New B2B Persona Research From Salesforce & LinkedIn Study with Mathew Sweezey, Salesforce.com

When did you last evaluate the quality of your B2B
personas and contact data? If you’re like most
marketers, you know the struggle of getting the right content to
the right people.


Starting in 2014, Salesforce analyzed over 15 million data points
from major B2B databases like Data.com and LinkedIn. The
goal? To help marketers understand and improve the
accuracy of their targeting.


I spoke with Mathew Sweezey, Principal of Marketing Insights at
Salesforce, about his research and insights from the report, B2B
Personas: Targeting Audiences. Here’s what he had to say.
Meet Mathew Sweezey

Brian: Mathew, can you tell us a little about
your background?


Mathew Sweezey: Sure! I was one of the early
employees at Pardot, which later became part of Salesforce. I’ve
been in the thick of B2B marketing, writing the book Marketing
Automation for Dummies and sharing insights as the Principal of
Marketing Insight at Salesforce.
The Spark Behind the Research

Brian: What inspired you to dig into this data?


Mathew Sweezey: As marketers, we often focus on
simple metrics like the number of email addresses we collect. But
we rarely ask the bigger question: How effective are
we? We needed a way to evaluate audience data and
understand its true value.


Key Takeaways:


The average cost of a B2B email address is
around $150.

Most B2B email databases hold about 50,000 contacts, meaning
the average database is a $7.5 million asset.

The only metric we often use to assess email lists is whether
the emails bounce—not a great measure of data
quality.




The B2B Persona project from Mathew
Sweezey
Surprising Discoveries in Audience Data

Brian: What surprised you most during your
analysis?


Mathew Sweezey: The biggest surprise was the
high level of movement within organizations.
People change roles frequently, which can make your database
quickly outdated.


Key Insights:



Role Changes: The contact may no longer fit
your target persona even if an email is still valid.


Database Churn: B2B contact lists churn at a
rate of around 15% per year. Without updates, your
database could be irrelevant in 4.2 years.


Personas Are Fluid: People enter and leave
target personas daily based on job changes and company shifts.



Tip: Track growth and churn rates in your personas to understand
how quickly your audience changes.
Why B2B Marketing is Fundamentally Changing

Brian: Your report suggests B2B marketing is
undergoing a major shift. Can you elaborate?


Mathew Sweezey: Traditionally, businesses
controlled both the creation and distribution of media. Today, we
live in an infinite media environment where
anyone can create and share content.


The New Reality:



No Captive Audience: Consumers now filter
content through algorithms and ad blockers.


Content Overload: There’s an overwhelming
amount of content, and only the most relevant messages will
make it through.



Insight: The biggest challenge today is cutting through the noise
by making content genuinely valuable.
Should We Even Be Asking for Email?

Brian: Given what you’ve shared, should
marketers change how they view email as a channel?


Mathew Sweezey: Yes! Email should be
treated as just one part of a broader communication
strategy. Consider social media handles, which may have
a longer shelf life, as a way to keep in touch with contacts who
frequently change roles.


Best Practices for Email Marketing:


Don’t over-email: If someone hasn’t responded after five
messages, remove them from your list.

Leverage social data: Tools like Full
Contact and Data.com can help append social profiles to email
contacts, keeping your data fresh.


Diversify Channels: Social handles may give
more continuity than email alone.



Tip: Think about building relationships across multiple platforms
to ensure continuity when roles or emails change.
Interesting Statistic: Marketer Tenure vs. Gerbil Lifespan

Brian: What’s one statistic you wish more people
knew?


Mathew Sweezey: Did you know the average tenure
for a marketer is only 2.4 years? That means a gerbil’s
lifespan is longer than the average marketing role! In
fact, marketers have the highest churn rate of any profession.
Final Thoughts and Tips

Mathew’s Key Takeaways for B2B Marketers:
Embrace Change: Recognize that your database
is fluid. People move roles often, so focus on quality over
quantity. Optimize Your Email Strategy: Email is
still valuable, but use it wisely. Consider other channels like
social media for longer-lasting connections. Focus on
Relevance: Only valuable, personalized messages will stand
out in an environment flooded with content.

Connect with Mathew:


Twitter: @msweezey

SlideShare: For his latest presentations

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