Intent data

Intent data is information about the products or services users actively search for. It helps companies identify the perfect moment when prospects are ready to buy so that they can offer their products or services at the right time.

In this article, we’ll unveil the reasons for collecting buyer intent data, its benefits, and its types. We’ll also review the sources of intent data and show you how to use it to drive sales.

Why should you collect buyer intent data?

Intent data is highly important for businesses because it indicates buyers’ willingness to buy specific products. With its help, you can effectively improve your marketing strategy, adjust your sales pitches, and make data-driven business decisions.

This information allows your sales teams to target potential customers who are considering your company to solve their problems. When you notice leads actively engaging with specific products, they will likely complete a purchase. By prioritizing these potential customers, you can improve efficiency and increase the chances of conversion. Additionally, knowing your prospects' browsing history allows you to personalize your messages. When you address potential customers’ problems and provide relevant solutions, they will be more interested in your product than in those of competitors.

By prioritizing prospects with clear buying intent, you can develop a personalized approach and avoid wasting resources on those disinterested in your product. This strategy allows you to shorten the sales cycle and promote quicker purchasing decisions. In addition to attracting new customers, you can also retain existing ones. Analyzing their browsing habits makes it easier to upsell additional products.

Now that you know some crucial reasons to collect intent data, it’s time to discover its key perks.

Benefits of Intent Data

Intent data provides businesses with various insights that allow them to stand out from the competition in different areas. Let’s explore the most essential ones.

• More conversions. By personalizing your messages based on the items or services that prospects explore, you can achieve a higher response rate and more effective interaction. When you provide relevant information that meets leads’ needs, you’ll be able to increase your conversion rates. Customers can quickly make buying decisions once they are confident that your offer meets their requirements.
• Higher sales efficiency. This data enables your sales team to concentrate on qualified leads who are seeking a solution like yours. They can direct their resources and marketing efforts toward the appropriate prospects and guide them toward making a purchase. By engaging leads at the right stage of their customer journey, your sales representatives can reduce the sales cycle and achieve more conversions.
• Personalized lead generation. Having intent data on hand helps you determine which prospects are actively searching for solutions to their problems. Identifying these leads allows you to prioritize high-intent prospects. This way, you can avoid wasting time and money on those without the intention of purchasing your products. Intent data lets you personalize your communication and encourages engagement with your marketing campaigns.
• Enhanced customer experience. By tailoring your campaigns and other interactions based on your prospects’ interests, pain points, and preferences, you ensure that messages resonate with your audience. Offering the right products at the right time boosts customer satisfaction, resulting in a better experience with your brand.
• Competitive advantage. It allows you to discover when prospects are considering competitors’ offers and provide them with something more appealing. You can analyze your competitors to understand what leads want and offer something better than they do. By proactively positioning yourself as a company that delivers excellent solutions, shares relevant content, and effectively communicates with potential customers, you can capture leads’ attention and encourage them to purchase from you.
• Lower customer acquisition costs. By prioritizing high-intent prospects, you prevent your brand from spending resources on people unwilling to buy. You can focus all your efforts on nurturing these leads, including sponsored content, sales reps, email campaigns, sponsored ads, etc. As a result, you’ll be able to increase the return on investment for your business.

Now that you know the advantages of intent data, let’s explore the types. They are grouped based on the source of data and intent level.

Types of Intent Data

Analyzing user behavior enables you to understand whether potential customers are ready to buy. This can be done using different types of intent data, which we’ll discover in detail in this section. Let’s dive in.

• Owned data. You can collect this information using your digital channels and tools, including website analytics, content downloads, form submissions, interactions with email campaigns, and much more. This data provides you with the most accurate and actionable insights into customer behavior and their willingness to purchase your products. It is particularly beneficial for businesses aiming to customize their lead scoring and segmentation.
• Partner data. This type of information can be received from a trusted partner’s audience. The usual sources of this data include co-branded content engagement, partner website interactions, and webinar attendees. This type of data suits companies striving to expand their audiences or improve relationships with their existing customers.
• Purchased data. This data comes from numerous external sources, including buyer searches, competitor comparison research, review sites, industry forums, etc. By searching for such information, you can have a better understanding of your industry and competitors. Besides, it helps you to identify people who haven’t interacted with your brand and reach them with the right content.
• Behavioral data. This type tracks user interactions and all their online actions. These include social media engagement, repeated visits to important web pages, webinar attendance, and more. With this information, you can determine which prospects have a high purchasing intent. Those who engage with your website, social media, and email campaigns are considered qualified and require your personalized approach.
• Content-based data. You can obtain this type of data by analyzing keywords, topics, blog articles, news, podcasts, and videos people search for. By getting this intent data, you’ll be able to improve your content strategies.

Now that you know the types, it’s time to proceed to the sources of intent data you can come across. There are several of them that you should be aware of.

Sources of Intent Data

The sources of intent data depend on their types. We’ll provide you with the most popular ones to consider.

You can get owned data from the different sections of your website and the actions users perform. Analyzing page views, time spent on the site, and bounce rate allows you to discover which users are interested in discovering your product closer. You can also see how actively site visitors download your eBooks, whitepapers, or case studies. Monitoring email opens, clicks, and replies enables you to understand whether your email campaign’s content is relevant, the subject line is eye-catching, and the offer is enticing.

When analyzing partner data, focus on jointly created articles, webinar registrations, and behavioral insights from the partner’s website. Utilizing this data enables you to broaden your audience by drawing in qualified leads to your product.

External data can be obtained from review websites, special platforms, search behavior, competitor comparisons, and other sources. These sources enable you to find new potential customers and gain insights into competitors.

Now that you know the sources of intent data based on their types, let’s explore how to use intent data and boost sales.

How to use intent data to drive sales?

With intent data, you can enhance your sales strategy and boost conversions when utilized correctly. Let’s explore how you can leverage it to improve your sales.

• Focus on high-intent leads. If you analyze intent data and find prospects who frequently visit your website, compare your product with competitors, and often view a specific item, they will likely convert. By prioritizing these leads, you can bypass several steps in the customer journey and effectively turn these potential customers into paying clients. This approach will yield higher returns on investment and boost overall sales for your business.
• Personalize your communication. Consider using behavioral data to personalize your interactions with prospects and make your messages more relevant and interesting to them. For example, if you notice that specific leads view your pricing page several times, you can send an email, a message in the chatbot, or an SMS offering them a chance to test your product for free.
• Identify the right moment to send messages. Discover when leads actively search for solutions and engage with them before your competitors. You can reach them through email, calls, SMS, and social media, offering valuable proposals that resonate with their needs. Consider setting reminders for sales reps to alert your team about high-intent actions. This will help them proactively connect with these prospects using personalized offers.
• Use retargeting for warm prospects. When prospects demonstrate high intent but haven’t yet converted, it’s important to re-engage with them. Consider developing retargeting campaigns based on leads’ online behavior. To reconnect with them, you can utilize various marketing channels, including email automation, chatbot messages, Google Ads, or sponsored content on social media.

In short, intent data is a valuable asset for businesses. It enables them to identify people who show genuine interest in products or services. With this information, businesses can prioritize the right prospects and target them with personalized content, relevant products, and timely offers.

Last Updated: 21.02.2025