Most lead generation rockstars have their own secrets when it comes to the development and execution of lead generation campaigns. Whether it be the use of predictive analytics, big data, case studies, or creative persona development, almost everyone has a recipe for the perfect campaign cocktail. In fact, the internet is full of recipes, tips and tricks, methodologies and “how to” guides on what it takes to make your leads sing and your pipelines hum. So, what makes this blog different? Well, we’re not just preaching to a very knowledgeable choir, this is our business. 

Intent data isn’t just a lead generation trend—it’s here to stay 

Doesn’t it seem that every few years, there’s a brand-new marketing buzzword that will demystify lead generation? Big data turned out to be, well, big. Data warehouses were and are stuffed to the gills with internal and external contacts that come in every size and shape imaginable. Predictive analytics promised that the innovative marketer would be able to “guess” which leads would be most valuable in filling even the most ambitious sales funnel. 

The cynic among us may be tempted to ask, “Is intent data a marketing fad?” Actually, that’s a very smart question to ask. What makes intent data different? Marketers are always looking for ways to make data more scalable and actionable to better target prospects at various stages of the buyer’s journey. In a nutshell, that’s exactly what intent data delivers. 

Whether it be behavioral, internal or external, intent data is designed to identify the prospects who are interested in your product or service right now. Using intent data allows you to deliver the right message at the right time to the right prospect. Pair intent data with other prospect signals, like those housed within a company’s marketing automation system, and you have the foundation of truly understanding and leveraging “real” customer insights versus predictive guesswork. 

How does intent data work? 

Quite simply, intent data zeroes in on the signals that indicate a person is in the market for your particular product or service. It provides targeting for users who have demonstrated intent through actions like product searches, website visits, white paper downloads and more. There are two types of sources of intent data: Internal and External. 

Internal intent data 

Internal or first-party intent data comes from the visitors that engage with existing marketing tools, i.e. website visits, downloaded articles or white papers, and social media interactions. In simplest terms, these leads come from your own efforts. The drawback here is that this data may run the risk of being anonymous with no information associated with the record. Third-party data, however, is much more valuable. 

External intent data  

External intent data comes in two forms, second party and third party. When you purchase second-party data, you’re essentially buying someone else’s first-party data. The data comes directly from the company that collected it from their audience and owns it—there is no middleman. The benefit of second party data is its transparency—but it provides a limited scope. 

Third-party intent data can provide not only data from your own web properties but everyone else’s, as well. When a prospect visits high-value sites (think analyst sites, for instance) for research purposes, third-party intent providers will indicate whether they are ‘surging’ on particular topics. Topics that may hold significant interests for the savvy marketer. And with this information, you can better know where these prospects are in their buying journey. You typically buy it through an intermediary and it provides a large scope of data sources. 

Intent data can help improve engagement across a multitude of use cases, including: account-based marketing (ABM) ad targeting, lead generation activities, lead scoring, and sales and account management.  

Power your pipeline with intent 

Our customers come to us for a variety of reasons. One of the most prevalent is our ability to vastly improve email campaign results. As one of the initial architects of intent data technology, Anteriad uses intent monitoring to target in-market contacts. Combine that with our exclusive TripleCheck® lead verification process and you are ensured to get only current and accurate business email contacts.  

Intent data is the workhorse of the demand generation world. It offers a boatload of uses for B2B marketing. You can use intent data for: 

• Discovering new prospects 
• Better predictive capabilities 
• Helping to make substantial, attributable pipeline impact 
• More efficient prospecting 
• Orchestrating better brand and demand generation activities 
• Providing improved sales intelligence by sharing contextual insights about their target accounts and prospects from third-party data sources 
• Providing a more disciplined prioritization of prospect and account targeting and scoring 
• Garnering more interest-based segmentation leads, facilitating the ability to identify who should be targeted with specific emails or ad campaigns based on the topics the leads have indicated. 
• Optimizing programmatic marketing, advertising and lead generation campaigns 
• Crafting more relevant and personalized content that will resonate with your target prospects  
• Improving ABM strategies and tactics

Ready to start using intent data? 

Intent data takes your marketing to the next level and helps you drive more (and higher-quality) leads through your pipeline. The best way to set yourself up for success with intent data is to start with a trusted partner. A partner can help you quick start your intent use correctly and efficiently. 

It can be challenging to know what to look for when choosing your intent data provider, so before you begin the process, read our ebook How to Select an Intent Data Provider.  

Then as you’re picking the right partner, use our intent data provider checklist to make sure they offer everything you need. This way you can be confident you’re working with a reliable data partner.