We’re all drowning in marketing messages—emails, ads, in-app alerts, “you left something in your cart” nudges from brands we forgot we followed. The messages that actually stand out? Ones that feel like they know us. Enter personalization.
But, pulling off personalization takes more than slapping a {First Name} token into a subject line. It takes clean data, smart tech, and a team that isn’t stuck playing calendar Tetris just to get one campaign out the door. In Stensul’s webinar, “Marketing to One,” experts from Stensul and Sercante got real about what it takes to deliver personalization at scale—without spiraling into chaos. These were the big takeaways.
How to pull of personalization the right way
1. If you data’s a mess, so is your personalization plan
You can’t personalize effectively if your database is full of half-finished profiles, outdated preferences, and duplicates from 2017.
Rich Feist and Mike Creuzer from Sercante emphasized the need to get your house in order first. That means prioritizing data hygiene, standardizing fields, and setting up scalable compliance practices.
Think of your database like a toddler with scissors: just because it’s quiet doesn’t mean it isn’t causing damage.
2. Ditch the Frankenstein workflow
Too many marketing teams are juggling disconnected tools, duplicated effort, and endless approval chains. One platform for copy, another for design, a third for deployment—and no one knows who owns the CTA anymore.
Hogan Stark from Stensul pointed out that the solution isn’t more tools, it’s smarter workflows. Centralizing campaign creation cuts down on back-and-forth and makes room for strategy, not just survival.
When your workflow feels like you’re the only humanities student in a group project full of STEM students, it’s time to regroup.
Not to mention that today’s creation operating models are flat out broken. They’re simply not suited to a modern AI-driven world and the need for email and landing page creation at scale.
On average, it can take more than two weeks to get a single email out the door. Even the most efficient teams still take more than four days to get a single email out. Not only is that inefficient, but in a world now fueled by AI creation, personalization, and instant gratification, speed-to-market is simply non-negotiable.
Inefficient campaign creation from a broken and outdated creation operating model:
- Wastes resources
- Decreases customer engagement
- Results in lost opportunities and revenue
3. Let AI handle the busywork—you focus on the strategy
AI is great at the first 80%. First drafts, subject line testing, send time optimization. Use it to speed things up—not to replace your team’s creativity. AI has been a great tool for so many teams, but let’s not forget that it’s a tool, not another team member.
Just remember: AI is like a well-meaning intern. It can get you started, but it still needs editing.
If your personalization sounds like ChatGPT wrote it…that’s not a compliment.
Leverage AI to enable your teams to get an idea started, optimize and iterate, and unlock speed so you can regain precious time to devote to higher-value, performance-driving work and strategy.
4. Don’t overdo dynamic content
Dynamic content is powerful—but only when it’s done right. Personalized blocks should feel invisible to the user. If your reader can tell the content was stitched together from ten if/then rules, you’ve lost them.
5. Real companies are already doing this—here’s how
Some of the most compelling parts of the webinar were the real-world wins:
- Accolade empowered more team members to launch campaigns, speeding up production without burning people out.
- Bisnow transformed lackluster email results into revenue-driving campaigns.
- Enlyte simplified their tech stack and freed up time for actual creative thinking.
These teams didn’t do more work. They worked smarter—with the right processes, tools, and expectations.
Want to see these ideas in action?
If you haven’t already, watch our webinar to see in their own words how marketing leaders are implementing these practices.
Next, if you’re headed to Salesforce Connection 2025, stop by the Stensul booth #9 to chat with our team real time to see how we can help your team streamline your campaign creation process to personalize strategically.
Learn about campaign creation operating models, see common bottlenecks around email and landing page creation, and get Stensul’s proven framework to connect your teams and tools to drive greater efficiency.
Key takeaway for marketers:
Personalization isn’t about perfection—it’s about relevance. The goal isn’t to make every email a masterpiece. It’s to build systems that let your team consistently create content that feels timely, intentional, and actually helpful.
Because in a world of noise, the brands that win are the ones that make it feel personal.
