The vast majority of marketers believe that the effectiveness of intent data has grown over the past year, according to a report [download page] from Ascend2 and its Research Partners, perhaps as some increase their use of intent data in response to third-party cookie issues.
Still, there’s a way to go before achieving full integration of intent data: only 1 in 4 respondents said they have intent data implemented and integrated into their overall strategy, with others in the process of doing so (19%), are planning to (17%) or have not yet having started the process (19%). Just 1 in 5 either have no plans to use intent data or have stopped doing so.
There are various challenges to full integration of this data, first and foremost creating an overall strategy, as cited by about half of the respondents. Other pointed to obstacles integrating intent data with other data, deriving meaningful insights, and finding the right intent data solution.
Notably, it seems that there will be more marketers out there seeking the right technology. A slight majority plan to up their intent data budget by up to 10% (42%) or more than 10% (12%), while a previous report found that for high-growth companies (primarily in the tech industry), intent data solutions represented the fastest-growing marketing technology category.
As for the most actionable ways to use intent data, respondents to the Ascend2 survey said that it is best for delivering targeted ad content (52%). Sizable proportions also said email marketing (47%) and personalization (44%) are actionable uses for intent data, while others pointed to its use for crafting messaging and content (36%).
The full report is available for download here.
About the Data: The results are based on a March survey of 337 marketers from companies targeting B2C (45%), B2B (25%) and B2B and B2C equally (30%). Some 64% of respondents work at companies with fewer than 50 employees.