Intent data is a type of data that reflects the specific actions and behaviors of individuals or organizations as they interact with digital content. This data can be collected through various channels, such as website visits, social media interactions, and email opens and clicks. It provides insight into what potential customers are interested in, and can be used to inform marketing strategy and tactics.
In the B2B marketing space, intent data can be particularly valuable. B2B sales cycles are often longer and more complex than in the B2C space, and understanding the intentions and interests of potential customers can help marketers craft more targeted and effective campaigns.
What is an intent data vendor?
An intent data vendor is a company that provides data about online behaviors and activities that can indicate a person’s level of interest in a particular product or service. Intent data vendors typically collect this data by tracking and analyzing a variety of online activities, such as searches, website visits, content downloads, and social media interactions. They then provide this data to businesses in the form of reports, dashboards, or KPIs, which can be used to identify and target prospects who are actively researching solutions similar to those offered by the business.
Intent data vendors can be a valuable resource for businesses looking to improve the targeting, personalization, and efficiency of their marketing efforts. By analyzing intent data, businesses can identify and prioritize the most promising opportunities, tailor their marketing messages and content to the specific interests and needs of individual prospects, and measure the effectiveness of their marketing campaigns and use it in parallel with their Sales Engagement Platform.
Why Using Intent Data In B2B SaaS Marketing Is Now Considered ‘The New Norm?’
Intent data is useful for B2B SaaS companies because it provides insights about a prospect’s level of interest in a particular product or service. This can help businesses identify and target the most promising opportunities, personalize their marketing efforts, and improve the efficiency of their marketing campaigns.
There are a few reasons why using intent data in B2B SaaS marketing has become popular:
The rise of digital marketing
As more businesses shift their marketing efforts online, there is an increasing amount of data available about online behaviors and activities that can indicate a person’s level of interest in a particular product or service.
The increasing importance of personalization
In a crowded market, it’s important for businesses to stand out and offer a personalized experience to prospects. Intent data can help businesses tailor their marketing efforts to the specific interests and needs of individual prospects.
The need to optimize marketing spend and ROAS
By targeting prospects who are already interested in a solution, businesses can reduce the cost and time required to generate leads and improve the overall efficiency of their marketing campaigns.
Using intent data can help B2B SaaS companies identify and target the most promising opportunities, personalize their marketing efforts, and improve the efficiency of their marketing campaigns, which is why it has become popular in the industry.
What are the benefits of using intent data in b2b marketing, and how can it be leveraged to drive better results for your business?
Improved targeting
One of the primary benefits of using intent data in B2B marketing is the ability to target your efforts more effectively. By analyzing the actions and behaviors of your target audience, you can identify the companies and individuals that are most likely to be interested in your products or services. This allows you to allocate your resources more efficiently and increase the chances of converting leads into customers.
For example, let’s say you run a software company that sells project management tools to large enterprises. Using intent data, you can identify the specific companies that are actively researching and considering project management solutions. This allows you to target your marketing efforts to these companies, rather than wasting time and resources on companies that are not interested in your offerings.
Personalization
Another benefit of using intent data in b2b marketing is the ability to personalize your marketing messages to the specific interests and needs of your target audience. By analyzing the data, you can gain insights into what potential customers are interested in and tailor your content and messaging accordingly.
For example, let’s say you are marketing a new customer relationship management (CRM) system to small and medium-sized businesses. Using intent data, you can identify the specific features and functionality that these businesses are most interested in and create marketing materials that highlight these benefits. This can help you create more relevant and engaging content, which can lead to higher conversion rates.
Increased efficiency
In the B2B space, marketing efforts often require a significant investment of time and resources. Using intent data can help you optimize your efforts by providing insight into what is and isn’t working. This can help you allocate your resources more effectively and improve the return on your marketing investments.
For example, let’s say you are running a paid search campaign to drive leads for your software company. Using intent data, you can identify the specific keywords and ad copy that are most effective at driving conversions. This allows you to focus your efforts on the most successful elements of your campaign and optimize your budget accordingly.
Top Vendors In This Category – Tech Stack Crunch Team Selection
There are a number of vendors that offer intent data solutions for B2B marketers. Some of the top vendors in this category include:
Bombora
Bombora is a leading provider of intent data for b2b marketers. The company’s proprietary data is collected from over 10,000 business media sites and provides insights into the interests and intentions of business professionals.
Bombora also provides tools for automating certain tasks, such as email outreach and lead qualification, to help sales and marketing teams save time and focus on the most important tasks.
Demandbase
Demandbase is another top vendor in the intent data space, offering a range of solutions for b2b marketers. The company’s ABM platform allows marketers to target specific accounts and personalize their marketing efforts based on the interests and behaviors of those accounts.
Demandbase uses a variety of tools and technologies to help businesses achieve these goals, including:
Account-based advertising: Demandbase provides tools for targeting and retargeting specific accounts with personalized ads.
Account-based email: Demandbase offers email campaigns that are tailored to specific accounts and designed to drive engagement and conversions.
Account-based web personalization: Demandbase provides tools for creating personalized web experiences for specific accounts, including targeted content and personalized Call-to-actions.
Terminus
Terminus is a popular choice for b2b marketers looking to leverage intent data in their ABM efforts. The company’s platform allows marketers to target specific accounts, get alerts on accounts activities and ad interactions and offers a variety of other related services in the account based marketing space.
Terminus also provides analytics and reporting tools to help businesses track the performance of their marketing and sales efforts and understand which tactics are most effective.
6sense
6sense is a company that provides a sales and marketing intelligence platform designed to help businesses identify and prioritize prospects, engage with them effectively, and close deals. One of the key features of the 6sense platform is its ability to provide insights about customer intent through the use of artificial intelligence and machine learning.
6sense collects and analyzes data from a variety of sources, including search engines, social media platforms, and company websites, to identify patterns and signals that indicate a person’s level of interest in a particular product or service. This data is then used to provide recommendations to sales and marketing teams about the most promising opportunities and the most effective strategies for engaging with prospects.
RollWorks
RollWorks is a company that provides a B2B account-based marketing and sales platform. The platform is designed to help businesses identify and prioritize their most promising prospects, engage with them effectively, and close deals.
RollWorks uses a variety of tools and technologies to help businesses achieve these goals, including:
Account-based advertising: RollWorks provides tools for targeting and retargeting specific accounts with personalized ads.
Account-based email: RollWorks offers email campaigns that are tailored to specific accounts and designed to drive engagement and conversions.
Account-based web personalization: RollWorks provides tools for creating personalized web experiences for specific accounts, including targeted content and personalized calls-to-action.
Metadata.io
Metadata.io is a company that provides a sales and marketing automation platform designed to help businesses identify and prioritize the most promising prospects, engage with them effectively, and close deals.
The platform uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to analyze data from a variety of sources, including search engines, social media platforms, and company websites, to identify patterns and signals that indicate a person’s level of interest in a particular product or service. This data is then used to provide recommendations to sales and marketing teams about the most promising opportunities and the most effective strategies for engaging with prospects.
Metadata.io also provides tools for automating certain tasks, such as email outreach and lead qualification, to help sales and marketing teams save time and focus on the most important tasks.
Things To Look At When Choosing Your Next Intent Data Provider
While the benefits of using an intent data technology to improve your targeting and get more awareness across your targeted list of accounts is clear, let’s take a look at what you should look for when choosing your next intent data provider.
Cost, Intent data can be expensive, particularly for businesses that are just starting to use it.
Data quality, The quality of intent data can vary, and it may not always be accurate or up-to-date.
Privacy concerns: Some people may be concerned about the collection and use of their online data, which could impact their willingness to engage with businesses that use intent data.
Overall, while using intent data can provide a number of benefits for B2B marketing efforts, it is important for businesses to carefully consider the potential drawbacks and ensure that they are using the data in a responsible and ethical manner and that the new tool will perfectly align with the new/current Account Based Marketing (ABM) Strategy.
Incorporating Intent Data In Your Account Based Marketing
Account-based marketing (ABM) is a strategy that involves targeting marketing efforts at specific accounts rather than broad groups of prospects. Incorporating intent data into ABM can be a powerful way to improve the targeting, personalization, and efficiency of marketing efforts, and drive better results.
Intent data is information about a person’s online activities and behaviors that can indicate their level of interest in a particular product or service. By analyzing intent data, businesses can identify prospects who are actively researching solutions similar to their own, and target their marketing efforts at these individuals. This can help businesses save time and resources by focusing on the most promising opportunities, and increase the chances of conversion by tailoring marketing messages and content to the specific interests and needs of individual prospects.
There are a number of ways that businesses can incorporate intent data into their ABM efforts:
Targeted advertising: By using intent data to identify prospects who are actively researching solutions similar to those offered by the business, businesses can target their advertising efforts at these individuals and increase the chances of conversion.
Personalized emails: By using intent data to understand the specific interests and needs of individual prospects, businesses can create personalized email marketing campaigns that are tailored to these interests and designed to drive engagement and conversions.
Personalized web experiences: Businesses can use intent data to create personalized web experiences for specific accounts, including targeted content and personalized calls-to-action. This can help businesses increase the chances of conversion by providing a more relevant and engaging experience for prospects.
Incorporating intent data into ABM can be a powerful way to improve the targeting, personalization, and efficiency of marketing efforts, and drive better results. By analyzing intent data, businesses can identify and target the most promising opportunities, tailor their marketing messages and content to the specific interests and needs of individual prospects, and measure the effectiveness of their marketing and its contribution to the company’s bottom line revenue.
Under The Hood
Intent data is crucial in B2B marketing since it helps companies understand what their prospects and customers are interested in, and how they are likely to engage with the company.
Intent data can be collected from a variety of sources, such as website visits, content downloads, and social media interactions. It can be used to inform the content and messaging of marketing campaigns, as well as to segment and target potential customers more effectively.
For example, if a company knows that a prospect has recently visited their website and downloaded a white paper on a particular product, they can assume that the prospect has a high level of interest in that product. The company can then tailor their marketing efforts and craft an ideal customer journey that focuses on that product, and may be more likely to convert the prospect into a customer.
Using intent data allows companies to be more targeted and relevant in their marketing efforts, which can lead to higher conversion rates and more successful customer acquisition.
