The Power of Intent Data: Why B2B Marketers Use Intent Signals to Drive Growth

Intent signals have become one of the most effective strategies in B2B marketing. Unlike broad targeting or cold outreach, intent data provides real behavioral insights that tell you which prospects are actively searching for solutions like yours. The result? Higher conversion rates, more efficient ad spend, and stronger sales alignment.

The numbers back this up.

A report from Surfe found that 93% of B2B marketers observed higher lead conversion rates when utilizing intent data. Forrester reported that over 85% of companies using intent data saw improved sales prospecting success. Meanwhile, Foundry’s research revealed that intent-based advertisements are 2.5 times more efficient and achieve a 220% higher click-through rate than standard ads.

The impact goes beyond just leads. Nearly all marketers using intent data—97% to be exact—believe it provides a competitive advantage, while 50% of marketing leaders say it has helped align sales and marketing efforts.

But what exactly are intent signals, and how should you use them?

What Are Intent Signals?

Intent signals are behavioral indicators that reveal whether a prospect is actively researching a product or solution in your category. By tracking these signals, marketing and sales teams can focus their efforts on leads that are most likely to convert—eliminating the need for guesswork.

Many marketers see intent data as a way to drive more aggressive sales outreach. But that’s missing the point. The real value is in understanding the prospect’s journey so that outreach can be thoughtful, helpful, and well-timed. Intent signals allow you to provide value before asking for anything in return, which significantly increases the likelihood of engagement.

First-Party vs. Third-Party Intent Signals

There are two primary types of intent data:

First-party intent signals come from your own marketing and sales efforts, such as:

• Website visits (specific pages viewed, time spent, returning users)

• Email engagement (open rates, link clicks, replies)

• Social media interactions (likes, shares, comments)

Since you control this data, first-party signals are incredibly reliable—but limited to those already in your ecosystem.

Third-party intent signals come from external sources and can indicate that a prospect is researching your industry, engaging with competitors, or looking for relevant solutions. These signals may include:

• Search behavior (keywords related to your solution)

• Review sites (activity on platforms like G2 or Capterra)

• Job postings (hiring for roles that suggest a specific pain point)

• Competitor engagement (liking competitor content, visiting their site, engaging with their ads)

Platforms like G2 provide review-based intent data, while Clay helps marketers gather behavioral insights from public sources, such as hiring trends or funding announcements.

How to Use Intent Data to Improve Your Marketing and Sales Strategy

Intent data is only as valuable as the strategy behind it. To maximize its impact, marketers need three key elements: a well-structured CRM, AI-powered automation, and messaging that feels relevant and timely.

1. Ensure Your CRM Can Handle Intent Data

Without a clean and well-organized CRM, even the best intent data will be useless. Before doing anything else, ensure your CRM:

• Eliminates duplicate records

• Connects prospects to the correct organization

• Tracks engagement across multiple touchpoints

• Surfaces high-intent leads automatically through a lead-scoring system

If you’re using HubSpot or Salesforce, set up lead scoring models that assign weight to different intent behaviors. A common mistake is scoring generic engagement too highly. Instead, focus on behaviors that correlate with past conversions. One way to fine-tune this is by analyzing your most successful deals and working backward to see which actions those leads took before converting.

For a more advanced approach, integrating AI into your CRM can automate and refine lead qualification, as covered in this article on AI-powered lead scoring.

2. Use AI to Identify Buying Triggers and Automate Outreach

Once you’ve set up your CRM, the next step is applying AI to extract real insights from intent signals. Instead of manually reviewing engagement data, AI can detect patterns and surface hidden opportunities that would otherwise be overlooked.

Here are some of the most effective ways AI can enhance intent-based marketing:

• Tracking hiring signals. If a company is actively hiring for a relevant role—such as a VP of Risk for a fintech startup—it likely indicates a pain point your product solves. AI can track these hiring trends and alert your team when prospects are likely entering a buying window.

• Monitoring competitor interactions. Platforms like Amplemarket use AI to assess how prospects engage with competitors—whether they follow a competitor’s LinkedIn page, comment on their posts, or visit their website. This allows you to craft outreach that highlights why your solution is a better fit.

• Analyzing financial indicators. For example, a risk management SaaS company could use AI to detect when a prospect holds equity that’s experiencing high volatility. This data can then be used to tailor outreach with a specific risk-mitigation offer.

Instead of just collecting intent signals, AI can automate the process of identifying high-potential leads and recommending personalized outreach strategies.

For a deeper dive into how AI is reshaping outbound email strategies, check out this article on AI-powered email outreach.

3. Thoughtful Messaging: The Key to Converting Intent Data into Sales

Even the best data won’t help if your outreach feels robotic or overly aggressive. The key is to use intent insights to inform your messaging—not just as an excuse to send more emails.

If a lead has been researching your category, instead of immediately pitching your product, try sending them:

• A case study showing how a company in their industry solved a similar problem

• A blog post or webinar that educates them on their challenge

• A soft-touch email asking if they’d like resources on the topic

This aligns closely with the Rule of 7, which states that prospects need to engage with a brand at least seven times before making a decision. If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, check out this breakdown of the Rule of 7 and its impact on B2B outreach.

When done right, intent-driven messaging helps you build trust over time, ensuring that when a prospect is ready to buy, your company is top of mind.

The Future of B2B Marketing is Intent-Driven

B2B marketing is shifting away from guesswork and broad targeting toward precision and relevance. Companies that effectively leverage intent data and AI-powered automation will not only generate more leads but also build stronger relationships with high-value prospects.

If your marketing team is still relying on generic outreach or static ad targeting, now is the time to rethink your approach. By investing in data-driven lead qualification, AI-driven insights, and personalized messaging, you can significantly increase your conversion rates and pipeline efficiency.

For those looking to implement these strategies, feel free to reach out. Whether it’s refining your lead-scoring system, setting up AI-powered workflows, or improving intent-based messaging, we can help you build a highly scalable, efficient marketing strategy.