How a Digital Planning Platform Doubled Its MQLs With Cognism

A digital planning platform, uses Cognism’s B2B data to:

• Reach a 95% deliverability rate on cold emails.
• Achieve a 100% increase in MQLs.
• Build their database accurately while saving costs on paid marketing.
• Seamlessly integrate with HubSpot.

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The company

This digital planning platform aims to transform decision-making by building collaboration and trust between stakeholders, and addresses the fundamental questions: if we build here, what will it look like, who will it affect, and how will it affect them?

By combining the power of data with 3D modelling, they help professionals in the built environment understand the implications of proposed change in the urban landscape in which their projects are based.

The challenge

We interviewed the Demand Generation Manager.

How did they discover Cognism?

“I used ZoomInfo previously in another company where we were mainly US-focused. I knew of Cognism at the time and that the data was better in the UK.” 

“So when I moved here, where the target market is the UK, I was already aware of the benefits of sales intelligence platforms and implemented it here.”

What were the challenges that led them to evaluate Cognism?

“We built our database through pay-per-click marketing, which would encourage prospects to join a free trial. But, Google search ads are very expensive in B2B. So we were looking for a way to save money but keep bringing prospects onto the trial.” 

“We ended up cleansing our entire database, which was full of incorrect information. We then used Cognism to rebuild our CRM.”

He explained their evaluation process:

“We did compare Cognism to ZoomInfo and ran a data test, but we found that Cognism’s data for the UK was better, so it made a lot more sense for us. Not only that, it was also cheaper.”

The solution

He told us how they use Prospector day-to-day:

“We use Prospector to create data lists as part of our awareness stage demand generation strategy. These lists are then exported and integrated into our CRM to bolster its data. The enriched CRM data will be instrumental in targeted initiatives, including but not limited to LinkedIn ads and the creation of lookalike audiences.” 

“Our goal is to optimise our CRM for more effective and precise targeting in various marketing activities. We use HubSpot, so Cognism integrates seamlessly and makes this easy.”

He added:

“We also use it for cold email marketing campaigns.”

How do they leverage Cognism’s intent data for marketing?

“We use intent data to identify interested individuals or potential buyers. Based on this information, we create targeted email campaigns.” 

“Those who engage with our campaign materials are then handed over to our sales team for additional prospecting and development. This allows us to focus on and nurture leads that have shown genuine interest in the platform.”

The results

What quantifiable success have they seen since using Cognism?

“Last month, our deliverability rate on emails was never under 95%.”

He added:

“Our click-through rate is on average between 2%-5.5%. This is actually quite a high click-through rate for cold emails.”

“Reflecting on July, the month we initially implemented Cognism, our Marketing Qualified Leads (MQLs) were much lower. We had 97 MQLs in July and August; the number grew to 149 in September, 192 in October, 191 in November, and 120 in December (which is usually a slower month).”

“We doubled our monthly MQLs in the space of 2 months!”.

“What’s remarkable is that we accomplished this without investing much in ads. Depending solely on paid ads to reach these results would have been difficult considering our budget limitations.”

He told us about a successful ABM campaign they were able to run with the help of Cognism.

“Rather than randomly selecting prospects using LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Cognism’s intent data has allowed us to target the right individuals in companies we’d like to work with.”

“So far, we’ve had a 25% success rate, and it’s only the beginning.”

The top reasons why With Intelligence would recommend Cognism

1. Intent data

“It’s like a cheat code. It allows us to see companies who are interested in what we provide so that we can target them sooner in their buying journey and are more likely to convert at a higher rate.”

2. Database building with accurate contact information

“It saves us so much time and money. In my opinion, having the contacts and data to begin with, and then engaging with them through various marketing activities, is much easier than trying to acquire that data through those marketing activities.”

“For example, no one will ever give you an email address for a blog post. So it’s difficult to capture your prospects’ details at an awareness stage. Cognism accelerates demand generation for what we do.”

He concluded:

“Cognism is a cheat code that I wish I’d known about when I first started. I can think of so many instances in my career where I could have used Cognism, and I wish I’d had it sooner!”

Try Cognism’s sales intelligence solution

Over 3,000 revenue teams around the world trust Cognism to:

✅ Build qualified B2B contact databases.

✅ Plan and launch their outbound campaigns.

✅ Power up their social selling.

✅ Meet and beat their revenue targets.

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