TLDR:
Intent data providers are notorious for having inaccurate data. As many ABM practitioners rely on data providers to make up for any shortfall, it’s a question whether these providers are worried about the accuracy of the data they provide. If buyers ask the right set of qualifying questions, there is no reason not to trust the provider’s results.
ABM has been around long enough to demonstrate to marketers that it lives up to the hype. And it sounds great on paper, but it’s another thing to do it in practice.
Many ABM practitioners face a dearth of appropriate data. This leads them to go to third-party intent data providers to ensure they have the right data. The only problem is that these providers don’t have much of a motivation to provide 100% accurate data. It’s often chock-full of data that means little to ABM practitioners.
But just because a few marketers may experience problems in some areas doesn’t mean third-party intent data providers should be written off entirely. If marketers take advantage of these providers, they’ll be able to bolster CRM data in order to give them an edge over following up with leads.
Intent data can also act as a hub that connects marketers’ ABM activities to inbound. Connecting the two has always been a challenge for marketers. Intent data can flesh out the profiles of website visitors.
In addition, third-party intent data rounds out first-party intent data by offering a complete landscape of the area. Marketers will be able to tell just how often prospects are searching for a solution they provide, which will naturally help out when it comes to targeting accounts.
Marketers can reduce the risk of getting inaccurate data from these providers by asking specific qualifying questions. These questions range from whether they use predictive analytics for data accuracy to their methodology for identifying contacts in their dataset.
These kinds of questions will help determine if marketers have a quality data provider. If providers seem a little skittish to answer, they’re probably hiding something.
Overall, third-party data is a big help when it comes to practicing effective ABM so take advantage of it!
Original article from Business2Community on 12 April 2019.
