The world is ending in Financial Services (well, not actually but….)

What you’ll learn

• What is intent?
• Intents role in monitoring and uncovering trends 
• Intents role in proactively enabling your Sales, Marketing and Support teams 

How technology can help banks

The month of March was pretty dynamic in the world of Financial Services. As someone who works for a company with a vast amount of intent I was curious to look at the trends that superseded March from a Financial Services perspective. I had a hypothesis that the intent would showcase human behavior spiking, searching and reacting around the event. What was the intent showing us? How could other companies use intent and data intelligence to help shape past and present events? Before we get started let’s lay the foundation of intent…

What is intent?

B2B intent data is information collected about the online behavior of companies who are in the market for a specific product or service. B2B intent data should provide insights into the behavior of potential buyers, allowing companies to tailor their marketing and sales efforts accordingly. By analyzing this data, businesses can gain a competitive advantage by being proactive, identify patterns, and trends indicating interest in a particular product or service, and target them with personalized marketing messages and allow sellers to have more relevant conversations.

B2B intent data can include information such as:

• Keywords and phrases that potential buyers are searching for
• Web pages they have visited on a company’s website or other relevant sites
• Whitepapers, reports, or other content they have downloaded
• Social media activity, such as posts or comments related to a particular product or service
• Company information, such as size, industry, and location

Using intent data can help financial services organizations to better understand trends, upcoming events, and alert the marketing, sales, and customer teams who may need to take action.

February – Business as Usual

I began by analyzing over 9k financial services domains, 35k + keywords, over the course of February and March to see if we could use intent to prove out my hypothesis: Intent will showcase there was a large market event in March.

B2B intent data can be a valuable tool for financial services companies looking to predict market events in several ways. Here are 4 examples:

Identifying trends: Intent data can provide insights into the search and browsing behaviors of companies and individuals related to specific financial topics or products. With this data at hand you can be more proactive, identifying trends and patterns that may be indicative of future market events.

Predicting demand: Leveraging intent to predict demand for specific financial products or services can be incredibly powerful. By analyzing the search and browsing behaviors of potential customers, financial services companies can identify opportunities to introduce new products or services that meet customer needs and drive demand.

Monitoring competitors: B2B intent data can also be used to monitor the search and browsing behaviors of competitors in the financial services industry. In this case companies can identify potential threats and opportunities in the market and adjust their strategies accordingly.

Anticipating regulatory changes: Monitoring the search and browsing behaviors of companies and individuals related to regulatory issues. By analyzing this data, financial services companies can anticipate changes in regulations and adjust their strategies to comply with new requirements.

 Had they seen a trend 2 weeks prior with an uptick in keyword searches would this have caused folks to dig a little deeper?

During March

I think what’s most interesting about March is that we captured the activity, saw the trends increase for Financial Services, and then the traffic went back to normal. The pulse is very accurate when it comes to the intent. You notice in the March graph that alternative banks to SVB start to pick up in the searches around the market event. One can also imply folks are turning to research companies like; Reuters, Bloomberg, Factset for further information.

If we look at March’s longest trending keywords no surprise here… We see a lot of folks responding to the market news.

What can we learn about March events and intent?

Intent can be used as a leading or lagging indicator to identify signals and events that impact your stakeholders. Demandbase can help you set up the systems, keywords, and structure to monitor events that are important to your business and could potentially impact your Total addressable market (TAM). These events could range from natural disasters, layoffs, supply chain, bankruptcy of specific companies, or in this case a market event.

For example, If you were about to invest in a costly marketing campaign to Financial Services companies during this time period… How would you pivot to ensure messaging connects with your buyer during these unprecedented times. Maybe it’s a softer message to let these customers and prospects in the industry know you’re here for them. Or a stronger timely message if you offer risk management or business reputation services during a risky event to capture your audience while this is top of mind in the marketplace. Would this intent have helped your sales & marketing teams be more proactive in the wake of a market event?

Intent data can provide insights into human and business behavior after a major market event in several ways. Here are a few examples:

Changes in search and browsing behavior: After a major market event, there may be significant changes in the search and browsing behavior of individuals and companies related to financial topics. For example, an increase in searches related to financial stability, risk management, or investment strategies. By analyzing this data, financial services companies can identify changes in customer behavior and adjust their products and services accordingly.

Shifts in customer preferences: Changes in customer preferences and priorities. Customers may become more risk-averse and prioritize stability over growth. By analyzing search and browsing behavior, financial services companies can identify these shifts in customer preferences and adjust their offerings accordingly.

Changes in regulatory environment: A market event may also lead to changes in the regulatory environment, with increased scrutiny and regulation of financial institutions. Uncovering these signals can help financial services anticipate these changes and adjust their strategies to comply with new requirements.

Overall, intent can provide valuable insights into the search and browsing behaviors of potential customers, competitors, and regulatory agencies; enabling financial services companies to identify trends, predict demand, monitor competitors, and anticipate regulatory changes that may impact the market. 

By leveraging this data, financial services companies can make more informed decisions and stay ahead of market events and focus their time where it matters most on customers.