5 Types of Intent Data and How To Use Them

By using buyer intent data in the correct way, you can see who’s ready to buy and who still requires nurturing through the funnel. Here we discuss the 5 intent signals you need to watch and how you can leverage the data to increase conversion.

1. Search intent (keywords and queries)

As internet users, we are what we type. Keywords and search queries leave a digital footprint behind, and it’s these signals that indicate user intent.

Searches and long-tail key phrases provide invaluable information into what we products and services we are interested, what problems or challenges we have, what motivates us to buy, and our general interests or behaviours.

Not only should marketers tap into this information to find out more about their buyers, but they can track trends and create forecasts for the future. By understanding what audiences are searching for, you can segment and target groups with relevant content that interests them.

Types of search intent data to monitor:

• Informational search queries: These searches give you a powerful tool as it allows you to create useful content, the type of content that provides value to the reader. This is a great way to build your brand and establish your reputation as a thought leader in the industry. By looking at popular topics, you can solve buyer problems, answer questions and grow knowledge in a particular product. Some great content ideas include thought leadership pieces, analyst/survey reports, how-to guides, insight-driven infographics and instructional videos.
• Navigational search queries: Any search terms used to find a specific page, website or brand are navigational queries (for instance a search for “Twitter” or “Inbox Insight”). As this type of search denotes familiarity with your brand, it’s a good metric for understanding how well you do in terms of online presence and awareness. This can be a good benchmark when launching brand awareness campaigns.
• Internal site search: Looking at search queries on your own website is just as important, as it can reveal important trends with your audience. Despite this, only 7% of companies use internal site search data effectively. This is a massive missed opportunity. When looking at site searches, focus on biggest search terms and then look at the pages they visited to understand buyer intent. You can also use data to fill the gaps; any searches that didn’t bring back sufficient results is an opportunity to create relevant content for website visitors.

2. Browsing (cookies and categories)

While keywords provide insight into how customers conduct research, browsing intent data shows you the specific content that they are viewing. This is important because it tells you how users move through your website and how they interact with information.

Cookies and browsing history track consumption across different devices and browsers, giving you information on the following areas:

• First party browsing intent: This is the content being browsed on your site. Look at metrics such as length of engagement and content format to gain greater knowledge on user intent.
• Third party browsing intent: This is relevant content being browsed on other external sites, such as B2B publications, online communities or even social media groups. By targeting these signals, you can connect with new, undiscovered prospects.

3. Action (interactions and downloads)

After browsing intent, you can drill down even further and look at interactions. This will help you understand the exact stages that a potential customer goes through as they navigate your ecosystem.

By reviewing how users move around your digital channels – including what order and frequency –you can better optimise your content to fit their needs. It’s important for marketers to adapt their strategy based on interactions and downloads, as this allows for brands to build relationships with leads, meeting customers on the platforms or channels of their choosing.

This all adds to the overall customer experience and can be the difference between conversion and loss. Gartner predicts that new technology designed to look at this type of customer intent will increase business profits by up to 15% by 2020.

Monitor the different touchpoints to determine the digital body language of your audience, as not all digital footprints are linear. Record all user-driven actions to map movements, and use the data to get a better idea of what customers want to hear – and when they want to hear it.

4. Firmographic (ABM)

An account based marketing (ABM) strategy is only as good as its data, and that’s why firmographic data is such an integral part of B2B marketing. Attributes such as geographic area, industry, revenue, number of clients, number of employees and fortune ranking are essential for segmentation of companies in your target account list (TAL).

By combining intent signals with company segments, you can get a better understanding of how different firms behave and what they are interested in. This allows you to look at both individual buyers and companies as a whole. Trends spotted in industry growth rate, recruitment and hiring, technology or funding can help you tailor content and product offers for better lead generation and conversion.

5. Predictive (lookalike modelling)

While the other intent signals mentioned here are formed using historic and real-time data, predictive intent is a method of identifying patterns before they happen. The goal is to gain knowledge on future trends and evolving customer behaviours.

For instance, increasing engagement in cybersecurity content is likely to follow after a high profile attack. If engagement continues to rise in certain segments, it shows a growing concern for digital privacy and security, as well as a mounting need for suitable solutions.

You can also monitor specific pieces of content to find patterns. If a certain type of persona has high engagement with an article, report or video, you can use it to target other similar buyers and companies.

Through lookalike modelling, you will identify new customers that look and behave like your current audience, tapping into audiences that haven’t connected with your brand yet. You can also expect a high success rate, based on the tried and tested data seen with your existing campaigns.