In today’s competitive marketplace, leveraging intent data is not just an advantage — it’s a necessity for crafting impactful go-to-market (GTM) strategies. For those at the helm steering strategic direction, understanding and utilizing intent data is critical to maintaining competitive advantage.

Understanding intent data

Intent data, encompassing various research and buying signals, provides invaluable insights into customer behaviors and interests. However, the power of intent data lies in how effectively an organization can interpret and activate it. This requires not just technology, but an ecosystem that blends compelling content, creative messaging, and smart activation tools. I call this approach signal-based marketing and it empowers companies to proactively reach the right prospects at the right time. By aligning data science with lead generation and digital advertising teams, businesses can create a synchronized strategy that maximizes the impact of their marketing campaigns.

Getting started with intent data – challenges and solutions

Implementing intent data is not without its hurdles. Many intent data providers deliver raw datasets without activation solutions, resulting in outdated insights by the time campaigns launch. Similarly, cumbersome account-based marketing (ABM) platforms can take months to onboard, delaying marketing efforts. Providers that operate as “black boxes” diminish credibility with sales by offering no insight into why accounts are showing intent.

To mitigate these issues, companies should choose all-in-one solutions that combine intent data with activation capabilities, enabling seamless and timely lead generation. Transparency is key; choose partners who offer clear insights into why certain accounts display intent, thereby fortifying sales team confidence.

Comprehensive signal analysis

When we talk about intent data, it’s important to also consider a more comprehensive view of buying signals. With expanded signal coverage at the contact level, customers can gain nuanced insights into buying group activities, needs, and priorities. Effective data collection includes:

• Intent Data: Regular monitoring of interactions with content and specific intent topics
• Contact Data: Building robust databases featuring millions of contact records, business emails, LinkedIn URLs, and phone numbers
• Firmographic Data: Aggregating industry, IP, and domain information
• Digital Data: Capturing digital ad data through IPs, mobile advertiser IDs (MAIDs), and hashed email addresses (HEMs) for identity verification
• Technographic Data: Understanding tech landscapes by tracking technology usage

To make intent data work harder for you, partner with a provider that leverages AI. With customized intent models, you can monitor and weigh topics and keywords that are relevant to your product or solution.

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Building an effective tech toolbox

A successful intent data strategy demands a sophisticated tech stack. Having a comprehensive tech toolbox ensures seamless data flow and actionable insights, including:

• Integrated Digital Marketing Programs: Use content syndication and display advertising to deliver targeted content and ads to in-market accounts.
  • Content syndication (lead gen) – Deliver content to targeted, in-market accounts via a robust media ecosystem, returning high-quality leads.
  • Display advertising (brand awareness) – Align ad creative to prospects’ unique buying journey – also retarget engaged prospects with content syndication touch.
• Marketing Automation: Automate lead nurturing processes to guide prospects through the sales funnel until they are sales ready.
• CRM System: Utilize a CRM system to route leads and report on marketing-generated pipelines, ensuring seamless integration with sales efforts.

Additionally, businesses can integrate intent data platforms with their existing MarTech stack by syncing buying signals with brand and demand programs, such as LinkedIn ad campaigns and paid search campaigns. Sellers can also use intent data to prioritize outreach for accounts, aligning efforts with current tools and dedicated outreach sequences for high-intent accounts.

Beyond the silver bullet – How to elevate GTM strategies

Intent data, while powerful, is not a standalone solution. It requires compelling content and a strong activation strategy. Signal-based marketing tailors GTM strategies by aligning campaigns with current prospect needs and by delivering personalized messaging.

To illustrate this, let’s consider the following example where a major telecommunications company effectively utilized intent signals in their GTM strategy. The company broke down internal silos by aligning its data science, content syndication, and digital ad teams, ensuring all were powered by the same intent data.

They created joint KPIs to measure success across these teams, tracking metrics like form conversions, opportunities generated, impressions, visits, and cost per visit for display, as well as MQLs and CPL for content syndication. This shared accountability fostered a unified effort towards common goals.

Budget alignment was crucial. By combining budgets across teams, they ensured that digital ads would feed content syndication, which in turn provided MQLs for sales. This unified budget approach meant that success in one area contributed to the overall campaign success.

The company also implemented a pilot program to demonstrate the effectiveness of their intent-driven strategy. Within six weeks, the campaign exceeded its goals, with significant increases in pipeline opportunity value and reductions in cost-per-visit. The pilot’s success provided a strong business case for scaling the program.

They understood that intent data outputs (leads, buyer insights, opportunities) should continually feed back into the system, enhancing the intent signals and uncovering more of the buying committee. This cyclical approach ensured ongoing refinement and effectiveness.

To be successful, they needed compelling content, strong creative, and targeted digital programs. By partnering with an all-in-one intent data and integrated campaign provider, they were able to detect and target accounts showing intent in various buying stages and receive hands-on lead generation and digital advertising support, resulting in a highly effective demand generation engine. The success of their pilot program was just the beginning, setting the stage for sustained growth and improved GTM strategies.

Best practices for smooth adoption and implementation

Here are some key practices to consider for successful adoption and utilization of intent data:

• Build Target Account Lists (TAL): Identify and prioritize target accounts based on intent data insights.
• Align Ads and Content: Match creative assets with buying stages, from awareness to decision-making.
• Ensure Strong Creative and Content: Develop high-impact messaging and content for your target audience
• Partner with Integrated Solutions: Work with partners that can manage ad and content delivery based on buyer stage and research patterns.

With a successful intent data activation, you can expect increased deal velocity and reduced acquisition costs.

Looking ahead to success

We’re seeing a shift toward signal-based marketing, where the activation of intent data is more important than the data itself. For sustained growth and innovation, businesses must choose partners who provide it all.

By leveraging intent data and adopting signal-based marketing strategies, companies can significantly enhance their GTM efforts, leading to improved targeting, increased engagement, and higher conversion rates. Focusing on these strategies will ensure marketing efforts are precise, effective, and aligned with the evolving landscape of intent data.

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