Intent Data is a Cheat Code: Here’s How to Actually Use It + 3 Campaigns to Launch This Week
Intent data isn’t some cutting-edge new technology—it’s been around for years. But despite that, I’ve seen countless companies either not use it at all or, worse, they do invest in intent data platforms only to let them sit unused or massively underutilized. The excuses range from “we haven’t figured it out yet” to “it’s just a nice-to-have.” 🙄
But the reality?
🚨
Every month you delay, your competitors are eating your lunch and capturing buyers who should be yours. Intent data isn’t new—it’s just shockingly underutilized. If you’re not using it yet, you’re already behind.
In fact, companies using intent data effectively see up to a 4x increase in engagement rates and a 50% boost in conversion rates.
In this guide, I’ll break down what intent data is, where to get it, and how to actually use it to drive demand and accelerate growth. If you’re still sleeping on intent data, now is the time to wake up.
🚀Stop guessing which leads are worth pursuing. Let’s chat about how to start using intent data today.
What is Intent Data?
What if you could focus only on the prospects who are actively in-market, searching for solutions like yours right now? That’s exactly what intent data enables you to do. Intent data is behavioral signal data that indicates when a prospect is actively researching a solution like yours.
It comes in two main forms:
First-Party Intent Data (Owned Data)
This is data collected directly from your digital properties and CRM. Here’s what to track and how to use it:
- Website Activity: First, dig into your website analytics for metrics like page views, session duration, and navigation paths. A visitor checking out your pricing page multiple times? That’s a strong buying signal. Platforms like Google Analytics, HubSpot, or ZoomInfo WebSights are excellent platforms to surface these important signals.
- Email Engagement: Then, open up your email marketing platform to find your next cohort group of high-intent users. Analyze metrics like open rates, click-through rates, and response times. A subscriber who consistently engages with your emails is likely more interested in your offerings and should get a totally different outreach cadence and messaging. In fact, they should be passed along directly to your SDRs for more personalized engagement. Someone engaging heavily with your emails is primed for a sales touchpoint.
- Product Usage Behavior: For SaaS companies, understanding how users interact with your product during free trials can highlight features driving the most value. Are trial users engaging with key features? If so, they might be ready to upgrade. This data can inform both marketing and product development strategies. Use tools like Mixpanel, Amplitude, or Pendo.
Third-Party Intent Data (External Behavioral Signals)
Third-party intent data comes from sources outside your ecosystem—tracking who’s researching solutions like yours across the web… which is great because most folks trust third-party sources over you anyway!
- Industry Content Consumption: Monitoring which articles or whitepapers are popular on industry-specific sites can inform your content strategy. Platforms like BuzzSumo, Bombora, TechTarget, or 6sense can help you identify trending topics.
- Competitor Research Behavior: If a prospect is checking out your offerings on a review site or (gasp!) evaluating your competitors, it’s time to intercept. Use platforms like TrustRadius, G2, or LinkedIn Sales Insights to get the inside scoop.
- Search Behavior on External Sites: By analyzing search queries on platforms like Google or and researching traffic to your competitors, you can identify trends and topics your target audience is interested in. Tools like Google Ads Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Demandbase are great starting points for insights into these search behaviors.
Example:
If a finance director at a mid-sized enterprise company suddenly starts searching for “best cloud security platforms” and downloading whitepapers on multiple cybersecurity sites, that’s intent data in action and a strong buying signal. If you’re a cybersecurity vendor, wouldn’t you want to engage them ASAP?
Not sure which tools fit your strategy? Let’s discuss the best intent data approach for your business.
How to Use Intent Data for Demand Generation
Prioritize High-Intent Leads
Instead of chasing cold leads, focus on the ones already in-market.
📌Real-World Case Study: Companies using Bombora’s intent signals saw a 55% increase in opportunity creation.
How to Implement:
- Set up automated alerts when prospects show surging intent.
- Use lead scoring to prioritize the most engaged accounts.
- Trigger sales outreach immediately when a lead spikes in engagement.
Improve ABM Targeting & Personalization
Intent data lets you serve hyper-relevant messaging based on what prospects are actively researching.
Example:
If a CFO at a target account is researching “cost savings with cloud migration,” your sales team can send them a case study on reducing IT expenses with your solution.
How to Implement:
- Create custom LinkedIn & Google Ads audiences from high-intent accounts.
- Adjust email & content messaging based on real-time research behavior.
- Use personalized LinkedIn outreach with references to their recent searches.
Optimize Paid Media & Retargeting
Stop wasting ad spend on cold audiences! Intent data helps you target only high-intent users, reducing wasted impressions and improving conversion rates.
📌 Real-World Case Study: A SaaS company used intent-based Google Ads targeting and saw a 30% reduction in cost per lead (CPL) while doubling conversion rates.
How to Implement:
- Use LinkedIn Matched Audiences to retarget warm leads.
- Run Google Display Ads targeting only high-intent users.
- Personalize landing pages based on search behavior.
Want better ROI on your paid media? Let’s optimize your intent-driven ad strategy.
3 Intent Data Demand Generation Campaigns You Can Launch Today
1️⃣ Intent-Based Retargeting Ads
❓What to Do
Use intent data to identify companies that are actively researching solutions like yours and serve them targeted ads across LinkedIn, Google Display Network, and other platforms.
✅How to Do It
- Get the data: Use Bombora, 6sense, or ZoomInfo WebSights to track which companies are showing intent signals.
- Build custom audiences: Upload high-intent company lists into LinkedIn Campaign Manager or Google Ads.
- Segment by intent level: Adjust ad messaging based on whether they’re lightly researching vs. deep into evaluation.
- Retarget warm leads: Serve ads to companies that have visited your pricing page or engaged with competitor sites.
Example Campaign Concept
Competitive Conquesting Ads: If a company is researching your competitors, serve them ads with messaging that highlights your unique differentiators.
Tools to Use: Bombora, 6sense, LinkedIn Ads, Google Display Network, Demandbase
2️⃣ High-Intent ABM Email Sequences
❓What to Do
Instead of blasting generic emails, use intent signals to craft highly personalized outreach based on exactly what your target accounts are researching right now.
✅How to Do It
- Monitor third-party intent signals: Use G2, TrustRadius, and Bombora to track which companies are comparing solutions in your category.
- Identify key contacts: Pull in decision-makers from ZoomInfo or LinkedIn Sales Navigator.
- Write hyper-personalized emails: Reference the exact topics they’re researching (e.g., “I saw your team has been looking into [solution]—we helped [competitor] cut costs by 30% using [feature]”).
- Automate follow-ups: Set up multi-touch email sequences in tools like Outreach, HubSpot, or Salesloft.
Example Campaign Concept
Intent-Based Email Nurture Sequences: If a company has been researching cloud security solutions, send them a custom content series with case studies, whitepapers, and testimonials that align with their pain points.
Tools to Use: Bombora, G2, TrustRadius, Outreach, HubSpot, Salesloft, ZoomInfo
3️⃣ Sales Team Instant Alerts
❓What to Do
Enable your sales team to act on real-time buying signals by triggering alerts when a target account shows surging intent.
✅How to Do It
- Set up intent tracking: Use 6sense, Bombora, or Clearbit to track companies increasing research activity.
- Define alert triggers: Set notifications for spikes in research on high-intent keywords or visits to your pricing/demo page.
- Push alerts to sales: Send real-time Slack, email, or CRM notifications so SDRs can engage while interest is high.
- Equip reps with context: Provide insights like what topics they researched, which competitor pages they viewed, and past engagement history.
Example Campaign Concept
Hot Lead Alerts: If a company downloads your whitepaper and visits your pricing page multiple times in a week, trigger an instant Slack and email alert to the assigned SDR with talking points and recommended next steps.
Tools to Use: 6sense, Bombora, Clearbit, Salesforce, Slack, HubSpot, Outreach
The Hard Truth: Companies Are Sleeping on Intent Data
The companies I’ve worked with are spending thousands on intent data platforms—but you know what most of them do? Absolutely nothing.
They think it’s too complicated or that the juice isn’t worth the squeeze.
🚨 Wrong! If you’re still debating whether to implement intent data, you’re already falling behind! Your competitors who are using it will outpace you—fast.
The companies winning today aren’t guessing who’s in-market—they’re leveraging real-time intent signals to engage buyers before their competition does. The only question left is: are you going to take action or keep waiting while your competitors scoop up your best prospects?
Stop Letting High-Intent Buyers Slip Away to Your Competition
Let’s implement intent-driven marketing into your demand gen initiatives now.