From banks and financial institutions to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) providers, B2B data is more than just a preferable asset; it’s a priority. Not only will data fuel Know Your Business (KYB) checks to maintain business with legitimate companies, but it will also facilitate personalization to customize crucial onboarding experiences in B2B relationships.
Customization has had profound impacts on the B2B buying journey in recent years, with conversion rates doubling for personalized experiences year over year. B2B data is now the key to tailor-made onboarding — and the pinnacle of B2B data is firmographic data.
In today’s post, we’ll explore how to leverage firmographic data for the ultimate onboarding experience.
The link between firmographic data and onboarding
First impressions have a significant impact on client relationships. A personalized onboarding experience not only introduces prospects to your products or services, but it initiates a relationship based on mutual understanding. Using relevant firmographic data, you can visualize clients’ unique needs and challenges, so clients can recognize the value your business solution can provide.
By demonstrating a firm grasp on client pain points with a customized onboarding experience, you allow businesses to feel more like partners than just another lead in the pipeline — which has a considerable payoff. A recent Forrester survey of leaders responsible for B2B personalization strategies found that customized experiences have exceeded targets and expectations for:
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- Revenue (68%)
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- Customer experience measures (67%)
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- Conversion rates (67%)
Data-driven messaging is now considered the most successful source of individualized experiences. Garnering accurate B2B insights from firmographic data providers enables your business to forge stronger, more satisfactory relationships during onboarding. With the right firmographic data, onboarding can become a catalyst for meaningful client relationships with maximum retention.
Firmographic data points to gather for onboarding
Firmographic data is a B2B dataset that describes the fundamental characteristics of a business or organization. Often referred to as “firm demographic data,” firmographics include the distinct attributes used to categorize a client as a whole organization rather than as a sole individual. Common firmographic data points used in the onboarding process include, but aren’t limited to:
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- Structure of company (i.e. parent companies and subsidiaries)
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- Size of company (i.e. employee and revenue)
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- Contact details (i.e. phone number and email)
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- Industry type (i.e. primary NAICS code and description)
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- Geographic data (i.e. company headquarters and delivery centers)
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- Performance details (i.e. credit rating)
You can source firmographic data in several ways. For public businesses, firmographic data can be found across press releases, earnings reports, and business websites. For private businesses, it can be gathered or verified by third-party B2B data providers. Data enrichment and business verification services, like the Markaaz Directory, combine registrar, public and private data sources in one place.
How to segment businesses with firmographic data
Before personalizing onboarding processes for new clients, it’s wise to use insights honed from a firmographic data service to segment businesses. Firmographic segmentation refers to grouping businesses based on shared qualities or attributes. For instance, businesses can be segmented based on company size, industry type, operating location, growth stage, revenue, and more.
Segmentation allows you to fine-tune your general onboarding approach. For example, larger businesses with thousands of employees and lengthy sales cycles may require more hands on deck to guide them through the onboarding process. With a growing need for a human touch in B2B customer experiences, you’ll need to ensure you have enough team members to tackle the job.
Segmenting businesses also allows you to tailor your messaging, especially about relevant features or value propositions. Imagine you build customer relationship management (CRM) tools and firmographic data reveals that tech startups are seeking more advanced lead tracking. Your onboarding process can then provide a webinar on your tool’s automated pipeline management.
Strategies for tailoring onboarding with B2B data
One of the best tips for tailoring onboarding processes with firmographic data is to implement a welcome survey after businesses sign up for your product or service. Welcome surveys help gather additional business information like goals and jobs to be done (JTBD), which can then be paired with firmographic data insights like industry type, company size, and operating location.
From here, you’re able to combine the firmographic segments with noted challenges and objectives listed per segment. This process will allow you to effortlessly tailor onboarding processes by segment. You can craft specific walkthroughs, webinars, checklists, and tooltips that each segment will find most beneficial.
For example, financial institutions may offer specialized support teams for businesses operating across multiple regulatory jurisdictions, ensuring their clients receive tailored onboarding from experts who understand the unique compliance requirements. They may also provide a product walkthrough in multiple languages, so international stakeholders can remain informed.
Alternatively, a sales forecasting software company may recognize that ecommerce clients have goals to scale operations but need tools to simplify demand changes and seasonality. In this instance, the onboarding process can be customized to include a hands-on workshop for revenue projections and flexible pricing plans that account for annual fluctuations in ecommerce sales.
Turbocharge onboarding with firmographic data solutions
Your business only has one chance to make a good first impression during the onboarding process — but you can’t do that if you don’t understand what clients want. With firmographic data, your business can craft a more personalized approach to onboarding that lets clients know you’ve done your due diligence in realizing what they need and recognizing how you’ll deliver it. In terms of reputable data, no provider offers greater completeness and accuracy than Markaaz. Markaaz sources data from multiple global partners, both public and private, with proprietary matching techniques that power the most advanced data enrichment and business verification services. Connect with our team to learn more about Markaaz’s firmographic data solutions.
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