ABM strategy is built around the optimal management of buyer intent. Unfortunately, ABM ROI and performance outcomes often forced marketers to question the adequacy and quality of the intent data feeding those programs. Why? The reason a proven demand gen approach such as ABM now faces performance challenges is, unsurprisingly, change.
Factors such as a complex multi-channel buying landscape, increased diversity in the buying collective composition, and changing buyer behavior in the age of customer experience (CX) are transforming B2B demand gen approaches today. Most B2B marketers, even the ones for whom ABM worked in the past, will find that they:
- Have lower visibility into buying collective and member journeys
- Have a highly delayed entry in the buying journey, if at all
- Wield minimal influence over the buying process
- Less meaningfully engage with prospects through their journey across various channels
- Have less certainty about the adequacy and accuracy of the intent data feeding their demand gen programs in general, particularly with account-based campaigns.
All of these, combined with the irreversible changes in buyer and seller behavior catalyzed by the global COVID-19 pandemic, have accelerated the urgency for a new approach to ABM. So, how do ABM practitioners today build visibility, engagement and influence over the buyer’s journey? The answer lies in the intent.
As a B2B marketer, you know that good intent data gives you improved visibility into your must-have prospect accounts. With better intent data, you influence the buying journey more purposefully. If good and better intent data can do all that, can you imagine what you could do with ‘the best’ intent data possible? The ‘best’ intent data gives you unmatched visibility into prospect behavior – both at account and individual level – by capturing deep intent signals from the widest range of channels and sources, at scale. It’s the best in terms of quality, diversity and scale.
1. Intent Data Quality:
The best intent data doesn’t just keep pace with the multi-channel nature of the buyer’s journey today, but also connects all the data points across individuals and account levels for those channels, to give you a complete picture of account intent.
In practice, that means layering on signals captured not just from content and advertising consumption, or CRM, technographic and firmographic data, but also from proprietary owned and operated web and mobile networks and apps, closed community discussions, access to learning modules, and even offline events and call center or helpdesk interactions.
2. Intent Data Diversity:
Best-in-class intent signals capture data across channels and across the spectrum of decision makers in the buying collective, which brings a completeness, certainty and visibility that ordinary intent data cannot match.
In practice, this means capturing, layering in and connecting the dots between signals at both the individual level and the account level, from the boardroom to the server room. But given the huge number of data points, it also means using AI informed intent models capable of filtering out the noise and separating real intent from curious interest.
3. Intent Data at Scale:
B2B marketers with advanced ABM capabilities can capture the best intent data from across a diverse set of sources, channels and touchpoints, at scale, in brand safe ways. This involves capturing intent signals from both – known and anonymous – first-party and third-party data, expanding account lists significantly with net new in-market accounts.
So, how do you get to the best intent data for your ABM program?
The best place to start is to ask the right questions about the data, process and technology powering your current ABM initiatives. Question whether your intent data today truly delivers on the 3 critical parameters of quality, diversity and scale.
Along with evaluating your intent data, it may also be useful to explore whether a more advanced, intelligent ABM platform would be a more efficient way to execute your next-gen ABM program. Such advanced platforms offer the full spectrum of ABM functionality including:
- Expanding, prioritizing, and focusing your target account list using best-in-class intent data
- Activating and engaging with in-market prospects with relevant and personalized content
- Converting them through contextualized campaigns that are personalized at scale
- Measuring and learning from campaign reports to continuously optimize performance
To learn more about SWZD’s intelligent ABM platform, and get access to the world’s best ABM intent data for your business today, speak to an account representative at SWZD.