Top Competitor Not Returning Much Intent Keyword Volume

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Jarrod Cohen
Jarrod Cohen Posts: 51 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
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Hi all — we have a large competitor, let's call them Company XYZ, which we have included in our Branded keywords list.

For whatever reason, perhaps there is not a lot of content consumed around this company's name, or maybe just not a lot of intent — we are not seeing much come up in intent data for Company XYZ. Even at accounts that we know are using this company's product, intent data for this company is low to non existent.

Of course the sales team doesn't understand how this could be, as other competitors' names are showing in intent data.

What's the best way to respond to a seller on why we're not seeing a lot of intent data around Company XYZ? And is there something we can do to increase or influence this?

Thank you!

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  • Adam Kaiser
    Adam Kaiser Posts: 15 6senser

    Hi Jarrod,

    So many different variables go into the appearance of a particular term (or company name) within the 6sense intent network. Suppose the competitor is a relatively small company with limited marketing/comms effort. In that case, there's likely only a little content being written/published on sites within our network. In my previous life as a customer, I worked for a small startup where our company name didn't register when we first became a customer. As time went on, our PR and thought leadership efforts started to increase, and we slowly started to see more and more hits on our name within the intent network.

    I'd also make sure there aren't any variations that could make sense to add to your keywords as well. I.e. Company XYZ Inc. , etc.

    So, to a seller, I'd say that there just isn't enough content being written about this competitor on the intent network sites that could result in account hits.

    Hope this helps,

    Adam

  • Jarrod Cohen
    Jarrod Cohen Posts: 51 ✭✭✭✭✭✭

    @Adam Kaiser this makes sense to me — appreciate the explanation!

  • Taylor Matysik
    Taylor Matysik Posts: 46 ✭✭✭✭✭✭

    @Jarrod Cohen Great question, we actually ran into a similar scenario with a relatively niche competitor that was very well established relative to one of our brands but in the grand scheme wasn't really a big organization.

    A couple things we did:

    1. Create branded keywords for orgs that are cross shopping the competitor solutions with your solution OR other competitors (e.g. Your Company vs Company XYZ, Competitor 1 vs Competitor 2). Again, if the company is niche/small you may still not see a ton of intent popping for these but it will help cast a wider net and give your team better visibility.

    2. Use a keyword tool (e.g. Semrush, Google Ads Keyword Planer) to discover other common keywords related to your competitor. Similar to the recommendation above, this will help you cast a wider net. It could also help you discover branded or generic keywords most closely associated with your competitor that you were previously unaware of or that you hadn't considered originally.

    3. See if you can add the competitor to your "Relevant Technologies" list (if you have 6sense's Enterprise package/predictive features) OR create a segment with a filter that has the competitor's brand/solutions as "technologies used" (if on 6sense's Base Package). You can then provide this to your sales team as a reference for accounts that are likely using the competitor's solution. It won't necessarily capture prospects that are cross shopping your solution and Company XYZ's but it will still give your team broader information on who is using the competitor and be able to identify patterns in the competitor's ICP that may give them a proxy for new accounts that may be considering the competitor.

    Hope this is helpful. Good luck!

  • Brandon McBride
    Brandon McBride Posts: 293 ✭✭✭✭✭✭

    Piggybacking off of @Taylor Matysik's third point - if you don't see Company XYZ listed under Relevant Technologies, reach out to your CSM.

  • Jarrod Cohen
    Jarrod Cohen Posts: 51 ✭✭✭✭✭✭
    edited February 2024

    @Taylor Matysik This is really great stuff, Taylor! Using the relevent technologies tool to supplement intent is a great idea and the competitor vs keywords is great too. Some ideas I had not thought of — I think this sets us up much better.

    Really appreciate you sharing and taking the time to reply, it is so helpful.

    @Brandon McBride also a good call out, we LOOVVEE our CSM @jenna.burt !

    Best,

    Jarrod

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