--- title: Marketing Personalization Is Broken (But Fixable) description: Sample Post image: https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/hubfs/nickatc_a_dozen_scattered_archery_targets_in_a_field_with_a_sin_acc477c0-3a87-4a5e-b833-977f8aead7d9.webp --- [Skip to main content](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/marketing-personalization-is-broken-but-fixable#main-content) [![Air Traffic Control](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/hubfs/raw_assets/public/AirTrafficControl_2025/images/logo.svg "Air Traffic Control")](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/) [![Air Traffic Control](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/hubfs/raw_assets/public/AirTrafficControl_2025/images/small_logo.svg "Air Traffic Control")](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/) - Use case - [Discover What To Write Next](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/use-case/topic-reporting-content-strategy) - [Understand Your Competition’s Content](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/use-case/competitor-insights-linkedin-audience) - [Create Personalized Content Experiences](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/use-case/email-nurture-personalization) - [Build Personalized LinkedIn Ad Experiences](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/use-case/reduce-linkedin-ad-cpcs-air-traffic-control) - [Pricing](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/pricing) - Resources - [Playbooks](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/playbooks) - [Blog](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog) - [Knowledge Base](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/customer-support) - [Login](https://radar.airtrafficcontrol.io/) [Book a Demo](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/schedule-a-demo) ![Marketing Personalization Is Broken (But Fixable)](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/hubfs/nickatc_a_dozen_scattered_archery_targets_in_a_field_with_a_sin_acc477c0-3a87-4a5e-b833-977f8aead7d9.webp) #### Share This Blog [mailto:?body=https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/marketing-personalization-is-broken-but-fixable](mailto:?body=https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/marketing-personalization-is-broken-but-fixable) [Personalization](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/tag/personalization) [Landing Pages](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/tag/landing-pages) [Email](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/tag/email) # Marketing Personalization Is Broken (But Fixable) ## ![nickatc\_a\_dozen\_scattered\_archery\_targets\_in\_a\_field\_with\_a\_sin\_acc477c0-3a87-4a5e-b833-977f8aead7d9](https://23572373.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/23572373/hubfs/nickatc_a_dozen_scattered_archery_targets_in_a_field_with_a_sin_acc477c0-3a87-4a5e-b833-977f8aead7d9.png?width=815&height=815&name=nickatc_a_dozen_scattered_archery_targets_in_a_field_with_a_sin_acc477c0-3a87-4a5e-b833-977f8aead7d9.png) ## No One is Arguing About Personalization's Value No one. Even if you haven't read all the overwhelming data proving the impact of personalization on every interaction between businesses and their audiences, all you have to do is think about what it's like to be a human. What do you enjoy when talking to a friend or, yeah, a company? When they treat you like a person. So why is personalization falling so flat? ## Because Personalization Is Broken This beauty was in my LinkedIn invites: "I came across your profile while searching for leaders and entrepreneurs who are boosting the entrepreneurial ecosystem. I was impressed with your experience and intent to solve problems of clients and businesses, and hence this request to connect." I have \[co-founder\] in my LinkedIn title. The logic follows... If \[co-founder\] then \[entrepreneur block\]. Is this message better than just a blank connection request? I guess? But they could have actually read my LI profile. I'm super active there so thumbing through my posts and post engagement could offer up a treasure trove of insights for them to build on. It's hard work to do. I know. But better to do the hard work for a few prospects than churn through your addressable market with mediocre high volume tactics. We actually got a video of an SDR in the wild who just hit send on a "personalized" sequence to 5,000 prospects: ![scorched earth](https://23572373.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/23572373/hubfs/scorched%20earth.gif?width=814&height=441&name=scorched%20earth.gif) Lots of folks like [Benedikt](https://www.linkedin.com/in/benedikt-meuthen/) are feeling this: ![mentioning the obvious is not personalization](https://23572373.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/23572373/hubfs/mentioning%20the%20obvious%20is%20not%20personalization.png?width=2465&height=2475&name=mentioning%20the%20obvious%20is%20not%20personalization.png)So who broke it? ## Software Did When It Traded Quality for Volume Let's start with the obvious. Personalized outreach takes effort: ![personalization is a lot of work for BDRs](https://23572373.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/23572373/hubfs/personalization%20is%20a%20lot%20of%20work%20for%20BDRs.png?width=2548&height=971&name=personalization%20is%20a%20lot%20of%20work%20for%20BDRs.png)What [Benjy](https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjyaryeh/) is calling out here is very, very real. It's hard to do. You need a lot of great data. You need to connect the dots. And then you have to deliver. So it's no wonder sales execs like [Eric](https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-myers-tayne/) are begging the question about whether the payoff is there: ![personalization effort too high](https://23572373.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/23572373/hubfs/personalization%20effort%20too%20high.png?width=2566&height=1787&name=personalization%20effort%20too%20high.png)So what you find is that personalization, if we're all being honest, is still a mass-marketing effort as [Bill](https://www.linkedin.com/in/becustomerled/) has called out here: ![Personalization is mostly marketing-focused and still one-to-many](https://23572373.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/23572373/hubfs/Personalization%20is%20mostly%20marketing-focused%20and%20still%20one-to-many.png?width=2548&height=1998&name=Personalization%20is%20mostly%20marketing-focused%20and%20still%20one-to-many.png)So if *good* (read: real) personalization is so hard and the automation tools in the market are forcing us to still think at the segment level (at best), you can't blame leaders like [Neal](https://www.linkedin.com/in/neal-dubisky-79026a24/) for opting to cast wider nets: ## ![marketing to more people easier than personalization](https://23572373.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/23572373/hubfs/marketing%20to%20more%20people%20easier%20than%20personalization.png?width=2566&height=2080&name=marketing%20to%20more%20people%20easier%20than%20personalization.png)So Do We Just Abandon Personalization? ![no i do not](https://23572373.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/23572373/hubfs/no%20i%20do%20not.gif?width=815&height=477&name=no%20i%20do%20not.gif) Going back to Neal's message about hitting 5K first-time customers vs 500 known customers... Let's use the data from another ATC blog post about the impacts of [personalized emails](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/the-impact-of-personalization-on-email-open-rates-a-deep-dive) showing that personalized emails result in 80% higher clicks. And another post in which we shared research on how [web personalization results in a 2.5X increase in revenue](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/how-personalization-boosts-your-b2b-website-conversion-rates). In Neal's example, let's say the average conversion value is $5:   | | Non-Personalized | Personalized | | --- | --- | --- | | Sends | 5,000 | 500 | | Opens | 1,064 | 137 | | Clicks | 26 | 5 | | Visitors That Do NOT Bounce | 13 | 3 | | Total Conversions | .29 | .13 | | Average Sale Amount | $5 | $5.50 | | Revenue | $1.45 | $0.72 | So, sure, in the above scenario, by increasing your audience by 10X with no personalization, you'll do 2X the revenue. But there are massive trade-off's here: - We have calculated all of this as if both audiences were cold. The Personalized, loyal audience is not. Every single one of the benchmarks in the right-most column would be higher in real life. There is little to no increase in revenue with the non-personalized mass approach. - On the Personalized audience, you know who those people are. But the 5K new prospects? You're going to have to get them somehow. And that costs time and money. - In impersonal marketing, things like unsubscribe rates are far higher and the willingness of people to keep hearing from you is a lot lower. That means that in the impersonal scenario, you're going to have to go back to the lead well over and over and over. That's expensive and it doesn't scale. Personalization is by far the most sustainable, impactful strategy any organization can deploy in growing their business. Sustainable. ## How Do We Fix It? Well, having a business case doesn't hurt. ![youre welcome moana](https://23572373.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/23572373/hubfs/youre%20welcome%20moana.gif?width=814&height=458&name=youre%20welcome%20moana.gif)But it's more work and a different kind of work than a lot of teams are used to getting to do. Here are a few things to consider: - There's a bigger mandate for Marketing Operations to be in the room (there ALWAYS is, but if you want to pull off personalization, it *cannot be done without MOPs!)*. - You probably won't be able to use your standard playbooks. That doesn't mean toss them out. If you have a webinar promotion campaign that crushes it every time, go for it. But with personalization it's best to start from square zero rather than trying to augment prior campaigns. - [Data will matter more than ever](https://meetings.hubspot.com/nzeckets/personalized-marketing-strategy-session). What's in your CRM and marketing automation systems? Do you have access to unique data sets within your product? Do you need to identify high value data sets to pull into your own systems? - You might not need any new tools OR new data. But I'd be remiss not to mention that Air Traffic Control automatically personalizes your emails and webpages thanks to AI. It's kinda like having your cake and eating it, too. What we should all be able to agree on is that personalization has a powerful business case AND, yes, it's not easy. The best things ([almost](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/)) never are.   #### Share This Blog [mailto:?body=https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/marketing-personalization-is-broken-but-fixable](mailto:?body=https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/marketing-personalization-is-broken-but-fixable) ![Announcement](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/hs-fs/hubfs/AirTrafficControl_2025/images/announcement_img.png?width=400&height=276&name=announcement_img.png) ### Subscribe to the Air Trafic Control newsletter Receive regular tips and resources to boost your establishment! ## Related Blogs We have something for everyone on our blog. Dig in! [Personalization](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/tag/personalization) ##### [Leveraging AI for B2B Personalization in Content Marketing](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/leveraging-ai-for-b2b-personalization-in-content-marketing) The ability to capture and retain audience attention with relevant and engaging content is pivotal, especially for B2B marketing personalization. As companies expand their content production... [Read More](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/leveraging-ai-for-b2b-personalization-in-content-marketing) [Personalization](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/tag/personalization) [hubspot](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/tag/hubspot) ##### [Marketing Personalization Examples in HubSpot (+ Checklist)](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/marketing-personalization-examples-with-hubspot) Personalized marketing is no longer a luxury; it's now a necessity for businesses to stay ahead of the competition. As a B2B marketer, you must provide your audience with relevant, engaging,... [Read More](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/marketing-personalization-examples-with-hubspot) [Personalization](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/tag/personalization) ##### [The Difference Between Good and Bad Email Personalization](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/the-difference-between-good-and-bad-email-personalization) Sometimes podcasts are worth another listen. With his The Art of Marketing Operations Podcast, Glenn Bottomleyis one of the more affable hosts in the marketing podcast game. At the end of... [Read More](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/the-difference-between-good-and-bad-email-personalization) ![Star Shape](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/hubfs/AirTrafficControl_2025/images/star_shape.svg) ![Star Shape](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/hubfs/AirTrafficControl_2025/images/star_shape-2.svg) ### Are you ready to kick off your first truly personalized marketing campaign? Start your assessment today [![Air Traffic Control](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/hubfs/raw_assets/public/AirTrafficControl_2025/images/logo.svg "Air Traffic Control")](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/) - [Login](https://radar.airtrafficcontrol.io/) - [HubSpot Agency Partners](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/agency-partner-program) - [Individual Referral Program](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/individual-partner-program) - [terms of use](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/terms-of-use) - [privacy policy](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/privacy-policy) - ![Contact](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/hubfs/AirTrafficControl_2025/images/contact.svg) [+1 ‪(909) 274-0312](tel:(202)%20390-2973) - ![Email](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/hubfs/AirTrafficControl_2025/images/dashicons_email.webp) [tower@airtrafficcontrol.io](mailto:tower@airtrafficcontrol.io) - ![Location](https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/hubfs/AirTrafficControl_2025/images/location.webp) [Anaheim, CA 92801, USA](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Anaheim,+CA+92801,+USA/@33.8478365,-117.9984317,13z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x80dd29888d94e145:0x234ad0f679014784!8m2!3d33.8469812!4d-117.9541894!16s%2Fm%2F01z9w4k?authuser=0&entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MDgxMy4wIKXMDSoASAFQAw%3D%3D) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Admin", "url" : "https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/author/admin" }, "dateModified" : "2025-09-04T13:01:09.036Z", "datePublished" : "2025-07-14T10:58:40.000Z", "headline" : "Marketing Personalization Is Broken (But Fixable)", "image" : [ "https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/hubfs/nickatc_a_dozen_scattered_archery_targets_in_a_field_with_a_sin_acc477c0-3a87-4a5e-b833-977f8aead7d9.webp" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.airtrafficcontrol.io/en/blog/marketing-personalization-is-broken-but-fixable", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject" }, "name" : "Air Traffic Control, Inc." } } ```