How Palo Alto Networks Personalizes at Scale With PathFactory

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY:

• Palo Alto Networks faced challenges delivering personalized content at scale with limited resources and high-friction buyer journeys
• PathFactory enabled bingeable content experiences, replacing gated landing pages that hindered prospect self-education
• Content collections and Demandbase integration helped achieve personalization at scale across all channels
• Automated content recommendations tailored experiences to each prospect with minimal manual maintenance
• Results: improved customer experiences, shortened sales cycles, and increased revenue opportunities

THE GOAL:

The marketing team at Palo Alto Networks recognized that success depended on delivering personalized content at scale while connecting buyer journeys across every funnel stage. Their mission: create seamless pathways aligned to specific products and buyer pain points while reducing friction for self-directed learning.

THE CHALLENGE:

The team faced several critical obstacles:

• Limited data and resources hampering content personalization efforts
• Extended sales cycles taking months to convert
• High-friction content journeys forcing prospects to search elsewhere for information

“Customer experience challenges were significant. We wanted to ensure consistent messaging throughout digital nurture journeys,” explained Kara Fisher, Palo Alto Networks Marketing Operations Manager. “Sending prospects to gated landing pages added friction and resulted in missed revenue opportunities.”

Their buyers expected curated experiences that addressed their specific pain points and needs. However, the gap between knowing what they needed to provide and having the capability to do so was widening, threatening their competitive position. To solve for this, Kara’s team recognized that personalization was no longer an option, so they turned to PathFactory to transform their content strategy, with a focus on pipeline and content engagement.

THE SOLUTION:

After discovering PathFactory at an Adobe conference, the marketing team was intrigued by PathFactory’s ability to nurture leads faster by providing the right information to the right buyer at the right time. To get to the point where they could engage buyers and scale content recommendations to their list of prospects, they implemented several PathFactory features:

• Bingeable Content Experiences: 

Before PathFactory: Traditionally, Palo Alto Networks would email prospects with a CTA to a gated landing page. This tactic added a lot of friction to the buyer journey reducing opportunities for conversion.

After PathFactory: The marketing team built content playlists and ungated landing pages, enabling prospects to consume multiple content pieces in a single session.

• Omnichannel Delivery of Content Experiences

Before PathFactory: Without a central hub to keep tabs on the most-recent and relevant content, there was a lot of inconsistency in the information that was being shared. The team was concerned they were not showcasing a consistent stream of the most accurate information, leading to poor customer experiences and missed revenue opportunities.

After PathFactory: Collections featuring only the most-popular and updated content were built and deployed across multiple channels, including: landing pages, emails, and the website. By integrating with Demandbase, the team delivered targeted experiences based on funnel stage, product interest, and buyer pain points, including 1:1 personalized landing pages for sales.

• Branded Content Experiences

Before PathFactory: The marketing team would promote a single, gated piece of content, hoping it would result in leads. There was no technology in place that would provide scalable, brand-friendly content experiences for buyers.

After PathFactory: Palo Alto Networks began sending their buyers to 1:1 and 1:many landing pages and content playlists which featured relevant content buyers needed to make a purchasing decision. The marketing team now delivers brand-friendly content experiences at scale.