What is intent data and how can marketers use it to shape their brand strategy?

Intent data is changing the game of lead gen marketing strategies. It offers valuable insights into lead behavior, allowing marketers to form a better understanding of customer intent and engagement.

But (and there’s always a but) common misconceptions about intent data persist among marketers.

In this article, we will explore these misconceptions and explore the impact intent data can have on larger marketing and brand strategy. Then we’ll offer a few steps to optimize its influence and drive more personalized and effective marketing campaigns.

What is intent data and what are its misconceptions?

Intent data is information about the online research a lead is conducting. This research is often provided by first-party and/or a third-party sources. Cookies and IP address information are common first-party data sources of intent data.

Intent data is not:

1. The full picture: One of the most common misconceptions is that intent data provides the full picture of a lead. While intent data does offer valuable insights into online behavior and interests, it cannot capture the lead's overall needs, pain points, or budget constraints. To truly understand the lead, intent data should be complemented with other data sources and comprehensive research.

2. A guarantee of purchase: Intent data is a powerful indicator of interest in a product or service, but it doesn’t guarantee immediate purchase intent. Leads simply may not be ready to make a buying decision. This is where proper lead nurture and engagement are crucial.

3. A targeting replacement: Some marketers believe that intent data is all you need for lead generation and targeting. Nope. Effective targeting requires a combination of intent data and other data points, such as firmographic data and behavioral history. A holistic marketing approach ensures accurate and targeted lead generation campaigns.

4. 100% accurate: Nothing’s perfect, eh? False positives or irrelevant intent data signals can sometimes lead to misguided marketing efforts. Minimize inaccuracies by validating and verifying your intent data, and use it in conjunction with other data sources.

5. Only for inbound marketing: Intent data is not limited to inbound marketing efforts. It can significantly benefit outbound marketing and sales prospecting as well. It helps provide an understanding of lead interests and activities. This positions you to further tailor outbound messages for improved prospecting effectiveness.

Intent data and brand strategy

Intent data plays a pivotal role in shaping a larger marketing and brand strategy. Here's a breakdown of key aspects that highlight its significance:

1. Personalization and targeting: Intent data allows marketers to segment audiences based on demonstrated interests, enabling personalized messaging tailored to the needs of different customer segments.

2. Lead prioritization: By prioritizing leads based on their intent signals, focusing on high-intent leads improves the chances of conversion and maximizes marketing efforts, allowing marketers to allocate resources more efficiently.

3. Content strategy optimization: Understanding customer intent helps optimize content creation. Marketers can then identify relevant content and adjust distribution accordingly.

4. Better customer journey mapping: Intent data can help you accurately map the customer journey. By understanding the intent behind specific actions, marketers can provide relevant information at each stage of the buying process, anticipating customer needs.

5. Improved ABM strategies: For account-based marketing (ABM), intent data identifies high-value accounts with strong purchase intent. This allows marketers to tailor ABM campaigns to the specific interests of those accounts, driving higher engagement and conversion rates.

Maximizing the influence of intent data

To effectively leverage the full potential of intent data, marketers can implement several key strategies.

First, you should prioritize data quality by ensuring that the data is obtained from reputable sources. Regular data source evaluations help ensure integrity and compliance.

Furthermore, integrating intent data with marketing automation and CRM systems allows for a unified view of leads. This allows for better audience segmentation and targeting. Aligning content strategy with customer interests is crucial at this stage, utilizing intent data to help develop content that addresses a lead’s specific needs based on demonstrated intent.

And finally, real-time data monitoring is essential to swiftly identify high-intent prospects and trigger timely marketing actions.

Key takeaways

Intent data has proven itself to be a powerful tool for maximizing valuable lead behavior insights. While it may not offer a 365º look at lead information, it is an essential component of a large marketing campaign.

By sidestepping common misconceptions and optimizing its impact, marketers can fully harness the potential of intent data to enhance personalization, boost engagement, and ultimately achieve greater business success.