In our first installment in this series, we talked about the importance of understanding who is consuming content so B2B marketers can ensure they’re targeting only those individuals in a position to make buying decisions.
But what about the content itself? Most content syndication providers are only able to provide consumption data on a few broad categories, which does little to help marketers gain precise insights about user intent.
At CONTENTgine, our Intent Scores capture a comprehensive set of specific information about every asset in our content library. Marketers can use this information to understand exactly what type of content users are engaging with and better tailor their marketing campaigns to generate more qualified leads.
The importance of subcategories
Let’s say a customer walks into a Best Buy. A staff member asks them what they’re looking for and how they can help them find it. The customer tells them they’re there to buy an appliance. There’s nothing technically wrong or inaccurate about that statement — that’s indeed what they’re looking for — but it doesn’t do much to help the sales rep narrow down their search or figure out exactly what the customer wants to buy.
Content marketing works in much the same way. Most content syndication providers in the industry organize their content libraries into 40 or 50 primary categories. These are broad headings like “IT infrastructure” that could have several dozen subcategories beneath them. B2B marketers can gain access to information about how users are engaging with content in those categories, but like that poor Best Buy sales rep, understanding consumer habits on a high level doesn’t do much to help companies learn precise buyer intent.
Niche categories provide more insight about buyer intent
Companies sell specific products/services that address specific problems, so it doesn’t really help to know only the broad categories of content that potential customers are consuming. Marketers might end up wasting their marketing dollars on consumers that either have no interest in their product, have no need for it or simply aren’t in a position to make a buying decision on behalf of their organization.
That’s why it’s critical B2B marketers are able to learn about the specific consumption patterns of different users so they can better understand their buying intent and make more targeted marketing decisions. CONTENTgine’s Intent Scores are generated across over 700 niche categories, giving marketers highly specific (and relevant) information about buyer intent.
Understanding asset specifics to tailor marketing campaigns
CONTENTgine’s Intent Scores provide more precise information about online content than most other content syndication providers in the industry because we’re able to gather a much broader range of details about each specific asset. Those details include page length and content type (i.e. eBook, infographic, case study, etc.), both of which can tell marketers a good deal of information about the reader.
CONTENTgine consolidates that information and weighs Intent Scores accordingly to accurately reflect the profile and intent of the consumer. For example, if one user is reading a lengthy buyer’s guide comparing a series of specific products from three or more brands, it’s highly likely that they’re on the market for the product explored in that asset. By contrast, if a user is reading a brief document outlining the history of IT storage facilities, it’s far more likely they’re conducting research for some other purpose.
B2B marketers can use this information to determine which accounts are worth their marketing spend, saving them from wasting precious time and money on the accounts that are much less likely to buy.
