Intent data can be a powerful tool for B2B marketers, but only if you use it wisely. 

Intent data is the digital footprint that potential buyers leave behind when they research products or services online. It can reveal their interests, pain points, preferences, and readiness to buy. By analyzing intent data, B2B marketers can target the right prospects at the right time with the right message, and increase the chances of converting them into customers. 

However, not all intent data is created equal, and not all marketers use it effectively. In fact, many B2B marketers make common mistakes that prevent them from getting the most out of intent data. In this blog post, we will discuss three of these mistakes and how to avoid them. 

Mistake #1: Not enough signals to identify intent to purchase 

One of the biggest challenges of working with intent data is finding the signal in the noise. There are billions of online interactions happening every day, but not all of them indicate a genuine intent to purchase. Some of them may be casual browsing, competitor research, or educational content consumption. How do you distinguish between the prospects who are ready to buy and those who are not? 

The answer is to look for multiple signals that confirm the intent to purchase. These signals can include: 

• The source of the intent data. Is it from a third-party provider, a publisher network, or your own website? Third-party data can give you a broader view of the market, but it may not be as accurate or relevant as first-party data. Publisher data can give you more insights into the topics and keywords that your prospects are searching for, but it may not cover all the platforms and channels that they use. Your own website data can give you more details about the behavior and actions of your prospects, but it may not capture their interests and needs before they visit your site. 
• The type of the intent data. Is it from search engines, social media, webinars, podcasts, blogs, or other sources? Different types of intent data can reveal different aspects of the buyer journey. Search data can show you the keywords and phrases that your prospects are using to find solutions. Social data can show you the opinions and sentiments that your prospects have about your brand, competitors, and industry. Webinar and podcast data can show you the level of engagement and interest that your prospects have in your content. Blog and other content data can show you the topics and challenges that your prospects are looking for answers to. 
• The quality of the intent data. Is it verified, validated, and enriched? Not all intent data is reliable and actionable. Some of it may be outdated, incomplete, or inaccurate. To ensure that you are working with high-quality intent data, you need to verify that it comes from a reputable and trustworthy source, validate that it matches your ideal customer profile and buyer persona, and enrich it with additional information such as firmographic, demographic, and technographic data. 

By looking for multiple signals that confirm the intent to purchase, you can filter out the noise and focus on the prospects who are most likely to become customers. 

Mistake #2: Spending too much on software or platform 

Another common mistake that B2B marketers make when working with intent data is spending too much on software or platform. Platforms aren’t cheap, and it can be tempting to invest in the most expensive or sophisticated solution that promises to deliver the best results. However, this can be a waste of money and resources, especially if you don't have a clear strategy and goal for using intent data. 

Before you spend a fortune on software or platform, you need to ask yourself these questions: 

• What is the problem that you are trying to solve with intent data? Is it to generate more leads, nurture existing leads, accelerate sales cycles, increase conversions, or something else? 
• What is the outcome that you are expecting from intent data? Is it to increase website traffic, email open rates, webinar registrations, demo requests, or sales revenue? 
• What is the metric that you are using to measure the success of intent data? Is it cost per lead, lead quality score, conversion rate, return on investment, or customer lifetime value? 
• What is the budget that you have allocated for intent data? Is it enough to cover the costs of data acquisition, analysis, integration, and activation? 
• What is the best way to use intent data for your specific use case? Is it to create targeted campaigns, personalize content, segment audiences, trigger alerts, or automate workflows? 

By answering these questions, you can define your intent data strategy and goal, and choose the software or platform that best suits your needs and budget 

Mistake #3: Passing intent data to sales at the wrong stage in the buyer journey 

The third common mistake that B2B marketers make when working with intent data is passing it to sales at the wrong stage in the buyer journey. Intent data can be a valuable asset for sales teams, as it can help them prioritize leads, tailor their pitches, and close deals faster. However, not all leads are ready to talk to sales, and not all sales reps are ready to use intent data. 

To avoid this mistake, you need to align your marketing and sales teams on how and when to use intent data. You need to establish a clear lead scoring and qualification system that takes into account the intent signals, the buyer journey stages, and the sales readiness. You also need to train your sales reps on how to interpret and leverage intent data, and provide them with the tools and resources that they need to act on it. 

By passing intent data to sales at the right stage in the buyer journey, you can increase the alignment and collaboration between marketing and sales, and improve the customer experience and satisfaction. 

Conclusion 

Intent data can be a powerful tool for B2B marketers, but only if you use it wisely. By avoiding these three common mistakes, you can get the most out of intent data and achieve your marketing and sales goals.