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Unlocking B2B Marketing Insights with Intent Data
Marketing Tactics

Unlocking B2B Marketing Insights with Intent Data

B2B buyers are spending more time doing their research online before reaching out to sales teams. That doesn’t mean your reps should be patiently waiting for a call, however. Some research shows that it can take anywhere from 7 to 20 or more touches from sales and marketing to reach a prospect.

Identifying, and taking advantage of intent data, can help marketers make more informed decisions about reaching potential customers. Understanding what prospects are looking for can help ensure you’re delivering the right message at the right time, whether it takes 7 touches or 70 (but hopefully not actually 70!).

What is Intent Data?

Intent data refers to information that indicates a potential customer’s interest in or intent to purchase a product, learn about a topic, or interact with a brand. It captures specific actions and behaviors from prospects including:

  • Pages they visit
  • Keywords they search
  • Content they engage with
  • Time spent with different types of content

By analyzing these activities, marketers can assess where potential customers are in their buying journey and tailor their strategies accordingly.

Intent data can be divided into two main types:

  • First-party intent data: This is data collected directly from your company’s digital properties. That can include website visits, email interactions, or app usage, as well as data given by users through newsletter sign-ups or form fills.. This data is unique to your business and provides insights into how customers engage with your specific content and services. First-party data is the most desirable form of customer data because it is coming directly from the user.
  • Third-party intent data: Third-party data is collected by external data providers like Google. These providers can aggregate signals across various websites and platforms beyond your own properties. Third-party intent data can reveal a broader view of customer behavior in your industry, showing which topics or products they’re researching, even if they’re not yet engaging directly with your brand.

Where Does Intent Data Come From?

Intent data can come from a variety of sources. Whether you are able to take advantage of some or all of these sources depends in part on your marketing strategy. For example, if you aren’t producing content or if your website isn’t tracking clicks you’re missing an opportunity to connect with prospects and learn more about what they’re looking for from your organization.

Some common sources for gathering intent data include:

  • Website Analytics: Tools like Google Analytics (GA4) or Adobe Analytics track user behavior on your site, such as which pages they visit, how long they stay, and the paths they follow. CID’s digital team relies on GA4 for nearly all of our website data.

  • Social Media: Social listening tools (such as Hootsuite or Sprout Social) capture customer interactions, sentiment, and engagement trends on social media, revealing topics and products of interest.

  • Content Interactions: Content engagement data can include everything from blog views and white paper downloads to webinar attendance and video views. Along with helpful intent data, this information can also give you insights into how your content is performing and what users find most valuable.

  • Search Queries: Keywords that users search on Google or Bing can indicate their research stage, helping marketers understand their needs and pain points. Broad terms tend to indicate someone is in an early stage, while more specific queries point to someone who may be closer to making a purchase decision.

  • Third-Party Data Brokers: Data companies like Bombora or Demandbase offer insights into industry-wide intent by monitoring user activities on other websites. They provide insights into search volume, content engagement, and other intent signals at scale.

Recognizing Patterns to Understand Intent

To make the most of intent data, marketers need to recognize patterns that indicate customer intent. Some patterns to look out for include:

Frequency of Engagement: Customers who repeatedly visit certain pages or interact with specific types of content are likely showing a stronger interest. Seeing an uptick in clicks on your company’s “Capabilities” page? That could mean you’re being vetted by a prospect.

Content Depth: Prospects who engage with in-depth resources, such as case studies or white papers, may be further along in the buying journey. They likely have a short list of vendors and are looking more closely at how you approach your work and the results you can deliver.

Time Spent: The amount of time a customer spends on certain content or product pages can indicate genuine interest, especially if they return to these areas repeatedly. For instance, if your business has a page outlining your quote process and a user is spending a lot of time there, it’s a pretty solid indicator that they’re going to reach out. (Hint: if your B2B site doesn’t have a page like this, consider adding one.)

Keyword Searches: Specific search terms can reveal a customer’s intent, particularly if they focus on high-buying intent terms like “best,” “compare,” or “reviews.” You can use tools like Google’s or SEM Rush to get insights into keywords, but don’t discount looking at your own website’s search data, too.

How to Use Different Types of Intent Signals

Once you’ve identified intent signals, use them to segment your audience. From there you can create marketing strategies and content that are tailored to those segments and their needs.

Chart identifying the marketing intent signals and how they reach users

Using Intent Data Effectively

Depending on how much intent data you’re able to harness, you may want to look into tools to help manage the information. Most of the popular marketing platforms are able to connect with one another via API, which can be helpful for funneling information collected from one source to another. For instance, if you capture data through Salesforce it’s possible to share it with your Pardot instance.

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Systems: Platforms like Salesforce and HubSpot can centralize intent data, helping you track and segment customer behaviors over time. If your organization is small -to- medium, Hubspot is generally a smart choice. Larger enterprises in need of more robust features may be well-served by Salesforce. In some cases, your website platform may have the tools you need already built in.

Intent Data Platforms: You could also add specialized tools such as Bombora or Demandbase, which are designed for intent data analysis. However, depending on your budget and overall needs this additional platform may not be necessary.

Automation: Marketing automation platforms such as Marketo or Pardot can help you automatically segment audiences based on intent and trigger personalized campaigns, such as email nurture streams.

Using intent data effectively involves not only collecting the right signals but also interpreting them accurately to understand where each customer is in their journey. By using intent data, B2B marketers can reach audiences with greater precision, optimize their campaigns, and improve the overall customer experience.

With the right tools, recognizing and acting on intent data can be a powerful approach to driving conversions, supporting your ABM efforts, and building long-lasting relationships with customers.

Get help collecting, and using your intent data. CID’s Digital Marketing Team can help you make the most of your information. Get in touch now.

CI Marketing & Strategy Team

CI Marketing & Strategy Team

Our Marketing & Strategy team are the creative masterminds who transform metrics into measurable wins, crafting killer campaigns that make your brand impossible to ignore. From SEO mastery to content that actually gets clicks, we don't just follow best practices – we set them. When other teams play checkers, we're playing 4D chess with your digital strategy.

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