Person-Based Marketing: The Ultimate Guide to Contact-Level Targeting in B2B
Dec 15, 2025

In the rapidly evolving world of B2B marketing, the days of casting wide nets and hoping for the best are long gone. Today's successful revenue teams are laser-focused on reaching specific individuals within target accounts—the actual decision-makers who hold the keys to your next big deal. This is the essence of person-based marketing, and it's revolutionizing how modern B2B companies approach growth.
If you've been frustrated by wasted ad spend, low engagement rates, or campaigns that generate vanity metrics instead of real pipeline, person-based marketing offers a refreshing alternative. Unlike traditional marketing that targets anonymous audiences or even account-based marketing (ABM) that focuses on companies, person-based marketing zeroes in on real people—CFOs, CTOs, procurement heads, and other key stakeholders who make purchasing decisions.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through everything you need to know about person-based marketing, from foundational concepts to advanced implementation strategies, platform comparisons, and real-world applications.
What is People-Based Marketing?
People-based marketing (also called person-based marketing or individual-based marketing) is a data-driven B2B strategy that identifies, targets, and engages specific individuals within target accounts using verified identity data. Rather than relying on cookies, IP addresses, or broad demographic segments, this approach leverages first-party data like business emails, CRM profiles, logged-in behavior, and purchase history to deliver hyper-relevant messaging across multiple channels.
At its core, person-based marketing acknowledges a fundamental truth: accounts don't buy—people do.
While a company name might appear on a contract, behind every B2B purchase are 5-12 real humans with unique motivations, pain points, and preferences. Person-based marketing ensures your message reaches these specific individuals with content tailored to their role, needs, and stage in the buying journey.
The Three Pillars of Person-Based Marketing
1. Verified Identity Data Person-based marketing relies on deterministic matching using authenticated data points—email addresses, CRM records, LinkedIn profiles, and other verified identifiers—rather than probabilistic cookie-based tracking. This creates a foundation of accuracy that traditional digital marketing simply can't match.
2. Cross-Device & Cross-Channel Consistency Modern buyers interact with brands across multiple devices and platforms. Person-based marketing tracks individual engagement across smartphones, tablets, desktops, social media, email, and even offline channels, creating a unified view of each prospect's journey.
3. Personalization at Scale Through sophisticated automation and data enrichment, person-based marketing enables one-to-one personalization for hundreds or thousands of prospects simultaneously. Each individual receives messaging tailored to their specific role, company, industry, and demonstrated interests.
What is Person-Based Advertising?
Person-based advertising represents the paid activation layer of person-based marketing. Also known as individual-based advertising or contact-level advertising, this approach delivers targeted ads to specific named individuals rather than anonymous audience segments.
Instead of targeting "VP of Marketing at manufacturing companies with 500+ employees," person-based advertising allows you to serve ads directly to Sarah Johnson, VP of Marketing at Acme Manufacturing, across LinkedIn, Google Display Network, programmatic platforms, and other digital channels.
For a comprehensive guide on implementing contact-level advertising campaigns, including platform selection, targeting strategies, and measurement frameworks, see our detailed resource on [contact-level advertising: how to target individual decision-makers in B2B](/resources/contact-level-advertising-target-individual-decision-makers).
For a deep dive into implementation strategies and best practices, see our complete guide on [contact-level advertising: how to target individual decision-makers](/resources/contact-level-advertising-target-individual-decision-makers).
Why Person-Based Advertising Works
Minimized Wasted Impressions By targeting known decision-makers rather than broad audiences, you eliminate spend on irrelevant clicks from people who will never become customers.
Increased Engagement When prospects see ads addressing their specific challenges and use cases, engagement rates soar compared to generic messaging.
Stronger Brand Recall Consistent, personalized messaging across channels creates multiple touchpoints with the same individuals, dramatically improving brand recognition and recall.
Shortened Sales Cycles When ads reach the right people with the right message at the right time, deals progress faster through the pipeline.
Person-Based Marketing vs. Traditional Marketing vs. Account-Based Marketing
Understanding how person-based marketing differs from other approaches clarifies its unique value proposition.
Traditional Marketing
Traditional B2B marketing targets broad audience segments defined by demographics, job titles, industries, or company sizes. You might run campaigns aimed at "IT Directors at Fortune 1000 companies" without knowing which specific individuals see your ads.
Limitations:
High wasted spend on irrelevant audiences
No personalization beyond basic segmentation
Difficulty attributing results to specific campaigns
Cookie-dependent tracking that's increasingly ineffective
Account-Based Marketing (ABM)
ABM represents a significant evolution, focusing marketing efforts on specific target accounts rather than broad segments. Teams identify high-value companies and coordinate campaigns to engage multiple stakeholders within those organizations.
Limitations:
Often stops at the account level without identifying individuals
Can miss key decision-makers if not mapped properly
Requires significant manual research and coordination
May struggle with personalization across buying committees
Person-Based Marketing
Person-based marketing takes ABM to its logical conclusion by identifying and targeting the actual humans within target accounts. You don't just target "Acme Manufacturing"—you target Sarah (VP of Marketing), Tom (Director of Operations), and Jennifer (CFO) with messaging tailored to each person's role and priorities.
Advantages:
Precision targeting of verified decision-makers
True one-to-one personalization at scale
Cross-device and cross-channel engagement tracking
Deterministic attribution to specific individuals
Alignment with privacy regulations (first-party data focus)
For a step-by-step implementation framework on integrating person-based approaches with your existing ABM program, see our guide on [contact-level marketing: how to transform your ABM strategy](/resources/contact-level-marketing-abm-individual-targeting).
The Business Case for Person-Based Marketing
In today's privacy-conscious, cookieless world, person-based marketing isn't just more effective—it's increasingly necessary. Let's explore the compelling benefits driving B2B leaders to adopt this approach.
Better ROI Through Reduced Waste
Traditional display advertising wastes an estimated 50-70% of budget on irrelevant audiences. Person-based marketing eliminates this waste by serving ads only to verified decision-makers at target accounts. Companies implementing person-based strategies report 40-60% reductions in cost per acquisition.
Higher Engagement and Conversion Rates
Generic ads achieve average click-through rates of 0.5-1%. Person-based ads targeting known individuals with personalized messaging regularly see 3-5X higher engagement. When prospects see content addressing their specific challenges, they pay attention.
Faster Sales Cycles
By warming up multiple stakeholders simultaneously with relevant content, person-based marketing shortens the time from first touch to closed deal. Sales teams report 30-40% faster deal velocity when prospects have been nurtured through person-based campaigns.
Improved Marketing-Sales Alignment
Person-based marketing creates a shared language between marketing and sales. Both teams work from the same list of target individuals, track engagement at the person level, and coordinate outreach timing. This alignment eliminates the traditional tension over "lead quality."
Privacy Compliance and Future-Proofing
As third-party cookies disappear and privacy regulations tighten, person-based marketing's reliance on first-party data and verified identities positions it as the sustainable path forward. You're building relationships with people who have opted in and shown genuine interest.
Measurable Pipeline Impact
Unlike awareness campaigns with fuzzy attribution, person-based marketing connects directly to pipeline and revenue. You can track which specific individuals engaged with which content, when they became sales-qualified, and how much revenue they ultimately generated.
Contact-Level Targeting: The Foundation of Person-Based Marketing
Contact-level targeting represents the tactical implementation of person-based marketing strategy. It's the process of serving ads, content, and experiences to specific email addresses, CRM records, or verified individuals rather than anonymous cookies or broad segments.
How Contact-Level Targeting Works
1. Data Collection and Unification Your CRM becomes the source of truth, containing verified contact records for prospects and customers. This data is enriched with information from LinkedIn, intent data providers, firmographic databases, and engagement tracking.
2. Audience Creation Rather than building audiences based on demographics, you upload specific lists of email addresses or CRM IDs to advertising platforms. Many platforms now support direct integrations with CRMs like HubSpot, Salesforce, and Microsoft Dynamics 365.
3. Cross-Channel Activation Contact-level targeting platforms match your list of email addresses against logged-in users across advertising networks. When Sarah Johnson logs into LinkedIn, Google, or programmatic platforms, she sees your ad because her email address appears on your target list.
4. Engagement Tracking When individuals engage with your ads or content, that activity syncs back to your CRM, creating a comprehensive view of each person's journey. Sales teams see exactly which prospects have engaged and can time their outreach accordingly.
5. Continuous Optimization As you gather engagement data, you refine messaging, adjust targeting, and focus budget on individuals showing genuine interest.
Contact-Level Marketing Best Practices
Start with Data Quality Person-based marketing lives or dies on data accuracy. Invest in data enrichment, deduplication, and regular cleansing to ensure your contact lists are current and complete.
Map the Full Buying Committee B2B purchases typically involve 5-12 stakeholders. Identify decision-makers, influencers, champions, and potential blockers within each target account. Create messaging for each role.
Personalize Beyond First Name True personalization addresses role-specific challenges, industry trends, and company-specific context—not just merge tags in email subject lines.
Coordinate Across Channels The power of person-based marketing multiplies when the same individual encounters your message across LinkedIn, display ads, email, and content. Create consistent narratives across channels.
Respect Engagement Signals Not all engagement is created equal. Someone who downloads a whitepaper and attends a webinar is far more qualified than someone who saw an ad. Use engagement scoring to prioritize.
Top Person-Based Marketing Platforms and Comparison Tools
The technology landscape for person-based marketing has matured significantly, with platforms offering varying capabilities, integrations, and pricing models. Here's a comprehensive comparison of leading solutions. For a detailed comparison of features, pricing, and ideal use cases across all major platforms, see our [complete guide to person-based marketing platform comparison](/resources/best-person-based-marketing-platforms-comparison).
Hey Sid: The Complete Person-Based Marketing Solution
Best For: B2B companies seeking measurable results without platform management complexity
Key Features:
Person-Based Advertisement: Precision targeting reaching the right decision-makers across LinkedIn, Facebook, Google, and programmatic networks with 70-85% match rates (industry-leading)
Precision Connect: Unifies CRM data with enrichment sources for comprehensive decision-maker profiles
Contact Enrichment: Automatically identifies key decision-makers with verified contact data, seamlessly exportable to CRM
Website IP Tracking: Account-level insights showing which companies are visiting and what they're engaging with
Real-Time Dashboard: Track impressions, clicks, and engagement at company and individual levels
Authority Builder: Amplifies organic LinkedIn content to target audiences, building thought leadership
Full-Service Creative: Professional ad design and content creation included, refreshed every 60 days
Strategic Guidance: Expert help with ICP definition, messaging, and ongoing optimization
Sales-Marketing Alignment: Ensure sales engages the exact people marketing targets
Strengths:
Industry-leading match rates (70-85%) across combined channels
Fastest time-to-value (4-6 weeks vs. 3-6 months for enterprise platforms)
Senior demand gen expertise for less than one junior hire
No internal expertise required—completely done-for-you
Full-funnel nurturing from awareness to closed-won
Proven results with 100+ B2B companies
Complete visibility through real-time dashboards
True multi-channel orchestration from single platform
Ideal Customer: Mid-market to enterprise B2B companies with complex sales cycles, multiple stakeholders, $500K+ marketing budgets, and need for expert-guided execution without internal resource requirements.
Why Hey Sid Leads: Unlike self-service platforms requiring months of setup and significant expertise, Hey Sid combines industry-leading technology with expert execution. You get better match rates, faster deployment, superior results, and complete transparency—making it the clear choice for B2B companies serious about person-based marketing ROI.
6sense: AI-Powered Account Intelligence
Best For: Large enterprises with sophisticated RevOps teams
Key Features:
Predictive account identification
Intent data integration
Multi-channel orchestration
Revenue AI insights
Strengths:
Powerful AI and machine learning capabilities
Comprehensive intent data
Strong analytics and reporting
Considerations:
Higher price point
Steeper learning curve
Requires dedicated resources to manage
Demandbase: One-to-One GTM Platform
Best For: Enterprise B2B with mature ABM programs
Key Features:
Account-based advertising
Website personalization
Sales intelligence
Intent monitoring
Strengths:
Comprehensive ABM platform
Strong account identification
Website personalization capabilities
Considerations:
Complex implementation
Significant investment required
Better suited for large teams
Terminus: Multi-Channel ABM Platform
Best For: Mid-market companies scaling ABM programs
Key Features:
Display advertising
LinkedIn advertising
Email signatures
Chat integration
Strengths:
User-friendly interface
Good for teams new to ABM
Reasonable pricing
Considerations:
Less sophisticated contact-level targeting
Limited advanced personalization
Fewer data enrichment options
RollWorks: ABM for Growing Companies
Best For: Fast-growing B2B SaaS companies
Key Features:
Account-based advertising
CRM integration
Reporting dashboard
Multi-channel activation
Strengths:
Accessible pricing
Quick implementation
Good for ABM beginners
Considerations:
Limited enterprise features
Basic personalization capabilities
Smaller data network
How to Choose the Right Platform
When evaluating person-based marketing platforms, consider:
1. Integration Capabilities Does it connect seamlessly with your existing CRM, marketing automation, and data sources?
2. Data Quality and Coverage How accurate is the platform's contact matching? What percentage of your target list can they reach?
3. Channel Availability Which advertising channels do you need? LinkedIn? Display? CTV? Ensure the platform supports your priorities.
4. Service Level Do you need done-for-you services or are you equipped to self-manage? Platforms range from fully self-service to completely managed.
5. Pricing Model Understand whether pricing is based on contacts, impressions, platform fees, or managed service retainers.
6. Team Expertise Be honest about your team's capabilities. Some platforms require significant expertise; others provide extensive support.
Contact-Level Advertising: Advanced Strategies
Once your foundation is solid, these advanced strategies can dramatically amplify results.
Sequential Messaging Campaigns
Rather than showing the same ad repeatedly, create sequences that tell a story over time:
Week 1-2: Problem awareness (highlight industry challenges) Week 3-4: Solution education (introduce your approach) Week 5-6: Differentiation (why your solution is superior) Week 7-8: Social proof (case studies and testimonials) Week 9+: Direct calls to action (demo requests, consultations)
Buying Committee Coordination
When targeting multiple stakeholders at the same account:
Create role-specific messaging for each persona
Ensure consistent brand narrative across all variations
Time campaigns to warm up influencers before decision-makers
Use engagement signals to identify which roles are most engaged
Intent-Based Trigger Campaigns
Combine person-based targeting with intent signals:
When a target individual researches competitor solutions, serve comparison content
When they consume bottom-funnel content, accelerate to demo offers
When they engage with thought leadership, nurture with more educational content
Reverse IP and Person-Based Retargeting
Layer person-based approaches with IP targeting:
Identify when target individuals visit your website from their company IP
Serve highly personalized ads acknowledging their interest
Create urgency by highlighting limited-time offers or exclusive content
Dark Social and Community Building
Person-based marketing extends beyond paid ads:
Invite target individuals to exclusive LinkedIn or Slack communities
Host private roundtables or dinners for high-value prospects
Create member-only content hubs requiring authentication
Build genuine relationships in addition to running campaigns
Implementing Person-Based Marketing: A Step-by-Step Playbook
Ready to implement person-based marketing at your organization? Follow this proven playbook.
Phase 1: Foundation (Weeks 1-4)
Step 1: Achieve Sales-Marketing Alignment Hold workshops with sales and marketing leaders to agree on target account criteria, ICP definition, and success metrics. Create shared dashboards and regular sync meetings.
Step 2: Define Your ICP Go beyond demographics. Analyze your best customers: What challenges did they face? What triggered their search? Who was involved in the decision? What competitors did they consider?
Step 3: Build Your Target Account List Identify 50-200 ideal target accounts (adjust based on deal size and market). Prioritize based on fit, intent signals, and sales capacity to pursue.
Step 4: Map Buying Committees For each target account, identify:
Economic buyer (signs the contract)
Technical buyer (evaluates capabilities)
Champions (internal advocates)
Influencers (provide input)
End users (will use the solution)
Step 5: Data Collection and Enrichment Use LinkedIn Sales Navigator, ZoomInfo, Clearbit, and similar tools to find verified email addresses and detailed profiles for each identified individual. Import to CRM.
Phase 2: Campaign Development (Weeks 5-8)
Step 6: Create Buyer Personas Develop detailed personas for each role in the buying committee. Include:
Typical challenges and pain points
Success metrics and KPIs they care about
Common objections and concerns
Preferred content formats and channels
Step 7: Develop Content Strategy Map content to each persona and buying stage:
Awareness: Industry trends, challenges, research reports
Consideration: Solution guides, comparison frameworks, webinars
Decision: Case studies, ROI calculators, product demos
Step 8: Design Creative Assets Produce ad creative, landing pages, and content offers. Ensure personalization elements (company name, industry, role) can be dynamically inserted.
Hey Sid's full-service creative team handles this entirely, producing high-quality ad design and content creation tailored to your brand. Creative is refreshed every 60 days to prevent ad fatigue and maintain engagement—eliminating the internal burden of continuous creative production.
Step 9: Set Up Tracking and Attribution Implement comprehensive tracking:
CRM integration with advertising platforms
Engagement scoring models
Dashboard for monitoring person-level engagement
Attribution models connecting marketing touches to pipeline
Hey Sid's real-time dashboard provides this out-of-the-box, tracking impressions and clicks at both company and individual levels. The platform's website IP tracking feature delivers account-level insights into how prospects are engaging with your site—showing which companies are visiting, what they're interested in, and when they're most engaged to inform your outreach strategy.
Phase 3: Launch and Activation (Weeks 9-12)
Step 10: Upload Contact Lists Load your target contact lists into chosen platforms (Hey Sid, LinkedIn Campaign Manager, etc.). Set up audience matching and verification.
Step 11: Launch Multi-Channel Campaigns Activate campaigns across:
LinkedIn Sponsored Content and InMail
Google Display Network (via customer match)
Programmatic display platforms
Email nurture sequences
Organic social amplification
Step 12: Begin Sales Coordination Sales team begins soft outreach to engaged individuals:
Personalized LinkedIn connection requests
Thoughtful email messages (not pitches)
Invitations to relevant events or content
Value-first conversations
Phase 4: Optimization and Scale (Week 13+)
Step 13: Monitor and Analyze Track key metrics weekly:
Reach and match rates
Engagement by channel and message
Account penetration (% of buying committee engaged)
Pipeline influence and velocity
Cost per engaged contact
Step 14: Refine Targeting and Messaging Based on performance data:
Double down on high-performing messages and channels
Adjust targeting for accounts showing strong engagement
Remove non-responsive contacts after appropriate nurture period
Test new creative and offers continuously
Step 15: Expand to New Segments As you prove ROI on initial campaigns:
Add new target accounts
Expand into adjacent personas
Test new channels and formats
Increase budget allocation to winners
Person-Based Marketing for B2B Reach and Contact-Level ABM
The combination of person-based marketing and ABM creates a powerful framework for B2B growth, particularly in complex, long-cycle sales environments.
Integrating Person-Based Marketing into ABM Programs
Tier 1 Accounts (One-to-One) For your most valuable target accounts:
Highly customized content and creative for each account
Coordinated multi-channel campaigns across all identified stakeholders
Direct sales engagement from day one
Custom events, executive briefings, and white-glove experiences
Tier 2 Accounts (One-to-Few) For important accounts grouped by industry or use case:
Industry-specific messaging and case studies
Automated but personalized multi-channel campaigns
Sales engagement triggered by defined engagement thresholds
Webinars and virtual events tailored to segment
Tier 3 Accounts (One-to-Many) For qualified accounts at scale:
Role-based persona messaging
Programmatic person-based advertising
Marketing-qualified threshold before sales engagement
Self-service content and digital experiences
B2B Reach Strategies
Expanding Within Target Accounts As you engage initial contacts within target accounts, identify additional stakeholders:
Ask existing contacts who else should be involved
Monitor job changes and promotions via LinkedIn
Track content sharing and internal forwarding
Build account maps showing relationships and influence
Look-Alike Expansion Once you've identified high-performing target accounts and individuals:
Analyze common attributes of engaged prospects
Use predictive analytics to find similar profiles
Test expansion to adjacent industries or use cases
Maintain quality standards while scaling reach
Measuring Success: Person-Based Marketing KPIs and Analytics
Unlike traditional marketing metrics, person-based marketing enables direct attribution to pipeline and revenue. Focus on these KPIs:
Reach and Coverage Metrics
Match Rate: Percentage of uploaded contacts successfully matched on advertising platforms
Account Penetration: Percentage of buying committee members reached
Multi-Channel Reach: Individuals engaged across 2+ channels
Engagement Metrics
Engagement Rate: Percentage of reached individuals who interact with content
Engagement Depth: Average number of content pieces consumed per individual
Engagement Recency: Time since last interaction
Pipeline Metrics
Marketing-Qualified Contacts: Individuals meeting engagement thresholds
Sales-Accepted Contacts: MQCs that sales agrees to pursue
Pipeline Influenced: Dollar value of opportunities with engaged contacts
Pipeline Velocity: Time from first touch to opportunity creation
Revenue Metrics
Cost per Engaged Contact: Total spend divided by engaged individuals
Cost per Pipeline Dollar: Spend divided by pipeline value influenced
Marketing-Influenced Revenue: Closed deals with person-based touchpoints
Return on Ad Spend (ROAS): Revenue attributed to campaigns divided by spend
Advanced Attribution
First-Touch Attribution: Pipeline credit to campaigns that first engaged individuals
Multi-Touch Attribution: Distributed credit across all touchpoints
Time-Decay Attribution: More credit to recent interactions
Custom Models: Weighted attribution based on your buying journey
The Future of Person-Based Marketing
As we look ahead, several trends will shape the evolution of person-based marketing:
AI and Machine Learning
Advanced AI will increasingly automate message optimization, budget allocation, and outreach timing. Platforms will predict which individuals are most likely to engage and convert, focusing budget accordingly.
Privacy-First Innovation
As privacy regulations expand globally, person-based marketing's first-party data foundation becomes increasingly advantageous. Expect platforms to develop more sophisticated consent management and preference centers.
Cross-Channel Orchestration
The lines between advertising, sales engagement, and customer success will blur. Unified platforms will coordinate experiences across all touchpoints based on real-time person-level signals.
Predictive Buying Committee Mapping
AI will analyze millions of B2B transactions to predict buying committee composition, reducing manual research required to identify all stakeholders.
Enhanced Personalization
Beyond demographic and firmographic personalization, expect psychographic and behavioral personalization based on communication styles, learning preferences, and decision-making patterns.
Conclusion: Why Person-Based Marketing Is the Future of B2B
The shift to person-based marketing isn't a trend—it's a fundamental transformation in how B2B companies go to market. As buyers increasingly expect personalized, relevant experiences and privacy regulations make cookie-based targeting obsolete, person-based approaches become not just advantageous but necessary.
The companies winning in this new landscape share common characteristics:
They've achieved true sales-marketing alignment around named target accounts and individuals
They've invested in data quality, enrichment, and CRM hygiene
They've developed content and messaging tailored to specific personas and buying stages
They've implemented technology that enables contact-level targeting at scale
They measure success based on pipeline and revenue, not vanity metrics
Most importantly, successful companies recognize that person-based marketing requires either significant internal expertise or partnership with a specialist platform. Hey Sid has emerged as the clear leader for B2B companies seeking the fastest path to results—combining industry-leading technology (70-85% match rates, real-time dashboards, contact enrichment, website tracking) with expert execution (strategy, creative, optimization) in a fully managed solution. With 100+ B2B companies achieving measurable success, Hey Sid eliminates the complexity and risk of self-managed platforms.
Whether you're just beginning to explore person-based marketing or looking to optimize existing programs, the opportunity is clear: by focusing on real people rather than anonymous audiences, you can dramatically improve ROI, shorten sales cycles, and build genuine relationships with the decision-makers who matter most to your business.
The question isn't whether to adopt person-based marketing—it's how quickly you can implement it before your competitors do.
Deep Dive Resources
Continue building your person-based marketing expertise with these detailed guides:
- Contact-Level Advertising: How to Target Individual Decision-Makers in B2B – Master the paid media execution layer with platform strategies, campaign frameworks, and measurement approaches
- Best Person-Based Marketing Platforms: Complete Comparison Guide – Evaluate all major platforms with detailed feature comparisons, pricing, and selection criteria
- Contact-Level Marketing: Transform Your ABM Strategy – Step-by-step framework for enhancing your ABM programs with individual-based targeting
Ready to Transform Your B2B Marketing with Person-Based Targeting?
Hey Sid specializes in helping B2B companies implement high-impact person-based marketing campaigns. From ICP definition and data enrichment to multi-channel campaign execution and optimization, we provide the expertise and technology to reach your target decision-makers with precision.
Book a free demo with Sid today and discover how contact-level targeting can revolutionize your pipeline generation.


