[EBOOK] Buyer intent data: How to find prospects already looking for your solution | Smartcore

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Buyerintentdata: Howtofindprospects alreadylookingfor yoursolution

Introduction

Imaginebeingabletoreadthemindsof potentialcustomers.Toanticipateasale beforeevenmeetingyournewclient.Tapping intobuyerintentdataoffersthispossibility.

Whatisbuyerintentdata? Example

Buyerintentdataisacollectionofsignalsthat revealapotentialcustomer'sinterestlevel andlikelihoodtomakeapurchase.These signalsarecapturedfromonlinebehaviour andcontentconsumption,includingwebsite interactions,socialmediaactivity,email engagements,andsearchqueries. Byunderstandingbuyerintent,businessescan betteranticipatetheneedsandpreferences oftheircustomers,whichcanhelpthem increasesalesandimprovecustomer satisfaction.Forexample,supposeapotential customerissearchingforaspecificproductor service.Inthatcase,abusinesscanusethis datatocreatetargetedadsorcontent relevanttothecustomer'sinterests.

Intentdataisoftenusedtocreatean engagementscore,whichindicateshowfar intothebuyingjourneyagivenprospectis.

Abusinesssellingplant-basedalternativeswants tocarryoutatargetedmarketingcampaign.

ACTION

Theycollectdatathatshowsprospectswhohave readanarticleonthelatestinnovationinthe plant-basedindustry.Theyhavealowintentscore andareconsideredtobeattheawarenessstage ofthebuyingfunnel. Theseprospectsaretargetedwithadsdirecting themtowhitepapers,reports,andarticles.

Theyalsocollectdatathatshowsotherprospects havereadanarticle,doneafollow-upsurvey,and researchedavarietyofsolutions.Thisgrouphasa muchhigherintentscoreandisconsideredtobe muchfurtherdownthebuyingfunnel.

ACTION

Theseprospectsaretargetedwithadsshowcasing productdemonstrationsandtestimonials,or encouragingthemtobookademotohelpmake informedpurchasingdecisions.

Howisbuyerintent datagathered?

Buyerintentdataisgatheredfromvarious sources,includingwebsitebehaviour,search enginequeries,socialmediaactivity,and customerinteractions.

Forexample,abusinesscantrackthekeywords customerssearchforontheirwebsiteanduse thisinformationtounderstandtheirinterests.

Additionally,companiescantrackthepages customersvisitontheirwebsiteandtheir actions- suchasclickingonlinksorfillingout forms-tounderstandtheirpreferencesand intent.Socialmediaactivity,suchaslikes, shares,andcomments,canalsoprovide valuableinsightintoprospects'wants,needs, andpainpoints.

Marketerscanbuildacomprehensivepictureof theircustomers'intentbygatheringthisdata frommultiplesourcesandusingittoplanand executetargetedcampaigns.

BuyerIntentDataSources

Websitebehaviour:Websitevisitsandactionstaken,suchaslink clicksandformsubmissions.

Searchqueries:Keywordscustomerssearchforonacompany website.

Socialmediaactivity:Likes,shares,andcommentsonsocial mediaposts.

Customerinteractions:Datafromcustomerinteractions,suchas calls,emails,andonlinechats.

Surveysandpolls:Surveysandpollscanbeusedtoask customersabouttheirinterestsandpreferencesdirectly.

Salesdata:Salesdatathatrevealswhichproductsorservices aremostpopularwiththeircustomers.

Onlinereviews:Commentsandratingsthatcustomersleaveon productsorservices.

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Understandingthedifferenttypesofbuyerintentdata

Notallintentdataisthesame,anddifferent typesofintentdatacanbeusedto understandcustomerinterestsand preferences. Therearetwomaintypes:first-partyand third-party.First-partybuyerintentdatais collecteddirectlyfromcustomersthrough theirinteractionswithacompany'sdigital properties.Thistypeofdataistypically morespecificandaccurate,giventhatit wascollectedfirst-hand.

Third-partybuyerintentdataiscollected fromexternalsourcesbeyondacompany's ownedproperties.Thistypeofdatacan providevaluableinsightsintocustomer behaviourandpreferences,butmaybe lessspecificandaccuratethanfirst-party intent.However,itservesavaluable purposeinextendingreachandgathering informationaboutabroaderrangeof customers,includingthoseyettobeknown toabusiness.

Internal

First-party Third-party

Collecteddirectlyfrom customerinteractions

Sourcedthroughthecompany website,webforms,surveys, andcustomerinterviews

External

Collectedbyanexternal provider

Sourcedthroughads,cookies, IPaddresses,databases,web crawlers,chatbots,mediaand webmentions

Readilyavailablewithinyour company’ssystemandtools, e.g.,socialmediaadclicks

Showsstrongsignalsfrom customersdirectlyengaging withyourproducts

Examples:

Websitevisits

Surveyresponses

Socialmediaengagement

Insightgatheredfrombeyond yourproperties,e.g.,related websearches

Providescomprehensivepicture ofallprospectsengagingwith contentrelatedtoyourofferings

Examples:

Reviewwebsites

Competitorsearches

Activityoncompetitors’or relatedwebsites

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Understandingthedifferenttypesofbuyerintentdata

Buyerintentdataisalsooftencategorisedaseither explicit,implicit,orinferred.

Explicit

Explicitbuyerintentdataisprovideddirectlybythe customer,suchasthroughasearchqueryorasurvey response.Thisistypicallyfirst-party,andasaresult morespecificandaccurate.

Implicit

Implicitbuyerintentdataisderivedfromacustomer's behaviour,suchasthepagestheyvisitonawebsite ortheproductstheyaddtotheironlineshoppingcart. Thistypeofdataislessspecificthanexplicitbuyer intentdata,butcanstillprovidevaluableinsightsinto acustomer'sinterestsandpreferences.

Inferred

Inferredbuyerintentdataiscreatedbycombining explicitandimplicitbuyerintentdata,andusing machinelearningalgorithmstopredictacustomer's interestsandpreferences.Thistypeofdata-while lessspecificthanexplicitbuyerintentdata-canhelp identifytrendsandpredictfuturebehaviour.

Doesbuyerintentdatareally liveuptothehype?

Theuseofintentdatahasgainedmuchattentionin recentyears,andmanyteamsareincorporatingit intotheirmarketingandcustomerexperience strategies.Somepeoplehavequestionedwhether intentdatalivesuptothehype,andwhetheritistruly effectiveinimprovingbusinessresults.

Overall,theevidencesuggeststhatintentdatacanbe avaluabletoolforbusinesses,andfeedbackfrom

thoseusingitisoverwhelminglypositive.Byproviding insightintocustomerinterestsandpreferences,ithas helpedmarketerscreatemoretargetedandeffective marketingcampaigns,improvethecustomer experience,andincreasesales.

Ofcourse,likeanytool,intentdataisnotamagic solution.Itisessentialtouseitincombinationwith othermarketingandcustomerexperiencestrategies. Usingatrustworthyproviderisalsovital,asthe accuracyandreliabilityofintentdatacanvary dependingonthesourcesandmethodsusedto collectit.However,withcarefuluseandconsideration, intentdatacandrivemoreengagementand conversion.

We’reat300%better click-throughrates whenweuseintent data.

BenHowell,VPofPerformance MarketingatSalesforce

Source:Bombora

Getaheadofcompetitors!

Expandyourreach-target previouslyunknown prospects

Intentdatarevealsnewprospectsactivelylookingfor yoursolution,evenbeforeyouhaveanyinformation onthemorknowhowtoreachthem.

Forexample,aB2Bcompanylookingtotarget customersinterestedinpurchasinganalytics softwarebutwithlimiteddatacouldusekeywords relatedtowebanalytics,reporting,andattributionas intenttopics.Bygainingaccesstointentdataon thesetopics,thecompanywouldunderstandwhois currentlysearchingforrelatedinformationonline.

97%ofB2Bmarketersbelieve Intentdatawillgivebrandsa competitiveadvantage.

RollWorks,Ascend2,BomboraReport

Theycouldthenusekeywordsrelatedtoanalytics andattributioninadsandcontentmarketing,and targettheusersrevealedbyintentdata.Byusing intentdatainthisway,thecompanycanexpandits audienceandincreaseitsvisibilityamongpotential customers.

Giventhattheadsaretailoredexplicitlytoprospects' interests,theyarealsomorelikelytoberelevant, timely,andeffective-andleadtoincreased engagementandconversion.

Whobenefitsfrombuyerintentdata?

Marketers

Buyerintentdataallowsmarketerstobetter understandtheneedsanddesiresoftheirtarget audience,enablingthemtocreatemoretargetedand effectivemarketingcampaigns. Usingbuyerintentdata,marketerscanidentify potentialcustomersactivelyseekingoutproductsor servicesrelatedtotheirbusiness,allowingthemto expandtheirreachanddrivemorequalifiedleadsto theirwebsite.Additionally,intentdatacanhelp marketersoptimisetheiradspendbyfocusingtheir effortsonthechannelsandaudiencesmostlikelyto convert.

Salespeople

BuyerIntentdataalsohelpssalesteamsbyproviding insightsintopotentialcustomers'buyingbehaviours andinterests.Theycanidentifypotentialcustomers activelyresearchingandconsideringpurchasing productsorservicesrelatedtotheirbusiness. Thisallowssalesteamstoprioritisetheireffortsand focusonengagingwiththesehigh-intentprospects, ultimatelyleadingtomorequalifiedleadsand increasedsales.

Additionally,buyerintenthelpssalesteamstailortheir outreachtobetteralignwiththeneedsoftheirtarget audience,increasingthelikelihoodofconversions.

Customers

Whenmarketersandsalesusebuyerintentdatato tailortheirproducts,services,andmessaging, customersalsobenefit.

Imagineyou'reinterestedinpurchasinganewpairof runningshoes.Youresearchdifferentbrandsand modelsonlineandvisitseveralwebsitestocompare featuresandprices.Howlikelyareyoutoengageifa companyusesintentdatatodeliverahighly personalisedadofferingyouadiscountonrunning shoes?Intentdataallowsformorerelevant,timely, andcustomisedexperiencesthatimprovecustomer satisfaction.

AccordingtoastudybyEpsilon, 80%ofconsumerssaytheyare morelikelytomakeapurchase whenbrandsofferpersonalised experiences.

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Intentdata:thegoldenticketforsuccess?

5commonmistakestoavoidwithbuyerintentdata

Treatingitlikeasilver bullet

Buyerintentdataisavaluabletoolformarketers andsalesteams,butitisnotaperfectsolutionto everyproblem.Itmeasuresindicatorsofpotential interestanddesiretobuy,butitcannot guaranteethatacustomerwillmakeapurchase.

Marketersneedtohaveawell-definedstrategy forcollecting,analysing,andusingbuyerintent datatomaximiseitsvalue.However,only28%of marketershaveaneffectiveintentdatastrategy inplace.Toeffectivelyusebuyerintentdata, marketersneedtodefinethesourcesofthedata, establishcriteriaforwhatconstitutesvaluable data,andhaveaclearplanforhowtousethe datatodrivebusinessdecisionsandactions.

withthesalesteams

Intentdataisasvaluableforsalesteamsasitis formarketing.Despitethis,manycompaniesfail toshareiteffectively.

Havinginsightsintoapotentialcustomer's interests,challenges,andpurchasingpathcan givesalesasignificantadvantagewhenreaching outtopotentialcustomers.Thisinformationcan helpthesalesteamhavemoreeffectiveand high-qualityconversationswithpotential customers.Byknowingthisinformation,theycan tailortheirapproachandcommunicationtothe specificneedsandinterestsofthecustomer, whichcanimprovethequalityofthesales conversation.Thiscanmakeitmorelikelythatthe customerwillbeinterestedinwhatthesales teamoffers,increasingthechancesofmakinga successfulsale.

Notcombiningfirstand third-partyintentdata

Researchhasshownthatmanycompaniesare missingoutonthebenefitsofacombined approachtointentdatabyfocusingononlyone type. 45%ofcompaniesuseonlyfirst-partyorthirdpartyintentdata,while75%ofthosethatdousea combinationapproachrelymoreheavilyonfirstpartydata.Thismeanstheyaremissingouton thevaluethatcomesfromusingbothdatatypes together.Usingbothfirst-partyandthird-party intentdataenablesB2Bmarketerstonurture existingleadsandcustomers,whilealsoreaching newaudiencesthatmaynothaveheardoftheir brand.Bycombiningthetwotypesofintentdata, marketerscancreatemoreeffectiveand targetedcontent,andincreaseawarenessoftheir brandamongpotentialcustomers.

Makingintentdataactionableisoneofthemost commonissuesformarketers,andmanymake themistakeofspendingtoolonganalysingand notenoughtimeexecuting.

Manymarketersuseintentdatatobuildbuyer personas,identifyearlybuyerinterest,and prioritisespecificaccountsorprospects.However, marketersmustplanhowtheywilluseintentdata intheiroveralldemandgenerationstrategyto ensurethattheyaremakingthemostofthe insightsitprovides.

Thisgoesbeyondplanning,identifying,and prioritising-tosegmentation,personalisation, anddynamiccontent.Useintentdataattheheart ofyourcampaignstodelivercustomised experiencesthatdriveengagement.

13%reportincreasedROI,22%reportbetterconversionrates,64% seeimprovementsinbothfortheirbusiness

InsightsForProfessionals

Notproperlyplanninghowtouseintentdata 5

Withoutsufficientplanning,aninvestmentinintent datacanleadtowastedtimeandresources.

Gatheringintentdataisonlyworthwhileifitisused toinformdecision-makinganddrivemarketing efforts.Ifmarketersdonothaveaclearplanforhow theywillusethedata,theymayendupwithinsights thatarenotactionableorrelevanttotheirgoals. Thiscanleadtoineffectivemarketingcampaigns andmissedsalesopportunities.

Inaddition,notproperlyplanninghowtouseintent datacanhinderthedevelopmentofanurturing plan,whichisessentialforbuildingrelationships withpotentialcustomersandguidingthemthrough thesalesfunnel.Anurturingprogramisbasedon understandingtheneedsandinterestsofpotential customers,andusingthatinformationtocreate targetedandrelevantcontentandcommunication thatfitsaprospect'splaceintheirbuyingjourney.

Withoutaclearplanforusingintentdata,marketers maystruggletodevelopacomprehensivenurturing plan,limitingtheirabilitytoengageeffectivelywith potentialcustomers.

CUSTOMER2

Thesetwocustomersneedtobetreated differently.Customer1needsawarenesscontent, suchasaneBook,topushthemfurtherdownthe funnel.Incontrast,customer2isreadyfora salescall-duringwhichthesalespersoncan useintentdatainsightstotailortheir communication.

CUSTOMER1

5keybenefitsofbuyerintentdata Helpsidentifyopportunities

Asintentdatatrackscustomers’onlinebehaviour,itprovidesreal-timeinsightsonpotential accountstotargetbasedonearlysignsofinterest.Marketerscanidentifynewpotential accountsandbuildsalesopportunitiesbeforecustomershaveexplicitlyexpressedintent-topurchasesignals.

Insightintocustomers’behaviourfromearlyawarenessstagescanbegatheredfromcontent theyhaveengagedwith,theinformationtheyhaveresearched,andwebsitepagestheyhave visited.Youcouldtakethisfurtherandcombineintentdatawithpredictiveanalyticstopull togetherdatafromvarioussourcesandpredictfuturebuyingpatterns.

Intentdatacanprovidegreatinsightonwhat potentialcustomersarelookingforandwherethey havelooked,allowingmarketerstogaugehowfar alongthebuyerjourneyfunneltheyare.Thisisall criticaltoenhancingleadqualificationandlead scoring.

What is lead scoring?

Amethodologyusedinmarketingand salestodeterminetheimportanceof leads,orpotentialcustomers,by attachingvaluestothembasedon theirbehaviourrelatingtotheir interestinproductsorservices.

Improvesaccount-basedmarketing(ABM)

Supportssalespipeline 3 4

Prioritisedaccountscanbetargetedthroughan account-basedmarketingapproach.Thishighly personalisedapproachrequireskeyinsightintothe customer'sneeds,interests,andpainpoints.Intent dataiscriticaltoasuccessfulABMstrategyasit providesalltheinsightrequiredtopersonalise messaging.

ForsuccessfulABM,thedatamustbeaccurate,upto-date,andfullyprivacy-compliant.Youmust ensurethatallcommunicationsalignwitha customer’sneedsandpreviousengagement.

A2021HubSpotreportfound that70%ofcompanies utiliseABM,growingat around15%perannum.

Intentdatahelpssalesprofessionalsunderstandthecustomer’spainpointsbeforeevenspeakingwith them,sotheycancustomisecommunicationstoaddresscustomerneedsrightfromthestart.Having thislevelofunderstandingnotonlyhelpssalesgetthefirstcall,butalsobuildsstrongerrelationships withclientsinthelongrun.

Bythetimeasalespersongetsonthephone,acustomerhasoftenmadethedecision.That’swhy gettinginearlyandhavinginsightonwhatthey’relookingforiscritical.

Helpsoptimisecontentstrategy 5

Intentdatadeliversthepowerofknowledge.Knowing whatyourtargetmarketisinterestediniskeytocreating aneffectivecontentstrategy.Pushingoutconsistent contentisgood,butitwillfallflatifitisnotaddressing thetopicsofinteresttoyourtargetaudience.

Byleveragingintentdata,marketerscanmapout keywords,topics,andpainpointscustomersseekmore informationabout.Thiscanbeusedtobuildastrong contentstrategythatprovidestheanswerscustomers arelookingforandencouragesthemtomovealongthe buyerjourneyfunnel.

What is content marketing?

Astrategicapproachofcreating relevantandinsightfulcontent,in theformofblogs,videos,reports, andothermaterialtoattractyour targetaudience.Thisaimstodrive engagementwithpotential customersandencouragethe exchangeofinformation.

67%ofmarketerssaytheirnumberone challengewithintentdatainvestmentis makingitactionable Gartner

Conclusion

So,isintentdatathegoldenticketto successinthefutureofmarketing?

Itisclearthatintentdataisimmenselyvaluable.Itallowsa levelofunderstandingofcustomersthatwouldhavebeen impossibletoachievepreviously.However,morethanintent dataisneededtodriveasuccessfulmarketingstrategy.

Youcanseeintentdataasyourgoldenticketintothefactory, buttheworkdoesn’tendthere.Considerhowyoucan integrateintentdataintoyourexistingdataset,toforma360degreesingleviewofyourtargetaccounts.Then,useallthe informationavailabletonurtureleads,strategicallytarget content,andpersonaliseinteractions.

Ultimately,youwanttoensurethatyoucantrustthedatayou gather,thenbuildstrategiesbasedontheinsightsyouderive. Ifyouhaveastrongfoundation,youaresettingyourbusiness upforsuccessfromthestart.

HowcanSmartcorehelpyou?

Oursmarterdigitalcampaignsarepoweredbyourfirst-partybuyerintentdata,includingover400,000 ingredientsbuyersintheglobalB2Bfoodandnutritionmarkets,andourmarketingmastery.Weofferyou accesstohighlytargetedanduniquelyqualifiedaudiencesthroughfullfunnelmarketingsolutionsthat achievegoal-specificsuccess.Wecanhelpyou:

Findyourbuyers:ExploreourAudienceReachCalculatorandidentifyyourprospects engagedingredientsbuyers activelylookingforyouringredientsandproducts.

Segmentthemwithsmartersolutions:Furtherrefineyourrelevantaudiencebasedon228datapoints(productand industryinterest,jobfunctionandlevel,andgeographicallocation),andgettheestimatednumberoffirst-partydata youcantarget.

Reachthemwithsmarterdigitalcampaigns:Regardlessofthefunnelstagethey’rein,oursmarterdigitalcampaigns empoweryoutoconnectwiththemacrossmultiplestrategictouchpointsanddrivebusinessgrowth.

Engagethemonspecialisedchannelswithcompellingcontent:Connectwithyourbuyersonindustry-leadingfood andnutritioncontentchannels,high-trafficsocialwebsites,andthroughvideoadvertisements.Engagethemwith impactfulstorytellingcraftedbyourexperteditors.

GenerateGDPR-compliantleads:Ourreliabledataensureswe’reabletosuccessfullydeliverexcellent-qualityGDPRcompliantleadsforyourbusiness,inadditiontoothergoalssuchasbrandawarenessandthoughtleadership.

Getintouchtoday.Startreachingyourbuyerswithsmarterdigitalcampaignsandachievingrealresults.

Smartersolutions.Greaterreturns.

Sources

Gartner,'5OverlookedConsiderationsWhenPurchasingIntentData'-link Cognism,'IntentData:WhyIt'sEssentialforB2BSales'-link

EuropeanBusinessMagazine,'NotallIntentDataiscreatedequal'-link

Markletic,'WhatisIntent-BasedMarketingandwhyisitimportant?'-link

Coresignal,'IntentData:GainAdvantageAgainstYourCompetitors'-link

Leadfeeder,'Survey:65%ofB2Bcompaniesarelookingtoinvestmoreinbuyerintentdata'-link

AdExchanger,'WhenARecessionHits,Don’tPullBackYourAdvertising'-link

CMSWire,'BracingforaCookielessFutureandtheAgeoftheSelf-ServiceBuyer'-link

DigitalJournal,'B2BBuyerIntentDataToolsMarketGrowth2022LatestTrends'-link

MarketWatch,'GlobalB2BBuyerIntentDataToolsMarket2022'-link

DNB,'eBook:IntentDataforB2BSalesandMarketing'-link

Cognism,'WhatIsIntentDataAndItsBenefitsforB2BSales?'-link

TOPO,'IntentDataMarketGuide'-link

DemandGenReport,'IntentData:It’sBecomingAKeyIngredientForRevenueGrowth'-link

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