What is IntentData?

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Intentdata is information that includes what customers are searching for on Google or Amazon. It also includes browsing behaviour on websites such as Facebook and YouTube.

In recent years, the ways it has been used by marketers have grown exponentially in order to understand their target market better and improve marketing strategies.

What can it be used for?

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It is essential to realize that data like that cannot simply be used in any way. It has specific ways it should and shouldn't be applied depending on the situation, which will depend on your business goals.

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Some of its uses include:

• Improving customer experience with product recommendations or targeted ads based on their search history, allowing marketers to get closer than ever before to understanding what customers are looking for.
• They are predicting future trends by monitoring changes in web traffic over time which could result in new ideas coming from unexpected places. Businesses may find themselves adapting quickly when they become aware of these changes early enough through data analysis.
• Understanding market needs by having a better grasp of who your customers are and being able to see what they care about. This understanding can then be used to better position products or services on a website, in marketing materials or even during conversations with potential customers.

Where does IntentData come from?

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The data is collected through a number of different sources, which we will explore below:

• Search engines - Google, Yahoo, Bing etc. track every search made and save it anonymously for up to 18 months. Advertisers can then target these ads based on the user's keywords that were searched for.

• Social media sites - Facebook and YouTube keep track of all the videos watched and liked as well as how long someone spends on a page. They also monitor who clicks on a page and add this information to user data.
• Shopping sites - For websites that sell products, data is collected when someone adds an item into their shopping cart but doesn't complete the purchase, for example. That shows how intent changes during a browsing session in response to specific advertisements or product pages which could be applied in your business's marketing strategy.

How can using this benefit you?

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As we have explored above, such data has many applications within businesses of all kinds, including:

• Customer experience - When customers are able to find exactly what they're looking for quickly on your website, it creates a highly positive customer experience which will improve retention rates and reduce bounce rate (how long people spend on one web page).
• Improved online presence - Understanding this can help businesses make intelligent decisions regarding which products to put front and centre, where they should be placed on the page etc. This will improve your visibility in search engine rankings with Google, for example, leading to higher traffic overall.
• Marketing strategy - Using it effectively may result in a successful marketing campaign that is targeted at precisely who you want it to reach. For instance, if data shows that customers moving from one product category into another are more likely to buy during certain hours of the day, then this information could be used by marketers when planning out their campaigns so as not to miss any potential sales opportunities.

• Increase leads and sales - By understanding what people are searching for online, businesses will be able to use data when creating marketing campaigns so as not just to increase their number of clicks but also improve conversion rates through more targeted advertising, which appeals directly to potential customers' interests. This would ultimately lead to better ROI from marketing budgets by increasing both short term revenue and long term customer lifetime value.
• Drive innovation - Intent analytics provides a never before seen level in granularity and detail, which means marketers and business owners alike can gain insights into how they should change or adapt their products in order for them to better appeal to potential customers. This will lead to increased sales and improve brand reputation as companies are able to provide exactly what people want when they want it.
• Gain customer insight - As data is so specific, businesses can gain a more detailed understanding than ever before of how their products or services fit into the lives of both existing and prospective customers. Marketing teams would also be able to achieve more significant ROI by being far more targeted with regards to who their audience actually is rather than just focusing on numbers such as geographical location etc., which could ultimately result in less wasted ad spend through ads not working for specific demographics, e.g. men buying razors if you're advertising specifically at women etc.

Which tools are available?

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Currently, there aren't many off-the-shelf data analysis tools available for businesses to use. However, there are a number of options that can be used depending on your needs and the size of your business:

• Google Analytics - This free program is easy to set up and provides marketers with key metrics such as visitor numbers, average duration per visit etc., allowing them to identify changes in intent over time. Google also has its own AdWords keyword tool so you can see what people have been searching for recently before deciding how best to implement customer data into a marketing strategy.

• AdRoll - A paid service that helps companies gain insight from intentdata by providing statistics about campaigns they run through their network, plus an overlay feature where users get detailed information about who clicked on each of their ads.
• Kissmetrics - A paid service that claims to be able to predict intent by looking at all the available customer data and then creating a customer profile based on this information. Users will get access to an analysis of meaning that is specific for each business they run, such as how likely it is someone wants to buy something or sign up for your mailing list etc.

Which industries can benefit?

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Customer data has many applications in various different types of businesses, including:

1. Real estate - By understanding who potential customers are, with regard to things like age and what they care about online, realtors would be better equipped when trying to find properties that most closely match these interests as not just increase sales but make the whole process more enjoyable for customers.
2. Travel - customer data can be used to help improve search results on travel sites by understanding intent towards changes in destination or mode of transport etc., which would ultimately lead to an increase in bookings made online. This could also be applied at a local level, where customer data would show people's changing interest during different seasons so that businesses are able to better market themselves depending on what time of year it is, e.g. winter clothes sales when there is snow outside rather than summer clothing sales when everyone wants to go swimming.

3. E-commerce - By understanding customer data, eCommerce sites can place the most popular items that people are looking at on the front page in order to increase the chances of a sale being made. They can also use customer data to create targeted ads for products that have been historically shown to be high margin, such as engagement rings, for example.
4. Healthcare - The healthcare industry is one where customer data could potentially be used to save lives by helping doctors and nurses better understand patients' needs before they've even had a chance to ask for help. For example, if it's known that someone has been searching for information about a specific illness, then this knowledge could be used by medical professionals when creating a care plan so that they're able to provide treatments and information that is tailored to the patient's needs.

IntentData in the sales industry

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The sales industry can use data for:

• Personalize quotes - By understanding data, sales teams will be able to get a better idea of what their customers want from them and tailor their quotations accordingly. They can also use the information collected about the customer's intent towards certain products or services over others in order to win more business by pushing forward with deals which are more likely to be accepted.
• Predict customer behavior - By understanding data, businesses will be able to predict customer behavior in order to increase the chances of them making a purchase. This would involve looking at trends and understanding what customers have been historically interested in so that sales teams can target these individuals with tailored offers and deals which are more likely to result in them buying something.
• Marketing - By understanding data, businesses can use it to create targeted ads for products that have been historically shown to be high margin or popular items which are more likely to result in a sale being made. They can also look at data when creating campaigns so as to better target their customers with adverts about products they're already interested in rather than those which aren't likely to resonate with them as much.

The future: What's next for IntentData?

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In the future, data could be used to:

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1. Personalize websites - As a result of data becoming more readily available and businesses being able to use it when creating their marketing strategies, website personalization will become far more advanced.

For example, someone searching for "ski holidays" would be shown adverts about winter sports rather than summer ones which they'd see if the intent was set as "beach breaks".

This means that not only is there an increase in potential revenue but also a better customer experience through site visitors getting exactly what they want straight away without having to search around on multiple other sites before finding what suits them best.

2. Real-time advertising - By understanding intent so well and using data when creating adverts, companies will be able to serve up their ads in real-time based on the purpose of people searching for or looking at specific products.

For example, someone who is browsing a website about winter sports might see an advertisement on the site (or even across various locations) for ski holidays rather than something like summer beach breaks which would happen if the intent was set as "beach breaks", etc.

This means that not only are there greater returns from marketing budgets but also more satisfied customers through them receiving precisely what they want straight away, making them far less likely to shop around before finding it again, e.g. googling somewhere else later down the line and viewing another advert etc.

3. B2B Marketing - Data is the future of B2B marketing as it helps businesses find the intent of their customers and prospects to determine how they want to receive information.

This means that it's possible for them not only to increase conversions but also reduce wastage, as there is no need to send out marketing material which isn't relevant to everyone who receives it.

For example, data would show if people are looking around for information about a specific industry or if they're just browsing to find out more. This would enable organizations in that sector to create different marketing plans for each intent accordingly.

4. Marketing to teens - One of the biggest areas where data could have a major impact is when it comes to marketing towards teens.

Traditionally, this has been very difficult but data can be used to determine what teens are searching for and looking at online which means that businesses can use data to create targeted ads, e.g. a sports brand could advertise at a football fan or soccer player rather than someone who isn't interested in sports, etc.

Conclusion

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Data is allowing businesses to better understand intent. It can be used in many ways, for example in e-commerce and healthcare industries. As data becomes more readily available it means that businesses will begin to use it when marketing their products or services, like how Google uses data to create targeted ads across the web based on what people are searching for.

In the future, intentdata will be used to personalize websites and serve up ads in real-time. This means that customers are more likely to get what they want without having to search around on different sites. As a result, it is changing how businesses operate and shows great potential for the future of marketing.