Intent is the Holy Grail.
Google understand intent. It’s one of the main reasons they continue to be so successful.
They put answers to questions.
They link people who intend to do something with what they need to take the next action.
Me: I intend to get a dog which will be ok for my allergic wife.
Google: Here’s a list of non-allergenic dog breeds.
Me: Start looking for a Poodle Shih Tzu cross.
The question reveals the intent, Google provides the answer.
Intent becomes action. Action = demand.
Social media is driven by intent.
I intend to learn.
I intend not be bored.
I intend to be more popular.
I intend to connect.
I intend to be inspired.
And like Google, social is full of answers.
Each post, image, video, TikTok or comment is an expression of intent.
Social lets us capture intent as it happens and how it comes to life.
We’re not asking people to remember how they felt or what they did.
We’re not asking people to imagine how they might feel or what they might do.
No, with social we’re capturing how people actually felt and what they actually did.
After all, we know that people don’t talk to researchers the way they talk to each other.
Social reveals and captures their intent.
If we can understand this intent, we will know how to influence the decision-making process.
We can become the answer to the question.
If we don’t, we leave it open to those who will. Social is full of answers. From influencers to competitors.
Brands need insight strategies that will help them understand intent as it’s revealed on social.
This is how they’ll be able to find and understand the needs of new audiences.
It’s where growth will come from.
This will require the right skills (see here for our getting started guide) or the right agency partner to help (you can arrange an exploratory call here).
By: Jeremy Hollow
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