3 Ways to Use Intent Data to Improve ABM Outcomes
While the benefits of Account-Based Marketing (ABM) are widely discussed, less is said about the effort and resources ABM requires. Unlike other marketing strategies, ABM involves a more intensive focus on a smaller set of high-value target accounts. To generate more revenue from this limited pool, ABM teams must create highly tailored campaigns that speak directly to the unique needs of each account.
To succeed with ABM, it’s important to adopt a mindset that embraces learning from early setbacks. Teams should plan with the intention to improve, innovate, and adapt continuously. With this approach, leveraging intent data can play a crucial role in improving ABM outcomes. Let’s explore three key areas where intent data can make a significant impact: activity-based targeting, better engagement with buying centers, and higher-yield enterprise sales activations.
1. More Precise Activity-Based Targeting
There are two main ways to boost revenue through ABM: increase the volume of deals or close deals with a higher average value. To maximize opportunities, it’s important to focus on where active buyers are clustered. This is known as activity-based targeting. When buyers show interest in a product or solution, they tend to seek information from certain sources—often outside your own inbound funnel. These buyers could be the right fit for your product, but if you only focus on your own inbound channels, you may miss out on key opportunities.
Intent data helps solve this problem by revealing where buyers are actively researching solutions. By identifying these clusters of activity, your team can target the accounts that are most likely to convert, improving your sales team’s success rate and reducing the time needed to close deals.
2. Better Buying Center Engagement
Intent data doesn’t just help identify which accounts are in-market; it also helps you understand who within those accounts is actively researching solutions. To engage a buying center effectively, it’s crucial to understand the specific roles and interests of the individuals involved in the purchasing decision. First-party intent data gives you insights into job titles, content consumption, and pain points, helping you tailor your outreach to each decision-maker.
With this data, your sales and marketing teams can target the right people within an account and engage them with content that addresses their unique needs. Additionally, intent signals help you identify when buying groups are forming, allowing you to deliver personalized, high-value offers (HVOs) or run targeted webinars that speak directly to the concerns of the buying team. This approach can significantly improve your engagement with key decision-makers and differentiate your brand from competitors.
3. Higher-Yield Enterprise Sales Activations
The success of ABM relies heavily on the effectiveness of your sales team. To be successful, sales reps need to know who to engage with, when to engage them, and how to approach the conversation. Intent data provides this clarity by showing early-stage buyer activity, allowing your team to reach out to prospects at the right moment.
The key advantage of using intent data is that it gives your sales team personalized, real-time insights into buyer behavior. By knowing which individuals are actively researching solutions, sales reps can tailor their outreach to speak directly to the buyer’s role, needs, and challenges. This personalized approach has been shown to significantly increase engagement and conversion rates compared to generic, high-volume outreach.
With intent data, sales reps can prioritize outreach based on the strength of the intent signals, ensuring they focus their efforts on prospects who are actively in-market and more likely to convert. This not only shortens the sales cycle but also increases the likelihood of closing high-value deals.
Wrapping Up
Incorporating intent data into your ABM strategy can dramatically improve your ability to identify and engage with the right accounts at the right time. By using intent data to fine-tune your targeting, engage buying centers more effectively, and optimize sales activations, you can drive higher conversion rates and faster sales cycles.
However, it’s important to remember that integrating intent data into your ABM programs won’t happen overnight. The key to success is ensuring that your marketing and sales teams are aligned around shared goals and data sources. With the right foundation, your ABM strategy can evolve into a powerful engine for revenue growth.
For more guidance on leveraging intent data for ABM success, consider speaking with a team of experts who can help you implement and optimize your strategy.
