Intent Data

What is Intent Data?

Intent data is behavioral information that indicates when a prospect or company is actively researching solutions in your category. It aggregates digital signals—website visits, content consumption, search activity, and engagement patterns—to identify accounts that are in-market and likely to buy soon.

Data Sources:

• Publisher networks (websites sharing visitor behavior)
• Keyword monitoring (what companies are searching for)
• Content consumption (who's reading what)
• Review sites and forums
• Job postings and hiring data
• Technology stack changes

Why Intent Data Matters

Predictive Power:
Intent data identifies buyers before they identify themselves to you. Instead of waiting for inbound leads or hoping cold outreach connects, you know exactly who's actively researching solutions.

Sales Efficiency:

• 77% of buyers prefer not to hear from sales until they're actively researching
• Intent data reveals when that research begins
• Sales outreach to active buyers converts 3-5x higher
• Eliminates wasted effort on accounts that aren't in-market

Competitive Advantage:
In 2026, intent data is table stakes for competitive B2B sales. Companies using intent data identify opportunities weeks before competitors, allowing them to build relationships early in the buying process.

Types of Intent Data

First-Party Intent:

• Website visitors and their behavior
• Content downloads from your properties
• Webinar attendance
• Product trial signups
• Your own engagement data

Third-Party Intent:

• Publisher network activity (what they read elsewhere)
• Search behavior across the web
• Competitor research activity
• Review site engagement
• Technology adoption signals

Firmographic Intent:

• Funding announcements
• Hiring expansions
• Leadership changes
• Office expansions
• Mergers and acquisitions

Using Intent Data in Sales

Prioritization:
Rank accounts by intent intensity. Focus sales effort on accounts showing strong, recent intent signals.

Timing:
Engage when intent spikes. Early engagement means influencing requirements before they're finalized.

Personalization:
Intent reveals specific interests. Tailor outreach to the topics they're researching.

Competitive Selling:
Know when prospects are researching competitors. Engage proactively with differentiation.

Best Practices

1. Combine with ICP: Intent data + ICP = ideal targeting. Only pursue intent signals from accounts that fit your ideal customer profile.

2. Act Fast: Intent signals decay quickly. When an account shows strong intent, engage within days, not weeks.

3. Score Signal Strength: Not all intent is equal. Multiple touches across multiple sources signal higher buying intent than single weak signals.

4. Integrate with Tech Stack: Intent data should flow directly into your CRM and sales engagement tools for seamless prioritization.

5. Respect Privacy: Ensure your intent data providers comply with GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy regulations.

Common Mistakes

• Pursuing intent from accounts that don't match ICP
• Acting too slowly on intent signals (decay is rapid)
• Over-relying on a single data source
• Not integrating intent into existing workflows
• Ignoring context (some intent signals are weak or irrelevant)

Key Takeaways

• Intent data identifies when accounts are actively researching solutions
• First-party data comes from your properties; third-party from external sources
• Act fast on intent signals—they decay quickly
• Combine intent with ICP for optimal targeting
• Integrate intent data into CRM and sales workflows