#B2B #Stranger outreach #Stranger outreach #Intent targeting

For B2B companies to ultimately close deals with customers, they must first build up their success through successful ” cold calling .” In the cold calling phase, a significant amount of time, effort, and budget must be continuously invested to ultimately acquire a list of high-potential customers with both “quality” and “quantity . “

To acquire this list, companies must first gather information from various channels, including public databases, physical collections, and list exchanges, to build a list pool. Then, they must analyze the needs , urgency , and financial situation of each target, segmenting the list and simultaneously filtering out those with high current sales potential . Furthermore, the evaluation criteria vary depending on the company’s products/services (for example, the validity period of a B2C list for baby product retail is typically estimated at one to four months; while the validity period of a B2B list for manufacturing extends to at least six months, and at most a year and a half).

To make the entire cold calling process smoother, companies need to optimize their ” cultivation pool ” and ” potential screening pool ” capabilities. This will allow them to accurately calculate the conversion rate of cold calling and, more advancedly, “identify the target audience and communication key that suits their company. ” This will enable companies to continue to leverage these know-hows in the future and maintain long-term business success.

The key to precision marketing: shifting from “behavioral targeting” to “intent targeting”

Before 2023, algorithms in the online world mainly used “behavioral targeting” to obtain our (consumers’) online data; in terms of user experience, consumers would know that the algorithm would recommend other similar products based on a product page they clicked.

Behavioral targeting helps businesses analyze internet users’ search clicks and browsing behavior through first-party cookies from their own websites and third-party cookies from trading platforms and search engines. This helps them identify “who their potential customers are,” effectively assisting businesses and brands in targeting their advertising efforts and deciding what content to advertise. While behavioral targeting can indeed precisely “cater to preferences,” the final conversion rate is limited because the quantity of “this product” that consumers need is fixed. Intent targeting, on the other hand, can delve into consumers’ lives, creating extended demand and uncovering more business opportunities .

The core of intent targeting: connecting needs & underlying intentions

In reality, every online user’s “behavior” is preceded by a series of “thoughts.” During this process, brands explore users’ thoughts and life contexts, analyze the underlying needs behind their product browsing, anticipate user expectations , and preemptively present relevant information to users. This initial content guides users step-by-step to interact with the brand , attracting and engaging them. This is the logic of “intent targeting.” Intent targeting is typically used in B2C products; to capture consumers’ attention, the data collected goes beyond fixed information like gender, age, location, and contact details. Intent targeting focuses on gathering ” user needs ,” including both explicit and implicit needs.

Explicit needs are easy to collect and estimate: for example, users clicking on a new T-shirt from a trendy e-commerce platform. Explicit intent can be designed to allow algorithms to recommend similar tops and matching pants and shoes based on clothing style, seasonality, and overall aesthetic. This method is more direct and extends from clear user behavior .

Implicit intentions require more data testing and analysis: Why would a user click on this series of T-shirts instead of other styles? Is it because they like a particular designer or design element? Do they always select specific colors when browsing websites? How do they react to automatic recommendations? And so on. Merchants can use their official website / platform channels / apps and other first-hand cookie data to collect these detailed implicit intentions .

Further Reading:

• “Intent targeting” has become a Google trend. How can marketing strategies be developed to get closer to consumers?
• How identity solutions are evolving for a cookie-free future

What information is considered when conducting “intent-oriented” analysis?

Intent targeting essentially analyzes a user’s online behavior to understand what they would want in real-life situations. Therefore, it requires more detailed tags and analytics to interpret various user behaviors, including:

• Final transaction preference:

By analyzing users’ purchase history and behavior patterns, we can understand their enthusiasm for different types of products, their style and price preferences, their pickup and customer service habits, and so on.

• Explore browsing behavior:

Analysts can gain insights into the meaning behind user behavior when exploring needs online, including what attracts them to a page, their click-through rates, and dwell time. This includes understanding the content types, topics of interest, keywords and elements that attract potential customers, and their website navigation habits.

• Search behavior and feedback:

Analyze users’ keywords, search and click history, search result relevance, and whether they convert to in-depth browsing, leave membership information, or ultimately make a purchase, etc. This approach serves two purposes: first, it allows you to understand users’ key needs from the very beginning of the search engine process; second, it enables businesses to evaluate the accuracy of their algorithms in matching search results with specific user segments after implementing targeted tagging.

• Social media behavior:

By collecting data on interactions between members and other unfamiliar users on social media and public platforms that may relate to the company’s issues, such as forwarding, sharing, SOV (Search Engine Response), and real-time discussion volume using keywords, companies can understand the impact of their launched topics and products on online users and analyze this data to develop more effective communication strategies to capture online attention.

Does intent targeting also apply to B2B stranger outreach?

Let’s return to the topic of “B2B stranger development” that we discussed at the beginning.

In the previous section, we used the typical B2C consumer scenario to explain intent-oriented thinking. Similarly, for B2B customer acquisition, which involves a longer pre-sale consideration period, intent-oriented thinking can also be used to help companies acquire high-potential lists of high-quality products and services .

“Understanding who the decision-maker is in the procurement process is key to closing the deal.”

In B2B corporate procurement, the most common example, the decision-making power to ultimately close an order is usually held by a small group of people within the company. For instance, when a company decides to implement a contract management system, the decision is made by the boss, operations manager, and administrative manager; the procurement department compares and contrasts different systems; the boss and finance manager allocate the budget; and ultimately, the boss makes the final decision. Therefore, to secure a corporate procurement order, the most important research subject is not actually the people who will use the product, but rather that small group of decision-makers —what are their shared needs and underlying thoughts?

Who are the “key decision-makers”?

When conducting market research and screening communication targets in B2B, we can first segment the target audience:

• The primary decision-maker, the person who spends the money:

Owners, shareholders, CEOs, etc. These people, who have the final decision-making power and are directly responsible for the company’s future business development, value most the overall benefits that the purchased products can bring to the company, including how much profit they will generate, how much cost they will save, the impact on the company’s image, and so on.

• Secondary key decision-makers, responsible for managing and allocating how purchased products are used:

This includes heads of HR, operations, general affairs, and cybersecurity, etc. Their responsibility is to ensure the company makes full use of purchased products, therefore they participate in product evaluation and price comparison processes before procurement. They also need to consider how to ensure employees properly utilize the product’s benefits, including ease of use, maintenance methods and iteration cycles, and cross-platform compatibility, etc. Although their authority within the company is lower than that of the spending decision-makers, they have significant influence on the actual application of the product.

• Others who have some influence over corporate decision-making:

A small number of management/senior employees, business partners, competitors, etc. Competitors’ actions can affect a company’s profits and position, thus prompting top decision-makers to consider the company’s next steps. In addition, top and second-in-command may consult advisors and reliable frontline employees to understand the nuances of daily use of the purchased products.

How to discern the intentions of key decision-makers

Clearly, among the three racial groups mentioned above, we should focus on the “primary” and “secondary” categories.

• What the top decision-makers care about most

It means “This product guarantees that it will bring me foreseeable benefits to the company .”

Therefore, targeted communication requires delving into the short, medium, and long-term goals of many companies, then focusing on the value proposition for both B2B parties during the communication process, and connecting the product’s advantages and features with the decision-makers’ objectives. This allows them to intuitively understand: ” I understand your vision , and I can explain how my product will help you achieve it.”

To uncover the needs of these decision-makers (target audience), we can do so by studying market research reports on the target industry , competitive analysis of the target industry , analysis of relevant industry trends , the consumer journey of the target company , and customer feedback on our products/competitors . Simultaneously, we must constantly monitor the industry knowledge, trends, and emerging topics of these target audiences to ensure we share a common language and focus on the same goals (which will be achieved with the help of our product!). Provide the target audience with reasons to introduce the product that align with their value proposition.

• Next, what the next level of decision-makers care about

It means “This product can be quickly and practically applied within an enterprise , optimize existing work patterns, and is suitable for everyone.”

Therefore, these individuals are primarily focused on understanding the product’s purpose, how it can be applied to their business with minimal effort and resources, who should use it, how it should be implemented, and the long-term costs involved—all practical questions. They typically compare two or three similar products simultaneously. Therefore, we need to directly present ” practical, quantifiable, and compelling results ” to cater to their needs; providing detailed content such as usage scenario demos , success stories , user feedback , and solutions to common business problems to help these secondary decision-makers quickly understand and connect with the product.

When providing and arranging the above content, it’s crucial to consider the intended audience and plan the themes and keywords for the product content . These themes and keywords include product specification compatibility, pricing, case studies, after-sales service plans, etc. Besides cultivating search traffic, keyword planning also helps us “segment our audience.” The responses to different keywords help us understand “which potential customers are most interested in which content,” allowing us to tailor our approach during initial communication and immediately capture their attention.

“Intention” is constantly changing and must be continuously grasped.

Finally, remember that ” intent is constantly changing ,” especially as business activities rely more heavily on online channels and people’s consumer journeys shift more online; the speed and magnitude of these changes in people’s intentions increase significantly. Businesses need to continuously monitor the lifestyles of their target audience on high-potential lists.

In addition, B2B companies can leverage AI Martech tools to collect and analyze online user behavior, gaining deeper insights into their target audience’s current intentions. These insights can then be applied to their cold calling strategies, including adjusting the criteria for selecting potential candidates, refining product content layout and communication angles to better align with the needs and intentions of their target audience, thereby achieving increasingly effective marketing results.

If you resonate with the above and want to learn more about B2B development for newcomers, please follow Digit Spark and our LeadsGeek team, which focuses on research into “development for newcomers,” and connect with us.

Further Reading:

• Analyzing the meaning of data to accurately depict B2B Personas

Digit Spark leverages data science and combines it with business marketing logic to help businesses create digital content and service processes that are closer to the consumer market. At the same time, it utilizes AI to revitalize brand operations, helping to comprehensively improve a company’s digitalization, datafication, and brand performance.