Intent Data – A Pillar for ABM Success

By Nipul Chokshi

Former Vice President, Marketing

Dun & Bradstreet

12 August 2020

Changing the Face of Demand Generation

Intent data – discovering which of your target accounts are in the market for goods and services like yours – has been hailed as “the crystal ball of marketing.” After dominating the B2C world, intent stormed onto the B2B scene and promised to change the face of demand generation.

Not so fast. Used properly, intent data does offer an opportunity for B2B sales and marketing efforts. Intent data can make account-based sales and marketing campaigns more effective. Intent gives visibility into accounts that are in search of a solution so sales and marketing teams can tailor and engage with suitable messaging. The chances of landing the big deal can dramatically increase. But to get the most of intent data, you need to understand the context of the data, and use intent as part of a smart, overall strategy.

Uncovering Invisible Demand

More and more, B2B buyers choose to remain anonymous and not engage with sales until ready to make a purchase. Forrester reports that 68% of buyers choose to do their research alone, online.¹ This phenomenon has become known as “invisible demand”. This creates a challenge: Sellers never have an opportunity to engage in a conversation with these in-market buyers, let alone make a pitch.

For B2B sales and marketing teams, it’s become imperative to uncover this invisible demand. That’s where intent comes into play. Intent data can reveal the online activity of key accounts to provide an understanding of which companies may be in market and which stage of the buyer journey they are in. Once you discover who these in-market buyers are, you can deliver timely, relevant content and offers, and influence the buyer’s decision.

Intent Data and ABM

Intent and account-based marketing (ABM) go hand-in-hand. Once you can identify organizations showing interest, you can focus your time and energy on those accounts. Your organization can target with precision and show up with the right message at the right time.

5 Ways to Use Intent Data in Your ABM Strategy

Lead and account prioritization: Prioritize high-intent and high-fit accounts based on their engagement with your company.
Engage with relevance: Use first-party intent data and unmask anonymous visitors and retarget with relevant messages in your ads, website, email and, sales outreach.
Account-based sales prioritization: Use intent signals to identify where your target accounts are in their buyer journey and what use cases interest them.
Campaign/web personalization: Create personalized buying experiences to help drive higher engagement through the buyer’s journey.
Cross-sell, upsell, retention: With a deeper understanding of interests, pre-emptively meet customers’ needs by presenting helpful products or integrations.

Download the eBook: Intent Data for B2B Sales and Marketing – A Pillar for ABM Success

What is intent data? Where does it come from? How can it be applied? Where does it fit into marketing and sales processes? If you’re in sales or marketing – and looking to make sense of the uproar surrounding intent so your company can gain a competitive advantage – our new eBook an excellent place to start.

Intent data can transform ABM by providing deeper insight into the behavior of organizations in the market for your goods and services.