The old saying “trust your gut” refers to trusting your intuition.
Seems like a good idea.
Well, not exactly.
It’s true that sales teams often rely on intuition during interactions. But, this gut feeling can only take you so far.
That’s why B2B intent data have become increasingly critical. They give you a comprehensive view to target the right clients.
Rather than relying solely on intuition, you must focus on intent data for actionable contact and prospect information, which is the missing piece of the success and failure puzzle.
If you’re looking for relevant B2B intent data statistics today, you will want to read this.
But first, let’s understand what intent data is. Intent data shows you which prospects are interested in buying your products or services. It offers relevant insights into the customer’s journey by tracking their activities, guiding you to tailor your services and strategy.
Bambora, a leading provider of intent data defines intent data as:
“Data that reveals when buyers are actively searching online for solutions and identifies the specific products and services they are interested in, based on the web content they engage with.”
5 Buyers Intent Data statistics that shape your B2B strategy:
Table of Contents
- 1 5 Buyers Intent Data statistics that shape your B2B strategy:
- 1.1 1. Two-thirds of B2B’s reports use a combination of both first-party and third-party data.
- 1.2 2. 52% of marketers use intent data to craft tailored content, 47% for email marketing, and 44% for personalization.
- 1.3 3. 50% of leaders say that intent data helps and sales and marketing alignment.
- 1.4 4. According to 56% of B2B reports, data quality is the biggest challenge when using intent signals.
- 1.5 5. More than 70% of B2B companies prefer to use third-party intent data to target potential buyers.
- 2 To wrap up:
1. Two-thirds of B2B’s reports use a combination of both first-party and third-party data.
Blending first-party data (engagement from your own assets) with third-party data (sourced from external properties) creates a comprehensive view of buyers’ needs and their buying intent. Leveraging buyer intent data tools can enhance this blend, offering deeper insights and more accurate predictions of buyer behavior.
But where and how to use first-party and third-party data?
Often, first-party data is used for down-funnel engagement on websites and other owned properties, where prospects have completed their research.
Analyze what content is performing well on your website to understand what resonates with potential customers.
In contrast, third-party data helps study buyers’ behavior even before they visit your website.
It allows you to prospect and enter the buying process earlier, thereby enhancing the potential of your solutions by guiding the buying group throughout the funnel.
This approach ultimately shortens the time to achieve targeted intent, prompting sales teams to gather and analyze as much data as possible to assist potential clients in making informed decisions.
2. 52% of marketers use intent data to craft tailored content, 47% for email marketing, and 44% for personalization.
Intent data is also instrumental in crafting content, organizing events and marketing campaigns, and implementing account-based marketing strategies and informed automation campaigns (Statista, 2023).
Too often marketers struggle with maintaining high-quality data facing challenges of accuracy and quality. Thanks to intent data, which provides signals interpreting potential customers’ interests.
By analyzing intent data, marketers can determine preferred content formats and channels for their audience. Whether it’s blog posts, videos, whitepapers, or webinars, intent data helps in selecting the right formats and channels
And when content is relevant, it naturally drives engagement, a positive indicator for building and nurturing relationships.
Going further if you want to integrate intent data with the marketing automation, it’s nothing like it.
This integration allows marketers to attract, nurture, and engage leads at the right time in the buyer’s journey
Furthermore, this automated platform can be triggered based on specific intent signals, like taking desired actions such as signing up for newsletters and delivering personalized content experiences that guide prospects through the funnel and improve conversions.
3. 50% of leaders say that intent data helps and sales and marketing alignment.
Once you have the intent data in hand, it can incredibly enhance both sales and marketing alignment. Working with the same data fosters closer collaboration across all campaigns.
This data is the prime asset for both sales and marketing efforts.
And when both teams work on a common point, there will be less conflict and more collaboration and cohesion when achieving the goals.
For practical tips on how to leverage intent data for sales, consider integrating it into daily sales briefings and targeted outreach strategies.
4. According to 56% of B2B reports, data quality is the biggest challenge when using intent signals.
Despite the abundance of data points across the buyer journey, the challenge lies not in quantity but in quality.
Marketers must focus on data closely linked to sales KPIs, analyzing whether data points shift prospects down the funnel or show positive signs like website dwell time and social media engagement. Addressing these issues ensures that data delivers maximum value.
5. More than 70% of B2B companies prefer to use third-party intent data to target potential buyers.
Buyer intent significantly impacts conversion rates, prompting many B2B companies to leverage intent data to target potential customers.Tracking the buyer’s journey online provides valuable insights into audience behavior and decision-making processes.
Understanding the benefits of intent data, these insights can shape your sales strategy. Many top sales teams are already leveraging this asset to enhance their approach and drive better results. To stay competitive, it’s essential to harness this data and not be left behind.
Many top sales teams are already leveraging this asset to enhance their approach and drive better results. To stay competitive, it’s essential to harness this data and not be left behind.
To wrap up:
These statistics demonstrate how buyer intent data can significantly enhance a sales strategy by boosting conversion rates, attracting new customers, and prioritizing existing accounts.
Vikas Bhatt is the Co-Founder of ONLY B2B, a premium B2B lead generation company that specializes in helping businesses achieve their growth objectives through targeted marketing & sales campaigns. With 10+ years of experience in the industry, Vikas has a deep understanding of the challenges faced by businesses today and has developed a unique approach to lead generation that has helped clients across a range of industries around the globe. As a thought leader in the B2B marketing community, ONLY B2B specializes in demand generation, content syndication, database services and more.
