In a world where demand generation and marketing, in general, are more data-driven than ever, intent data is one of the trendiest issues in B2B circles.
B2B Intent data is the most recent instrument to hit the buzz cycle in the marketing stack. There are supporters and opponents, but when it comes down to it, intent data is just another useful tool in your marketing toolkit. If it’s used properly.
Curiosity realized is interest.
The aim is a concentration on deliberate activity.
One might merely suggest awareness and interest in a topic, whilst the other requires action. It is possible to have interest without purpose, but it is doubtful that you will have the intent that shows a proclivity to acquire without interest.
As a result, we may broaden the dependencies in B2B marketing and selling by acknowledging that interest must be sustainable, and intent must include the capacity and willingness to act (buy).
It is not a good idea to use intent data as a stand-alone proxy for B2B buyers. It’s simple to be drawn in and check at accounts that have searched for terms and phrases relating to the category of your solution.
You say, “Yes!” This account is for sale!
Then you notice that five persons from the account are interested. You have no idea who it is, but you know the account is primed for interaction. You excitedly examine your CRM to see who is active… However, the contacts associated with the account are dormant.
As someone who conducts extensive studies on a wide range of issues for my clients, I’m displaying “intent” all over the place. That perception is reflected in my mailbox. Unfortunately.
When people connect with your firm, the intent score shifts to provide greater weight to branded interactions like visits to your website, branded keyword searches, targeted display ad engagement, and more.
All you see in the early “about them” section of the journey is interest…maybe. There is no indication that your firm is even on their radar.
The data on purpose is vague. You can identify which location a user is in, but this is inconvenient for remote workers and firms with employees spread over many countries. You still have no idea who they are. Even if they are in your database, intent vendors can’t tell who is looking, where they are, or what account they belong to just on reverse IP lookup. But you have no idea what a title, division, buying, or learning are.
For the same reasons, seeing rivals’ names in search phrases might be perplexing.
With the additional knowledge provided by intent data, experts highlight the possibility to reach out to buyers before the competition. But just because they’ve shown an interest doesn’t imply they’re ready to buy.
I’ve seen a number of campaigns that target accounts with lower intent ratings, resulting in dismal outcomes. Mostly because the campaign is attempting to place a product before the customer is ready to purchase it.
Insights derived from intent data that is unconnected to direct interactions with your accounts are referred to as “dark web” insights. You’re obtaining visibility into what accounts are doing without you, something you wouldn’t have known before. It’s fascinating on its own, but not compelling until you can quantify that interest with long-tail keywords that help you zero in on the cause, problem, or interest.
When you can watch interest grow, direct interactions occur, and the escalation from interest to intent, intent data becomes quite intriguing.
There have been other recent updates. Buyers now have a wealth of information to go through before identifying themselves as sellers. Modern B2B purchasers like to be assisted by a salesman only after they’ve reached a few of their own conclusions. Intent data can assist marketers in identifying a large portion of that anonymous research activity.
Marketers are also embracing Account-Based Marketing (ABM), focusing their efforts on accounts that have a high propensity to buy based on who they are: industry, revenue, and technology deployed. After “who could purchase from us,” the logical next step is “who among that group cares right now.” That is what intent data may reveal.
Finally, the technology to capture intent data is finally available. Marketers today have access to platforms that can take in large quantities of data and then act on that data in an automated way, thanks to DSPs, DMPs, site customization engines, marketing automation systems, and CRMs.
Our clients use our data in a variety of ways. The four most common are as follows:
● ABM Ad Targeting: Creating “cookie pools” based on the correct personalities at “surging” accounts (how we refer to companies showing spikes in relevant research activity)
● Lead Generation: target these similar firms using lead generation channels such as content syndication, LinkedIn sponsored updates and Facebook advertisements.
● Lead Scoring: A marketer may know that a lead has the correct title, is at a target account, and has viewed which Web pages. If the marketer notices that the lead originates from a growing firm, the lead may be rated appropriately and handed on to sales more rapidly.
● Sales and account management entails determining which accounts in your market are most likely to interact. Account teams utilize our data to determine which companies are likely to upsell and which are likely to churn.
There really is a lot of talk about intent and how it can forecast which firms will buy from you and when. Unfortunately, there is no magic elixir here to anticipate sales for me (or most others in B2B sales and marketing).
We know that if our data is used effectively, it may assist boost engagement across all use cases, resulting in more sales. Knowing which deals will close on a case-by-case basis, on the other hand, is a fallacy. Marketing is still a numbers game, and data accumulates over time.
When utilized correctly, B2B intent data may be a huge success for relevance, resulting in engagement and momentum toward purchase.
To assure success, locate the ideal intent-based marketing partner who knows how to successfully exploit the information it provides, keeps firms up to date on developments and adjustments, and has comprehensive reviews and case studies to verify their reliability.
Contact us right away to learn more about our B2B Marketing Services.