Imagine having a crystal ball that tells you exactly who is in-market for your solution, what they’re researching, and when they’re ready to buy. If you had that insight, you wouldn’t waste budget on broad, untargeted campaigns—you’d focus your efforts on the buyers who matter most.
That’s the power of intent signals in B2B marketing. B2B buyers do deep research before engaging with sales, leaving a trail of intent data breadcrumbs. In fact, our 2024 research showed that 69% of B2B marketers observed an increased amount of online research by buyers. Intent data helps marketers identify prospects at the right stage of their journey and engage them with relevant messaging. This data-driven approach leads to better brand lift, better alignment between sales and marketing, and optimized marketing spend.
In this guide, we’ll break down what intent signals are, why they’re essential, and, most importantly, how to use them to improve your marketing campaign results.
What are intent signals?
Intent signals are behavioral indicators that suggest a prospect is actively researching a solution, problem, or category. These signals can come from multiple sources, including:
- Website behavior – Visiting your key product pages, consuming multiple pieces of content, or interacting with chatbots.
- Search activity – Increased searches around relevant industry terms or branded keywords.
- Content engagement – Downloading whitepapers, attending webinars, or engaging with blog content.
Intent signals are typically categorized into three types:
- First-party intent data – Data collected from your own digital properties (website, CRM, email campaigns).
- Second-party intent data – Shared data from trusted partners or platforms (e.g., linkedin insights, intent-sharing networks).
- Third-party intent data – Aggregated behavioral data from external sources that track broader industry trends.
Understanding and utilizing these intent signals is key to engaging the right buyers at the right time with the right message.
Why intent data is a superpower for B2B marketers
Traditional marketing tactics often involve casting a wide net and hoping to reach the right audience. Intent data flips this approach by helping marketers identify and prioritize highly likely to buy accounts before they formally enter the sales pipeline—leading to improved results. In a test run by Causal IQ, our certified B2B data, powered by 40 billion monthly intent signals, drove 50% better brand lift compared to competitors.
Key benefits of using intent data:
- More efficient targeting – Focus on accounts that are actively researching your industry or competitors.
- Better alignment with sales – Provide sales teams with actionable insights on buyer intent, so they can personalize their outreach.
- Optimized marketing spend – Reduce wasted ad spend and marketing resources by investing in prospects with real buying intent.
- Shortened sales cycles – Engage prospects at the right time in their buying journey, nurturing them with relevant content and solutions to help them make a purchase decision faster.
By leveraging intent data, B2B marketers move beyond guesswork and start prioritizing the accounts most likely to convert.
How to collect and analyze intent data
Before you can use intent signals effectively, you need the right data sources and analytical approach. With a clear understanding of intent signals, you can seize valuable opportunities to engage high-intent prospects, accurately interpret their interest levels, and optimize resources for more effective outreach.
Key intent indicators to monitor:
- Content consumption trends – Which topics are buyers engaging with most?
- Search behavior – What keywords or competitor terms are showing increased activity?
- Repeated visits and time on page – Are prospects returning to specific pages multiple times?
- Firmographic and technographic data – Are certain industries or company sizes showing higher engagement?
Where to find intent data:
Did you know? Anteriad named a Strong Performer in The Forrester Wave™: Intent Data Providers For B2B, Q1 2025
- Look for a trusted data partner – Seek out intent data providers that have been vetted for quality by third-party organizations like Neutronian to ensure accuracy and reliability.
- Monitor your website activity – This is where first-party intent data comes in. Track form fills, downloads, and on-site behavior. Look for what’s resonating and use it to your advantage.
- Integrate CRM and marketing automation tools – Use tools like HubSpot, Marketo, or Salesforce to centralize data for better decision-making. Keeping your data in one place will help you better analyze and make strategic decisions.
Once you’ve gathered intent data, the next step is applying it strategically across your marketing campaigns.
Putting intent data to work in your marketing strategy
The real power of intent data comes from knowing how to act on it. Below are six essential ways B2B marketers can use intent signals to enhance campaign performance:
- Account-based marketing (ABM) prioritization
Intent data allows ABM teams to focus on high-value accounts that are actively researching solutions. Instead of reaching out cold, you can:
- Identify which target accounts show increased engagement with relevant topics.
- Customize outreach based on their specific research interests.
- Serve targeted ads, content, and offers that align with their needs.
- Lead scoring
Not all leads are equal—intent signals help refine your lead scoring model by assigning higher scores to prospects who exhibit buying behavior.
- Identify engaged leads based on recent content activity and keyword searches.
- Prioritize sales outreach to accounts showing consistent high-intent signals.
- Automate lead nurturing for mid-funnel prospects until they’re sales-ready.
- Content personalization for higher engagement
Instead of generic messaging, intent-driven content strategies deliver the right content at the right time:
- Create dynamic content recommendations on your website based on visitor intent signals.
- Personalize email campaigns to align with a prospect’s recent research topics.
- Develop industry-specific content assets for prospects researching niche solutions.
- Paid advertising optimization
Intent data improves ad performance by ensuring your budget goes toward the most relevant audiences:
- Run targeted LinkedIn and Search Ads based on buyers searching for relevant keywords.
- Retarget high-intent visitors with tailored messaging based on their activity.
- Optimize bidding strategies by focusing on accounts showing strong purchase signals.
- Email marketing and nurture campaigns
Intent signals provide insight into what your audience cares about, allowing for hyper-personalized email outreach:
- Segment email lists based on intent signals and the topics they're interested in.
- Craft nurture sequences that address specific pain points shown in their behavior.
- Time follow-ups effectively—contacting leads when they are most engaged.
- Web personalization and chatbots
AI-driven chatbots and web personalization can dynamically adjust based on a visitor’s intent signals:
- Display tailored messaging and CTAs based on a visitor’s engagement.
- Deploy real-time chatbot recommendations for users reading high-intent content.
- Guide prospects to relevant case studies, demos, or pricing pages based on their browsing behavior.
Common pitfalls to avoid with intent data
While intent data is powerful, using it strategically can amplify your marketing success. Keep these best practices in mind to maximize its effectiveness:
- Diversify your data sources – Relying solely on first-party or third-party data can limit insights. Combining multiple sources creates a more complete picture.
- Time your outreach effectively – Not every signal means a prospect is ready to buy immediately. Map the typical buying journey and align engagement with their journey stage.
- Seamlessly integrate with sales – Ensure your sales team has access to and understands intent insights, enabling them to personalize their approach and close deals faster.
Looking forward
B2B marketing is no longer about blind outreach or mass messaging—it’s about precision, personalization, and timing. Intent data provides the insights needed to engage buyers effectively, optimize resources, and increase conversions.