Intent marketing — does it worth your money or just fluff?
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“There’re so many different ways to achieve the same outcome of leads,” Adam said.
He sounded worried.
“what’s wrong?” I asked.
“How can you possibly allocate your money between all this bu*!$!% without losing all your budget?” He was highly frustrated.
I have known Adam for a few months. He read one of my articles and wrote me a follow-up email, and we’ve been chatting ever since.
He got a new offer for “Intent Marketing” from the girl who ran his ads and was looking for some free advice.
“Listen,” I paused.
“I know you hate this answer, but it depends” — “on how much money I’m willing to lose??” He cut me off.
“Nope,” I said, “if you have the time, patience, and willpower power to pass the fluff part and see results.”
Most people don’t.
If you’re like most marketing professionals, you’re always on the lookout for new trends and technologies that can give your campaigns a boost. But with so many options, it can take much work to know which ones are worth your time (and money).
Intent marketing is one of the newer kids on the block, and it’s definitely worth your attention. Here’s why.
What Is Intent Marketing?
Focuses on identifying and targeting individuals who have demonstrated a specific interest in your product or service.
In other words, it’s all about reaching out to people who are already interested in what you have to offer.
There are a few different ways to go about intent marketing:
1️⃣ One is to use keyword-based advertising, such as Google AdWords, to reach people actively searching for terms related to your business.
2️⃣ Target individuals who have previously visited your website but have yet to make a purchase. You can do this through retargeting ads on platforms like Facebook and Google.
Sounds familiar, right?
Why Intent Marketing Matters
Naturally, intent marketing allows you to focus your resources on individuals who are already interested in what you have to offer.
This means that you’re more likely to see a return on your investment than other forms of marketing that cast a wider net.
Also, building trust with prospects is easier since they have already demonstrated an interest in your product or service and are more likely to be receptive to your message.
And to add one more benefit, intent marketing can help you generate valuable insights about your customers that you can use to improve your overall marketing strategy. For example, if you notice that a specific type of customer is regularly clicking on your ads but not making purchases, you could adjust your approach accordingly.
What’s so new about it?
True, Intent Marketing was around from the early days of Remarketing tags, so the idea is relatively old.
Lately, to bypass GDPR (and similar) regulations, media companies and agencies started to build O&O assets (owned and operated) and create a media pool.
Think about it this way — if you’re going to your nearest grocery store, you are obviously in a “buying” mode.
The store owner has the right to advertise to the higher bidder.
No one ever asked you if you consent to hear and see Coca-Cola advertisements on the side of a grocery store, right?
Or, better yet, if a friendly employee stood at the entrance and asked you to consent to “receive relevant promotion while you visit the store,” you would probably agree to get over it and get what you need.
Media companies can now offer a new pool of prospects who have already consented to hear your message.
Is it effective?
Keep in mind that context is crucial more than ever!
If Adam owns a grinding espresso machine and wants coffee beans from an online store, he won’t buy capsules.
Still, Adam can be considered an “intent prospect” for the capsules company just because he visited the coffee store.
Conclusion
Overall, intent marketing is worth your time and money — mainly if you sell products or services that require research or consideration before making a purchase decision.
However, context is critical to get actual results, so optimization is crucial.
And Adam?
“Map your ideal prospect path from an ad to a purchase,” I said;
“Then, zoom in on the points you might be out-of-context, and point them out. Once you’re done, call her and build a plan to avoid these points during two months, low-budget pilot.”
“You won’t spend much, so don’t expect much,” I highlighted, “but you will get your answer and be able to scale.”
Did you ever try intent marketing? What worked for you? Please leave a comment below. I’ll be happy to answer!
Thank you for reading.
P.S.
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