Intent Data
Short Explanation: Intent data is signal data that suggests what a company is researching or planning to buy.
In-Depth Explanation
Intent data helps B2B teams spot demand earlier than inbound leads. It can come from your own channels (first-party intent) like page views, webinar sign-ups, and pricing-page visits. It can also come from outside sources (third-party intent) like publisher networks and review sites. The value is timing: you can focus outreach on accounts that show active interest, not on a static list.
How it Works:
- Collect signals: Track actions such as content reads, search queries on your site, event attendance, and repeat visits.
- Score and group: Map signals to topics, then score accounts by intensity and recency.
- Match to ICP: Filter by firmographics and buying roles, so you do not chase the wrong accounts.
- Activate: Trigger ads, sales tasks, and email sequences that match the topic the account shows interest in.
- Measure: Compare win rate, sales cycle length, and pipeline per intent tier.
Real-Life Example
A SaaS company sees a spike in visits to its “SOC 2” and “Data Processing Agreement” pages from three mid-size banks. At the same time, a third-party provider flags those same banks as reading articles about “vendor risk” and “security audits”. The sales team prioritizes these accounts, sends a short note about security requirements, and invites them to a compliance webinar. Two of the three accounts enter a buying process within four weeks.