear advantages, B2B marketers often encounter significant hurdles when trying to implement these strategies effectively. These challenges become even more daunting when dealing with niche or hard-to-reach audiences, especially when traditional data collection methods fall short.


Limited and Scattered Data

High-quality data is the backbone of effective behavioural segmentation. Yet, consolidating this data into a usable format is no easy task. Poor data quality is a costly issue, with businesses losing an average of £12 million annually (around $15 million) due to data inefficiencies. This problem is compounded by the fact that data often resides in silos - spread across CRMs, website analytics, email platforms, social media, and sales tools that rarely communicate with one another.

"We believe that data is the future of B2B marketing. If the goal is to deliver a better customer experience, you've got to break down those data silos."– Kelvin Gee, Principal Analyst for Forrester

This lack of integration creates blind spots. For example, while a CRM might show that a prospect downloaded a whitepaper, it won’t reveal if they’re also researching competitors on social media or attending industry webinars - key signals in niche B2B markets. Companies that use a data-driven ideal customer profile see 68% higher account win rates, yet many struggle to collect the behavioural data needed to achieve this.

To resolve these challenges, businesses should gather data from multiple sources - such as firmographic, technographic, intent, and demographic data - and regularly clean, validate, and enrich it. Automated tools can simplify this process by auditing records and ensuring data accuracy through consistent updates and correct input.


Privacy and Compliance Issues

Regulations like GDPR have significantly changed how businesses collect and use behavioural data. GDPR alone caused a 5.7% drop in revenue per click and reduced click-through and conversion rates by 2.1% and 5.4%, respectively. It also led to a 14.79% reduction in the number of trackers per publisher.

Under GDPR, businesses can only track user data if the user has explicitly consented, if tracking is necessary for a requested service, or if a legitimate interest justifies it. Industries like travel and finance, which rely on precise targeting, have been particularly impacted by these restrictions.

Interestingly, contextual targeting has helped offset some of these losses. It has mitigated 44% of the drop in conversion rates and 42% of the revenue-per-click decline caused by reduced access to personal data. This shows that content-based targeting can be a privacy-compliant alternative. By focusing on transparency and obtaining proper consent, businesses can navigate regulations like GDPR and CCPA without compromising their marketing efforts.


Complex Buyer Journeys

Beyond data and compliance, understanding today’s intricate buyer journeys is crucial for effective behavioural segmentation. B2B sales cycles are becoming longer - 60% of respondents reported extended sales cycles in 2024. Additionally, the average enterprise buying group now includes 5 to 11 stakeholders from around five different business functions. Buyers also interact with brands across multiple channels simultaneously, making their journeys harder to predict.

Further complicating matters are off-channel influences such as peer recommendations and online reviews, which are difficult to track. While consumers typically engage in six touchpoints during a purchase, B2B buyer journeys often involve far more, each offering valuable behavioural insights.

Taking a cross-channel approach can help businesses manage these complexities. Companies with integrated cross-channel strategies report three times the annual revenue growth compared to those with less cohesive efforts. By adopting omnichannel marketing and leveraging data analytics and AI, businesses can deliver tailored content and product recommendations to guide buyers through these intricate journeys.

These challenges highlight why 86% of B2B purchases stall and why 81% of buyers feel dissatisfied with their providers. However, the stakes are high: 66% of B2B buyers now expect personalised interactions at every touchpoint, and 82% of sales teams report faster lead conversions when marketing data is used effectively.


Data-Driven Behavioural Segmentation Methods

Using behavioural data effectively can turn segmentation into a precise science. With the right mix of tools, strategies, and data sources, marketers can overcome challenges like limited data, privacy concerns, and complex buyer journeys to connect with elusive B2B audiences.


Technology Tools for Data Collection

B2B marketing thrives on three main types of data:

  • First-party data: This comes directly from user interactions on your website, such as form submissions, content downloads, or browsing patterns.
  • Third-party data: Collected by external vendors, this data reveals user interests across other websites.
  • Second-party intent data: Shared through partnerships, this data provides insights into audience behaviours and preferences.

When combined, these data sources deliver impressive results. For instance, Lattice achieved a 40x return on investment (ROI) in closed won revenue using UserGems in 2024. Similarly, Cobalt generated £1.3 million in new business pipeline from 91 UserGems-influenced opportunities, while Tipalti created £3.1 million in pipeline with a 23x ROI in closed won revenue.

Marketing automation platforms further amplify these efforts. Businesses using such tools have reported a 451% increase in qualified leads, a 14.5% improvement in sales productivity, and a 12.2% reduction in marketing overhead.

Data Type

Source

Best Use Case

Key Limitation

First-party

Website, CRM, email platforms

Analysing existing customer behaviour

Limited to current audience

Third-party

External data providers

Identifying new prospects

Privacy compliance challenges

Second-party

Partner organisations

Gaining complementary audience insights

Requires strategic partnerships

This integrated data approach is the backbone of advanced strategies like account-based marketing.


Account-Based Marketing for Precise Targeting

Account-based marketing (ABM) harnesses robust data to create highly targeted campaigns for high-value accounts. By defining your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) using firmographic traits and layering in behavioural insights, you can craft personalised outreach that resonates.

"Without strong data driving your ICP, you'll miss the mark. You won't be able to identify the right accounts, and you'll be back to spraying and praying."
  • Hussam AlMukhtar, Senior Director of Customer Expansion at ZoomInfo

ABM delivers tangible results. Companies adopting this approach have reported up to a 208% increase in marketing-generated revenue from targeted accounts. The strategy's success lies in its shift from broad messaging to tailored campaigns that reflect each account’s unique needs and behaviours.

Strong collaboration between sales and marketing is critical for ABM success. In fact, 71% of organisations with mature ABM programmes report weekly collaboration between these teams. Moreover, 78% of high-performing ABM teams use firmographic and intent data to prioritise target accounts. Timing also plays a crucial role - 35–50% of sales go to the vendor who responds first to a follow-up email from a prospective account. This makes real-time data and behaviour-driven strategies essential.


Predictive Analytics and Intent Data

Intent data highlights prospects actively researching products or services, helping businesses identify those ready to buy. When combined with predictive analytics, it becomes a powerful tool for tailoring outreach, often boosting conversion rates by up to 25%. Predictive lead scoring models can further increase conversion rates by 20–30% while reducing customer acquisition costs by 15–20%.

Real-world examples demonstrate the impact. HubSpot used intent data to run a personalised outreach campaign targeting decision-makers, leading to a 50% increase in sales-qualified leads and a 25% jump in closed deals. Similarly, Salesforce achieved a 30% rise in email open rates and a 20% boost in click-through rates by leveraging intent data.

Technology plays a key role here. Platforms like 6sense use predictive lead scoring to increase conversion rates by 50% and cut acquisition costs by 30%. Clients using 6sense have also seen a 30% improvement in sales productivity. HubSpot and Salesforce offer similar tools, combining demographic and behavioural data to prioritise leads and streamline sales efforts.

Continuous monitoring is critical, as intent signals can change quickly during the buying journey. By integrating intent data with CRM and marketing automation platforms, businesses gain a complete view of prospect behaviour across multiple touchpoints. This enables automated, behaviour-triggered campaigns that engage prospects at the right moment, driving up sales productivity (by as much as 25%) and customer satisfaction (by 15%).


Turning Behavioural Insights into Marketing Results

Transforming behavioural data into actionable strategies can give businesses a competitive edge. Companies that embrace personalisation generate 40% more revenue by turning specific behaviours and intent signals into highly targeted campaigns.


Creating Personalised Marketing Campaigns

Personalisation is all about delivering tailored content that aligns with what buyers expect. A great example is Showmax, which used dynamic segmentation via the Braze platform to achieve impressive results: a 204% increase in subscribers, a 71% boost in retention, a 12% rise in win-back rates, and a 37% improvement in ROI.

Dynamic segmentation thrives on adaptability. Instead of relying on static categories, successful campaigns adjust messaging in real time based on user behaviour. For instance, high-intent users might receive direct calls-to-action, while less engaged audiences are nurtured with value-driven content over time.

Brands like JobKOREA and Too Good To Go have demonstrated the power of real-time personalised messaging. By combining dynamic segmentation with API-triggered campaigns, they significantly increased click-through and conversion rates.

"Braze has allowed me to try different things as a CRM manager... being able to configure personalised messages with Liquid, A/B test with colour and creative variations, diversify campaigns, and review performance reports without having to ask the development team has made my job more efficient." - Eunpa Han, CRM Manager, Job Korea

Timely automation builds on tailored campaigns, ensuring buyer intent is captured at the right moment.


Setting Up Behaviour-Triggered Campaigns

Timing is everything when it comes to marketing. Trigger-based emails outperform generic emails by a staggering 497%, making automated workflows indispensable for reaching potential buyers at their peak moments of interest.

The most effective trigger campaigns combine multiple data points. Instead of relying solely on website visits, successful marketers integrate engagement triggers (like email opens or content downloads), behavioural triggers (such as pricing page visits or demo requests), and firmographic triggers (e.g., company size changes or funding announcements). This multi-layered approach ensures messages land at precisely the right time.

Autoresponders, for example, boast a 73% open rate, but quick follow-ups are crucial for converting high-intent prospects. When someone visits a pricing page or downloads product specs, a delayed response could mean losing the opportunity.

One cybersecurity company targeting CISOs exemplified the power of emotionally driven triggers. Their campaigns leveraged fears of reputational damage from data breaches, using messaging like "How would your CEO explain a breach to the board?" This approach led to a 32% increase in open rates and an 18% rise in demo bookings.

Similarly, a B2B SaaS platform tapped into marketers’ career aspirations with campaigns promising tools to "get promoted in 12 months." By focusing on career growth and recognition - often overlooked in B2B messaging - they significantly boosted engagement rates.

"Trigger marketing is one of the most effective ways B2B marketers can reach the right person at the right time with the right message." - Ilse Van Rensburg, Marketing

Personalisation is key, even in automated workflows. With 72% of consumers engaging only with personalised messages, triggered campaigns need dynamic content that reflects specific pain points and company details. Mobile optimisation is also critical, as mobile-friendly triggered emails achieve a 152% higher click-through rate than traditional ones.


Focusing on High-Value Behaviours

Not all behaviours are created equal when it comes to purchase intent. Smart marketers focus on actions that strongly correlate with revenue, prioritising prospects who show genuine buying signals over casual browsers.

Pricing page visits often indicate the highest intent. Prospects exploring costs have moved beyond the awareness stage and are actively evaluating options. Similarly, visits to product-specific landing pages or completed lead forms signal serious consideration. Conversion audiences - those who reach "thank you" pages after form submissions - offer some of the clearest purchase intent signals.

Content consumption patterns can also reveal buying committee involvement. 74% of B2B buyers review three or more pieces of content before making decisions, and 67% rely more on content than on sales reps during the process. However, the type of content matters. 61% of buyers prefer third-party content, such as peer reviews or industry analyst reports, over vendor-created materials.

Third-party interactions carry 1.4 times more weight than other digital marketing touchpoints. This explains why 89% of buyers consider peer testimonials and user reviews essential when researching solutions. Companies that focus on collecting authentic customer stories and encouraging reviews often see better results from behavioural targeting efforts.

The research-heavy nature of B2B buying offers additional high-value signals. 70% of buyers conduct online research before making decisions, with 68% favouring independent research over direct sales engagement. Actions such as downloading multiple whitepapers, attending webinars, or engaging with comparison content suggest serious evaluation.

Case studies are particularly influential, with 98% of buyers finding them "extremely helpful" or "helpful" in making decisions. Prospects who download case studies from similar industries or companies often show strong intent, especially when paired with pricing page visits or demo requests.

Modern buyers also expect immediate responses - 90% want instant replies to sales queries. Monitoring high-value behaviours in real time allows companies to act quickly, reaching prospects during their evaluation phase with tailored outreach.

Lastly, don’t underestimate the importance of trust-building behaviours. With 81% of consumers needing to trust a brand before purchasing, prospects engaging with leadership content, employee profiles, or transparency-focused materials often convert at higher rates. These interactions signal relationship-building intent, which is crucial for complex sales involving multiple stakeholders.

These strategies highlight how behavioural insights can help businesses target niche B2B markets with precision and relevance.


Conclusion: Growing Your Business with Behavioural Segmentation

Behavioural segmentation isn’t just another marketing buzzword - it’s a game-changer for businesses aiming to connect with niche B2B audiences. By focusing on actions, preferences, and decision-making patterns rather than relying solely on traditional demographics, it allows for pinpoint accuracy in targeting. The result? Marketing strategies that truly engage and convert.

The numbers speak for themselves. Data-driven approaches can deliver 5–8 times more ROI, with 80% of customers favouring personalised experiences. Yet, 87% of marketers admit they’re not fully leveraging their data. This gap presents a massive opportunity for businesses willing to embrace behavioural insights.

When sales and marketing teams align their efforts with behavioural segmentation, the impact is clear. Leads with high interest can be nurtured with detailed product information, while those with lower engagement receive tailored content to build trust and interest. This approach not only improves lead nurturing but also boosts conversion rates significantly.

For companies navigating the complexities of B2B markets, behavioural segmentation is a smart way to allocate resources efficiently. Analysing behavioural data helps identify high-value customers, allowing businesses to focus on those with the greatest potential for long-term profitability.

But the work doesn’t stop there. To keep reaping the benefits, continuous optimisation is essential. Monitoring metrics such as open rates, conversion rates, and customer lifetime value provides insight into what’s working. Meanwhile, A/B testing ensures segmentation strategies stay relevant as customer behaviours shift.

In a world where 64% of marketing executives view data-driven marketing as critical to success, behavioural segmentation offers a clear advantage. It addresses the challenges of reaching elusive B2B audiences and replaces outdated methods with strategies that deliver tangible results.

At Twenty One Twelve Marketing, we specialise in using these insights to navigate the intricacies of B2B markets, turning challenges into measurable growth and success.


FAQs


What makes behavioural segmentation more effective than traditional methods in B2B marketing?


Behavioural Segmentation: A Dynamic Approach

Unlike traditional methods that lean heavily on static factors like demographics or geography, behavioural segmentation delves into how customers , , and make decisions. By examining real-world behaviours - such as purchasing trends or engagement habits - it offers a more fluid and precise way to understand and connect with B2B audiences.

This approach allows businesses to anticipate needs and preferences with greater accuracy, ensuring marketing strategies align with the specific actions and patterns of their audience. It’s especially useful for targeting intricate or niche markets where conventional segmentation often falls short.


How can behavioural segmentation help in reaching niche B2B audiences effectively?


Behavioural Segmentation for Niche B2B Audiences

Behavioural segmentation offers a smart way to connect with specific B2B audiences. By examining customer actions, engagement trends, and preferences, businesses can gain a deeper understanding of how their audience behaves. This approach often involves leveraging real-time data, psychographic details, and attributional factors to create more accurate audience groups.

To make this strategy even more impactful, try combining behavioural insights with firmographic data and needs-based segmentation. Use advanced analytics to fine-tune your segments and adapt them as customer behaviours shift over time. It's also essential to tackle challenges like maintaining high-quality data and ensuring privacy compliance to achieve lasting success.


How can businesses tackle data quality and privacy issues when using behavioural segmentation?

To tackle data quality challenges, businesses need to focus on three key areas: collecting accurate data, ensuring smooth integration across systems, and performing regular validation checks. These steps are crucial to maintaining reliable and trustworthy data.

When dealing with privacy concerns, adhering to regulations like GDPR is non-negotiable. Equally important is being open with users about how their data is collected, stored, and used. Transparent communication goes a long way in establishing trust.

By leveraging advanced analytics, businesses can uncover actionable insights that make segmentation more straightforward and improve decision-making. However, it’s essential to strike a balance between offering personalised experiences and respecting privacy rights. This balance not only strengthens trust with your audience but also ensures your segmentation efforts are both ethical and effective.


Related posts

 
 
 
bottom of page