How Intent Data Improves Marketing ROI

Want to boost your marketing ROI? Start using intent data.

Intent data reveals online behaviors of potential customers, helping businesses focus on high-value leads and personalized campaigns. Companies using intent data report:

• 50% more leads and 40% higher lead conversion rates

• 25% increase in sales efficiency by prioritizing high-intent prospects

• 20% boost in campaign ROI through personalization

Key Benefits:

• Identify ready-to-buy leads by tracking actions like demo requests or pricing inquiries.

• Personalize messaging to match customer needs and decision stages.

• Reduce wasted ad spend by targeting high-intent audiences.

Platforms like Bombora, Demandbase, and 24/7 Intent integrate intent data into your CRM and marketing tools, automating lead scoring and improving results. Ready to maximize your ROI? Let’s dive in.

Intent Data Basics

Intent data monitors buyers' online behavior to uncover real purchasing intent. As Bombora explains, "Intent data tells you when buyers are actively researching online for a solution, and which products and services they are interested in, based on the web content they consume". Let’s dive into the different types of intent data that provide these insights.

With most B2B research now happening online, these signals are critical for improving ROI.

Types of Intent Data

Intent data falls into three main categories:

Using a mix of these data types provides a clearer picture. For instance, if a prospect downloads a whitepaper (implicit) and requests pricing information (explicit), it strongly suggests they’re ready to buy.

Business Impact of Intent Data

Intent data has a measurable impact on marketing outcomes. Research shows that 97% of marketers report finding higher-quality leads through intent data, and 93% see improved lead conversion rates.

• Lower Acquisition Costs: Targeting prospects actively researching solutions minimizes wasted effort on unqualified leads.

• Faster Sales Cycles: Sales teams can prioritize high-intent accounts, with 57% of companies seeing better conversion rates from intent-qualified leads.

• Better Marketing-Sales Alignment: Tracking website activity has helped 62% of marketers engage more effectively with in-market accounts.

Platforms like 24/7 Intent demonstrate how businesses can integrate intent data into their marketing tools, automating the process of identifying and reaching high-intent prospects. This approach not only reduces acquisition costs but also supports the broader goal of maximizing marketing ROI.

5 Ways to Use Intent Data for Better ROI

Finding Ready-to-Buy Leads

Most of the buyer's journey now happens online. Intent data helps you zero in on top opportunities by tracking buying signals across digital platforms.

Here are some key signals to watch:

"Purchase intent data to score leads can help connect the dots between each lead's behaviors and the behaviors that leads typically exhibit before making a purchase."

Identifying these high-potential leads is just the beginning. The next step? Engaging them with messages that resonate.

Creating Targeted Messages

Once you’ve identified purchase-ready leads, personalized messaging can take your ROI to the next level. Intent data allows you to craft messages that speak directly to a prospect’s current needs.

"Messaging that resonates with someone's Intent is far more effective than a shot in the dark."

Here’s how to make your messaging more effective:

• Personalize website content for specific accounts based on their intent signals.

• Adjust CTAs to align with the decision stage of your prospects.

• Develop content that directly addresses their pain points.

• Highlight competitive advantages when prospects are researching competitors.

Tailoring your approach ensures that your messages hit the mark.

Reducing Wasted Ad Spend

Intent data can make your ad campaigns more efficient by targeting prospects who are most likely to convert. This focused approach can significantly boost your marketing ROI. In fact, companies often see a 2.9x improvement in sales pipeline efficiency.

"Our marketing team uses intent data to personalize our content creation process. The pipeline includes our email marketing targeting, message selection, and content creation to ensure we incorporate these valuable insights into our content creation strategy. We expect to move our intent data usage further into website personalization, such as producing personalized landing pages by specific problem-based customer segments."

Here’s how to optimize your ad spend:

• Use firmographic and intent data to define clear ICPs.

• Track campaign performance and adjust bids based on intent signals.

• Target high-intent regions with geographic-specific campaigns.

Platforms like 24/7 Intent integrate intent data with ad tools, allowing for real-time adjustments and precise targeting. This minimizes wasted spend and maximizes ad performance.

Setting Up Intent Data Systems

Top Intent Data Platforms

Choosing the right intent data platform is crucial for success. Here's a quick comparison of some leading options:

Once you’ve selected a platform, make sure to integrate it with your existing marketing tools to maximize its potential.

Connecting with Marketing Tools

To fully utilize intent data, integrate it into your marketing stack through these steps:

• CRM Integration Setup
  

  Link your intent data platform with your CRM to give sales teams access to dashboards that highlight high-intent activities.

• Lead Scoring Implementation
  

  Create a scoring system based on intent signals to prioritize leads effectively. Example scoring system:

  Signal Type	Point Value	Action Trigger
  Demo Request	50 points	Immediate sales contact
  Pricing Page Visit	30 points	Email nurture sequence
  Blog Reading	10 points	Content remarketing
  Competitor Research	25 points	Send competitive comparison content

• Marketing Automation Alignment
  

  Use intent data with marketing automation tools to trigger personalized campaigns. Personalization can increase buyer likelihood by 80%.

Measuring Results

After integration, evaluate your system's performance by tracking key metrics. This helps confirm its impact on ROI:

"Maximising ROI on intent data comes down to clearly understanding intent data. Within the industry, there are a range of lead generation providers that range in credibility. Insight into how your intent is generated and applied to leads is key in being able to optimise your ROI. You must understand the sources and signals that are aggregated, is there a weighting between these signals?" - Kevin Ellis, Senior Sales and Strategy Director

Case Study: Intent Data Results

These case studies highlight how using intent data can lead to measurable improvements in marketing ROI.

N.Rich's Intent Data Approach

N.Rich blended 80% first-party and 20% third-party intent data, achieving impressive outcomes:

This success came from a three-tier account segmentation strategy - categorizing accounts as cold, engaged, or hot demand - and aligning personalized outreach efforts between marketing and SDR teams.

Reachdesk's Visitor Insights

Reachdesk used intent data to gain a clearer picture of their website traffic. Out of about 500 monthly visitors:

• 350 companies matched their Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)

• 50 companies were brand-new prospects

• Conversion rates improved through targeted engagement

Industry-Wide Metrics

On a broader scale, the benefits of intent data are backed by industry statistics:

"Because sales sit so close to revenue, intent data can galvanize action and increase sales productivity"

24/7 Intent's Targeting Strategy

24/7 Intent’s ExactMatch tracking system fine-tunes targeting and minimizes ad waste through automated CRM integrations.

"We use intent data to fine-tune our lead scoring effort and qualify prospects based on their intention to make purchases. Through this, it's easier for us to identify leads that match our customer persona based on their behavior. Intent data also helps us prioritize high-quality leads to increase our sales efficiency and lessen customer acquisition cost"

Financial Impact of Intent Data

The financial benefits of intent data are clear:

• A 5% improvement in customer retention can boost profits by 25-95%

• Email campaigns driven by intent data generate $36 for every $1 spent

• 55% of sales leaders rely on intent data to enhance B2B sales performance

These examples show how intent data not only sharpens targeting but also cuts customer acquisition costs while improving overall ROI.

Next Steps

To improve your marketing ROI using intent data, follow these actionable steps:

1. Define Your Foundation

Start by outlining your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) with critical attributes. Track both first-party interactions (like website visits or email clicks) and reliable third-party signals to build a solid data foundation.

2. Choose and Implement Tools

Pick an intent data platform that aligns with your needs. Here's a quick comparison of options:

For example, 24/7 Intent provides real-time data integration and ExactMatch lead tracking. They offer a 2-week trial before moving to customized pricing.

3. Optimize Your Strategy

Focus on activities that directly impact ROI, such as:

• Monitoring competitor keywords to fine-tune your campaigns.

• Acting quickly to engage customers who may be at risk of churning.

• Analyzing content trends to create personalized user experiences.

"You have all this great data. You should utilize it in the campaigns you're running. It ties back to the story of ROI because you can show how you were doing without intent data and then highlight the improvement on ROI after incorporating it." - Sara Koppes, Director, Marketing Ops & Analytics

Track your success using key performance metrics:

Related posts

• 7 Ways to Identify High-Intent Customers for Better ROI

• Intent Data Integration Guide for Ad Platforms

• Top Marketing ROI Questions Answered

• Key Metrics for Intent-Based Campaigns