How to get real value from intent providers
In the ever-evolving landscape of B2B marketing, the role of third-party intent data has become increasingly pivotal. This report delves into a recent roundtable discussion moderated by Tom Gatten, CEO and Founder of Adzact, featuring insights from industry experts. The discussion explored the integration and efficacy of third-party intent data in account-based marketing (ABM) strategies, highlighting both the opportunities and challenges faced by marketers.
Host
Tom Gatten was joined by marketing experts to discuss the topic.
Guests
Amy Bennett, Digital Marketing Manager at Fenergo
Rob Bramley, Demand Generation Manager at GoCardless
Marco Piras, Growth Marketing Manager at Pleo
The Value of Third-Party Intent Data
Third-party intent data is hailed for its potential to bridge the gap between sales and marketing teams, fostering a unified approach to target account engagement. As Amy Bennett noted, third-party intent tools like Demandbase have been instrumental in aligning sales and marketing efforts, enabling both teams to access and interpret the same data, thereby facilitating more coherent and strategic decision-making.
Rob Bramley emphasized the importance of integrating third-party intent data with existing customer relationship management (CRM) systems, such as Salesforce, to enhance the granularity and relevance of the insights gathered. This integration, although sometimes challenging, is crucial for creating a seamless flow of information that supports both marketing campaigns and sales outreach.
"To get the most value out of third-party intent data, it's essential to integrate it effectively with your existing systems. This means having a well-defined account funnel, good segmentation, and understanding how the data contributes to your broader marketing strategy." Rob Bramley
Practical Applications and Success Stories
One of the key themes of the discussion was the practical application of third-party intent data. Amy Bennett shared a success story from Fenergo, where implementing third-party intent data significantly enhanced their ABM strategy. By leveraging intent data, the sales team could prioritize target accounts more effectively and tailor their outreach based on specific insights about what prospects were engaging with online.
Similarly, Marco Piras highlighted the value of aligning marketing and sales strategies through coordinated efforts. At Pleo, the focus on industry-specific sequences and personalized messaging based on third-party intent data has yielded promising results. This approach ensures that the right message reaches the right audience at the optimal time, thereby increasing engagement and conversion rates.
"Understanding the needs and workflows of the sales team is crucial. By aligning our strategies and designing processes that address their needs, we can ensure better collaboration and more effective use of third-party intent data." Marco Piras
Challenges and Considerations
While the benefits of third-party intent data are clear, the discussion also uncovered several challenges. One major issue is the variability in data quality and volume across different regions. Amy Bennet pointed out that while North America offers a wealth of data, other regions like the DACH area show significantly less activity, making it harder to derive actionable insights. She emphasized, "One of the challenges with third-party intent data is ensuring we have the right set of keywords. They need to be broad enough to capture relevant data but not too broad to avoid unnecessary noise. This helps us understand what our prospects engage with online and tailor our campaigns accordingly."
Another challenge lies in the integration and scalability of third-party intent tools. Rob Bramley and Marco Piras both noted the difficulties in achieving a seamless integration with existing systems and processes. Ensuring data cleanliness and accuracy is paramount, yet it remains a time-consuming and complex task.
"One of the challenges with third-party intent data is ensuring we have the right set of keywords. They need to be broad enough to capture relevant data but not too broad to avoid unnecessary noise. This helps us understand what our prospects are engaging with online and tailor our campaigns accordingly." Amy Bennett
Best Practices and Recommendations
The panellists shared several best practices for organizations considering the adoption of third-party intent data:
Define Clear Use Cases: Before implementing any third-party intent tool, it’s crucial to have a clear understanding of the specific use cases and objectives. Rob Bramley suggested knowing precisely what you want to get out of a platform to get the most value out of it.
Align with Sales Teams: Collaboration between marketing and sales teams is essential. Marco Piras emphasized the importance of understanding the needs and preferences of the sales team to design processes and tool stacks that address those needs.
Focus on Data Quality: High-quality data is the backbone of any successful ABM strategy. Ensuring that data is accurate, clean, and relevant will improve the overall effectiveness of marketing campaigns and sales outreach. Amy Bennett mentioned the importance of speaking the same language and understanding each other as teams.
Leverage First-Party Data: While third-party intent data is valuable, it should complement rather than replace first-party data. Combining both sources provides a more comprehensive view of customer behaviour and intent. Rob Bramley pointed out that first-party data should be the primary source of truth to drive sales-led conversations.
The roundtable discussion facilitated by Adzact underscored the transformative potential of third-party intent data in B2B marketing. By fostering closer alignment between sales and marketing teams and enabling more personalized and timely outreach, third-party intent data can drive significant improvements in engagement and conversion rates. However, to fully realize these benefits, organizations must address the challenges of data quality, integration, and scalability, and ensure that their strategies are well-defined and aligned with the needs of their sales teams.
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