If you run B2B marketing, you know just getting a prospect’s attention isn’t enough. The real money is in moving them through the “maybe” stage—where they’re poking around your site, opening emails, and weighing options. This is the consideration phase, and it’s brutal. If you’re using Customer.io, you’ve probably heard a lot of hype about what it can do. But what actually works for B2B teams trying to push buyers toward a decision?
Let’s cut the fluff. Here are the Customer.io features that genuinely move the needle for B2B teams in this make-or-break stage—and a few that sound good on paper but rarely pay off.
Why the Consideration Phase Is a Mess (and Where Customer.io Can Help)
Before we get into features, it’s worth spelling out why most B2B teams struggle in the consideration phase:
- Long sales cycles: You’re not selling socks. There are demos, decks, and decision committees.
- Multiple stakeholders: Your champion isn’t the only one reading your emails.
- Info overload: Prospects are getting hit from all sides—your competitors, “review” sites, and their own bosses.
Customer.io gives you tools to cut through the noise and actually guide people along. But only if you use them right.
1. Segmentation: The Backbone of Targeted Nurturing
Let’s be honest: Most B2B mailing lists are a mess. If you’re still blasting the same emails to everyone, you’re burning leads.
How Segmentation Actually Helps: - Send different content to decision-makers vs. end-users. - Trigger nurturing emails only for prospects who’ve visited your pricing page (but haven’t converted). - Separate out cold leads so you stop annoying people who’ll never buy.
Pro Tip:
Don’t get lost building a hundred tiny segments. Focus on big, meaningful buckets—like role, company size, and engagement level. You can always get more granular later.
What to Ignore:
Super-fine “micro-segments” sound clever but usually just lead to more work and confusion. Start broad, then refine.
2. Event-Triggered Campaigns: Right Message, Right Time
You want to reach people when they’re actually paying attention. That’s where Customer.io’s event-triggered campaigns shine.
What Works: - Visited pricing page but didn’t request a demo? Trigger a helpful comparison guide. - Opened three “case study” emails? Nudge them with a message about ROI or an invite to a group Q&A. - Attended a webinar? Send a follow-up with relevant product one-pagers.
What Doesn’t:
Overdoing automation. If you trigger too many emails based on tiny behaviors (like “clicked this but not that”), you risk creeping people out or just getting ignored. Stick to triggers that actually signal intent.
3. Lead Scoring: Prioritize Without Guesswork
Not all leads are equal. You need to know who’s warming up and who’s just window-shopping.
How Customer.io Helps: - Build simple lead scoring models based on events (email opens, site visits, webinar signups). - Push high-scoring leads straight to sales—no more spreadsheets or gut feelings. - Automatically downgrade cold leads so your team stops wasting time.
Pro Tip:
Don’t try to build a perfect scoring system from day one. Just pick 3–5 behaviors that actually map to buying intent and start there.
Watch Out:
Lead scoring is only as good as your data. If your tracking is sloppy or you’re using vanity metrics (“opened our newsletter!”), you’ll just end up chasing the wrong people.
4. Multi-Channel Messaging: Go Beyond Email (But Don’t Overdo It)
Emails get ignored. That’s just reality. Customer.io lets you add other channels—like SMS, push, and even in-app messages.
What’s Actually Useful for B2B: - In-app messages: Great for product-led growth models, less useful if you don’t have a live product trial. - Slack or webhook notifications: Nice for internal handoffs (like alerting sales when a hot lead hits a threshold). - SMS: Honestly, most B2B buyers don’t want texts from vendors. Use sparingly, if at all.
What to Skip:
Push notifications are gold for B2C, but for B2B? Unless your product is mobile-first, don’t bother.
5. A/B Testing for Emails: Stop Guessing, Start Learning
You’re not going to nail the perfect email on your first try. Testing matters.
How to Use It Well: - Test subject lines, sender names, and CTA buttons—not just email body copy. - Run meaningful tests (at least a few hundred recipients per version). Ignore tiny differences. - Use results to inform your next campaign, not just to pat yourself on the back.
Pro Tip:
Don’t test just for the sake of testing. Focus on changes that could actually move the needle (like switching from a “book a demo” CTA to “see pricing”).
6. Detailed Analytics: Less Vanity, More Clarity
Numbers can be a trap, especially if you’re just looking at open rates. Customer.io gives you more, but it’s on you to use it right.
What to Watch: - Conversion rates by segment: Not all audiences perform the same. - Time to respond: Are your emails getting replies, or are they going into the void? - Drop-off points: Where do leads stop engaging? That’s where you need to focus.
What Not to Obsess Over:
Open rates are getting less reliable thanks to privacy changes. Focus on actions that actually matter—like replies, demo requests, or content downloads.
7. Integrations: Make Customer.io Play Nice with Your Stack
A tool’s only as good as its connections. Customer.io offers integrations with CRMs, webinar tools, and more.
What’s Worth Setting Up: - CRM integration (like Salesforce or HubSpot): Keeps sales and marketing aligned. - Webinar platform integration: Automate follow-ups and attendee segmentation. - Product analytics tools: If you have a free trial, tie product usage to campaigns.
What’s Overkill:
Don’t try to wire up every tool under the sun. Focus on integrations that save you manual work or improve your targeting.
What’s Overhyped (and What to Ignore)
Not every shiny feature is worth your time. Here’s what most B2B teams can skip:
- Complex “journey builder” flows: If you don’t have a big library of content, these become spaghetti fast.
- AI-powered recommendations: Fun in theory, but unless you have a huge dataset, results are usually underwhelming.
- Pre-built “best practice” templates: They’re generic for a reason. Use as a starting point, not a strategy.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
You don’t need every bell and whistle. For B2B teams, the Customer.io features that matter most are the ones that let you talk to the right people, at the right time, with the right message. Start with a few solid segments, set up clear triggers, and actually watch the data. If something’s not working, kill it fast.
The best teams don’t build the perfect system on day one—they just keep tweaking. So pick the features that make sense for your team, ignore the rest, and get moving.