• by Ray Schultz , May 5, 2023

Intent-based targeting leads to better results in pay-per-click campaigns, and could conceivably do so in email marketing, judging by a new study from Foundry.

Intent-based ad targeting in pay-per-click (PPC) campaigns yielded significantly stronger performance, greater reach, and reduced cost-per-click (CPC) amounting to 2.5 times greater overall campaign efficiency, Foundry determined in several control vs. exposed A/B tests.

Moreover, the ad groups reaching the exposed (intent-based) audience generated 83.5% more impressions than the control audience, Foundry adds. 

In addition, there was an average click-through rate increase of 220% on ads shown to intent-based audiences in the three tests.

Presumably, email targeting would be improved if based on the same intent signals. Of course, the prospect would have to request content and provide an email address. But that would be a very powerful intent signal. 

Intent-based audiences  produced a 59.6% lower CPC than the control audience, based on a 95% confidence score.

The total cost of both ad groups was similar, but the cost-per-click in the intent-based group is lower because of the higher propensity of that audience clicking on an ad. 

Companies with a marketing budget of 6.4% of revenue can see a 2.5x improvement in campaign efficiency when they use intent data rather than standard firmographic and demographic targeting, the study contends.

“Our new research strongly suggests that moving away from traditional targeting methods and shifting to multi-source intent targeting may result in the ability to drastically improve a given marketing campaign’s effectiveness,” says Olivia Kenney, director of product strategy & innovation marketing at Foundry.