Understanding the Role of Intent Data in B2B Marketing

Intent Data has become one of the most discussed topics in B2B marketing, promising to reveal which accounts are actively researching solutions like yours—before they ever visit your website. But as adoption grows, a critical question emerges: Are we being oversold on its capabilities, or is intent data truly the game-changer it claims to be?

According to Demand Gen Report, 70% of B2B marketers expect to increase their intent data investments, yet only 25% report being “very satisfied” with results. Understanding why this gap exists is crucial for leveraging intent data effectively.

What Is Intent Data and How Does It Work?

Intent data captures digital signals indicating a prospect’s interest in specific topics, products, or solutions. These signals are collected from various sources across the web:

Major intent data providers like Bombora, 6sense, and G2 aggregate billions of signals daily to identify accounts showing research behavior above their baseline.

The Promise vs. The Reality

What Intent Data Promises

• Identify accounts before they enter your funnel
• Prioritize outreach to in-market buyers
• Personalize messaging based on research topics
• Reduce sales cycle length by 25-50%
• Improve conversion rates dramatically

What Often Happens

• Data quality varies significantly between providers
• Topic classification can be overly broad
• Account matching isn’t always accurate
• Integration with existing tools is complex
• Teams don’t know how to action the data

This disconnect explains why many organizations struggle to see ROI despite significant investments.

Setting Up a Successful Intent Strategy

The first step is selecting a tool that aligns with your business needs. Consider these critical factors:

Provider Evaluation Criteria

Recommended Intent Data Platforms

Combining Intent with Engagement Data

Intent signals are most powerful when combined with first-party engagement data. This creates a complete picture of account activity:

First-Party Signals (Your Data)

• Website visits and page views
• Content downloads
• Email engagement
• Paid advertising interactions
• Webinar attendance
• Form submissions

Third-Party Intent (Provider Data)

• Topic research on external sites
• Competitor research activity
• Review site engagement
• Content syndication consumption
• Industry publication engagement

Platforms like Demandbase and 6sense integrate these signals into a unified account score that ABM teams can action.

Building Intent-Based Campaigns

Once you have intent data flowing, here’s how to operationalize it:

Tiered Approach by Signal Strength

Sample Intent-Based Workflow

1. Detection: Account shows intent surge on relevant topic
2. Enrichment: Append contact data and firmographics
3. Routing: Assign to appropriate sales rep or SDR
4. Notification: Alert with intent context and suggested actions
5. Outreach: Personalized messaging referencing research topics
6. Tracking: Measure engagement and progression

For accounts showing high intent, consider Google Ads campaigns targeting branded searches.

The Overselling Problem

Despite the promise, several factors contribute to disappointing intent data results:

1. Topic Inflation Providers often classify general business research as “intent,” inflating signal volume while reducing quality.

2. Lag Time By the time intent data reaches you (often 1-2 weeks delayed), the prospect may have already engaged competitors.

3. Account vs. Contact Intent data reveals accounts, not individuals. You still need to identify and reach the right contacts.

4. Data Decay Intent signals fade quickly—a “hot” account today may be cold in 2-3 weeks.

5. Attribution Challenges Connecting closed deals back to intent signals requires sophisticated tracking.

Making Intent Data Actually Work

To maximize ROI from intent investments:

Integration Best Practices

• Sync to CRM: Push intent signals directly to Salesforce or HubSpot
• Connect to MAP: Trigger email nurtures based on intent changes
• Feed to DSP: Build advertising audiences from intent data
• Alert Sales: Real-time notifications for surge accounts

Activation Playbooks

Document specific actions for each intent scenario:

The Future: AI-Powered Intent

The integration of AI promises to address current intent data limitations:

• Predictive accuracy: ML models identifying patterns humans miss
• Real-time processing: Reducing lag from weeks to hours
• Contact-level predictions: Moving beyond account to individual signals
• Cross-channel synthesis: Combining web, email, and ad engagement
• Automated orchestration: AI-triggered multi-channel campaigns

Leading platforms are already incorporating these capabilities, making intent data more actionable than ever.

Measuring Intent Data ROI

Track these metrics to evaluate your intent data investment:

Use our marketing calculator to model potential impact on your pipeline.

Getting Started: A Practical Roadmap

1. Start small: Test with one intent provider before expanding
2. Focus topics: Choose 10-15 highly relevant intent topics
3. Integrate first: Connect to CRM/MAP before activating campaigns
4. Train teams: Ensure sales knows how to interpret and action signals
5. Measure rigorously: Track influenced pipeline and win rates
6. Iterate: Refine topics and actions based on results

Ready to leverage intent data for your B2B marketing? Contact us to discuss how we can help you identify in-market accounts and accelerate your pipeline.