Intent Data: What It Is and How to Use It for Cold Outreach? The Go-To Guide

Eugene Suslov 20 Oct 2024

Keeping pace with sales trends requires a lot of time, and effort, and using more than traditional marketing strategies, such as email campaigns, social media, discounts, and many others.

The truth is that you must take into account several factors if you want your brand to break through in your industry. One of the newest is intent data. Yes, this concept has totally changed the game’s rules in the sales world.

According to a survey by Surfe, 97% of B2Bs believe that using buyer intent data provides a competitive advantage this year.

You can’t be left behind!

Join us in this quick guide, where we explain to you what intent data is, where it comes from, its providers, types, advantages, and applications in B2B so you can start transforming how you reach your audience.

Let’s not waste any more time!

What is intent data?

Intent data is a complex set of market data that, when analyzed, allows you to detect patterns and predict the online behavior of your target audience before they buy.

To better illustrate, buyer intent data are the small footprints or traces that your potential customers leave behind as they search for information about a problem, a product or service that solves it, and possible options to satisfy it.

What are some examples of intent data?

Application usage
Social networking
Website visits
Keywords searched
Downloaded items.

Why is sales intent data relevant?

According to Think with Google, ads served with intent signals alone have a 30% higher consideration lift and a 40% higher purchase intent lift than ads served using demographic signals alone.

So, analyzing this data allows you to get a glimpse into your potential buyer’s mind, predict how likely a lead will become a buyer, and make your sales strategies much more efficient.

Let’s take a look at the advantages it offers!

What are the benefits of intent data?

Let’s see what the main benefits of B2B intent data are:

Optimize lead generation

According to Surfe, 56% of survey respondents use buyer intent data primarily to identify new accounts to target.

The truth is that analyzing this intelligent data lets you know which companies are researching or interested in products or services similar to those you offer. The key here is that you can react promptly.

Personalized marketing campaigns

Considering sales intent data, you can know which products are the most viewed by a customer on your site, which ones they are interested in, and even if they are considering your competition.

From there the clock is ticking, for you to send targeted advertising content in your email marketing campaigns or make a personalized offer.

Improve account-based marketing

Analyzing this complex data allows you to identify the companies ready to click on buy button, and you can communicate or interact with content tailored to their needs.

Personalized content creation

You can start creating content on your website, blog, and email that efficiently responds to the needs of potential businesses, explaining why your product is what they are looking for.

Empower the efforts of sales teams

Intent data analysis allows you to make informed decisions to align your efforts with your marketing objectives.

For example, you know about one potential customer searching for information on blogs about a product and another one who is already checking reviews and prices. Both of them are at different stages of the buyer’s journey, and you should prioritize your efforts towards the second, who has already decided to buy and is considering options.

Our next step is to define what B2B intent data providers are. Let’s take a look.

What are B2B intent data providers?

B2B intent data providers are dedicated tools that offer intelligent buyer intent data collection and analysis services related to the contacts that your marketing teams manage.

The key is to have relevant information to better understand your contacts. This will allow you to refine your offer and convert them into the best option.

What are the main characteristics of intent data providers?

Here are the 5 main characteristics of intent B2B data providers. Let’s take a look, so you can understand what they can do for you and your brand.

Collect data from contacts.
Analyze data to detect meaningful patterns.
Optimize the generation of marketing strategies for your target audience.
Allowing you to create personalized content that responds to the needs observed in the intent.
Integration capabilities with other sales tools.

What are the types of intent data?

The first thing you should understand is that there are different types of intent data, depending on their origin, these can be classified:

First party: You get it from your own data, the information you get from your CRM tools, advertising campaigns, websites, social networks, etc.
Third-party: you get it from external companies that offer data collection and analysis services.

However, there is another classification for the types of intent data related to its source, which we will discuss below. Read on!

Search intent data

This data type is generated and collected when a potential customer uses a search engine such as Google, Bing, YouTube, etc., and enters a keyword or phrase, such as “best sports shoes for women.”

With this data, you get the search volume of each word, the fluctuations of those words by area, and the most searched phrases with that keyword.

How can you take advantage of them? By better-selecting words in your ads (Google ads, Facebook ads, etc.), in the content of your blog posts, web page, etc.

Search intent data tells you what is behind the user’s query, why they are searching, and what answers your target audience expects. In addition, it allows you to know according to their intent at what stage of the buying process a potential customer is at:

Navigational → the person searches for a specific brand, product, or website.
Informative → the user seeks information about solutions to a problem, products or services, or a topic in general.
Commercial → the potential lead wants to know the solutions or offers available.
Transactional → in this case, the user uses phrases such as buy, price, and cost.

Continuing with the example, this customer so far has commercial intent and is researching a product before clicking on buy. What can you offer? As she is looking for options, you can create content about a new offer, a discount, a free trial, extra, etc.

Engagement data

Engagement data indicates the level of interaction that users or potential buyers have with your content. For example, if you launch an email marketing campaign, the readership, forwarding, and responses to those emails and the visits generated on the links included in the email are all good signs of customer participation.

This type of data is also collected from your social media channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube, where you can see the number of views, likes, comments, and shares of your content.

How can you get the most out of engagement data?

Continuously monitor your social networks.
Adjust the content of your email marketing campaign according to the data obtained.
Use your social networks to create content like what customers interacted with.

Firmographic data

Firmographic data is all the information about a potential company, i.e., its industry, products or services, size, location, and annual revenue. How do you get this data? You can use business directories, through forms on your website, or B2B intent data providers.

How do they help you in your marketing campaigns?

They help you to leverage your ABM, and prioritize your marketing and sales efforts towards those companies that are most likely to become customers.

To do this, it is crucial to take into account your ideal customer. For example, medium-sized companies are looking for risk management solutions. This data can help you segment and find companies with these characteristics.

Technographic data

Technographic data are those related to a potential client company’s technological infrastructure. These include the software solutions they use, the equipment and hardware, and their networks. How can you access these data? Through mail surveys, forms on your website, or from third parties.

You may wonder, “Why do I need it?” to understand a potential company’s capabilities, needs, and objectives. This helps you determine whether its technological solutions and systems are new and offer products tailored to them.

Where does intent data come from?

Understanding the primary sources of intent data is empowering. Various sources capture user behavior and interactions in the digital realm, providing valuable insights into your target audience’s intentions and preferences.

These sources allow companies to gather valuable insights about the intentions and preferences of their target audience. The primary sources are:

Web browsing records every time a user visits a page, reviews a product, or interacts with content. Web analytics collect these behaviors so companies can clearly know what potential customers are looking for on their websites.
Interactions on social networks, this source of intent data collects information about what attracts users with their “likes,” comments, and shares. Analyzing these interactions is critical for companies to understand the topics of interest of their audience and be able to shape their campaigns accordingly.
Data providers, currently many service companies specializing in data collection and analysis, provide real-time information on market behavior. In addition, they offer insights into industry trends and competitors so that companies can anticipate customer movements.
Surveys and forms collecting customer responses to specific questions about their needs and preferences help form the lead profile, allowing companies to personalize their approach to their audience.

By leveraging intent data, you can efficiently gain a clear picture of what your target audience is interested in. This allows you to create a marketing and sales strategy aligned with these insights, saving time and resources.

How do you use intent data?

Learn how to integrate intent data into your sales and marketing tactics! This involves a systematic approach that combines information gathering, analysis, personalization, and collaboration.

Here’s the process you need to follow:

How can sales teams use intent data?

Apply key strategies to get the most out of intent data! Discover how sales teams can correctly use the tool to better understand their prospects and connect with them effectively.

Here are some of the most recommended strategies:

Lead prioritization, identify which users have shown buying signals by analyzing behavior such as frequent visits to product pages or interest in specific content. This way, you can save time and energy by targeting this user group, which will considerably increase conversion opportunities.
Message personalization, use intent data to personalize your communications to make the messages you send more relevant and engaging. For example, if a user has been researching a specific service, the marketer should focus on that topic.
Meeting preparation, review lead behavior before an appointment, and from that information, create specific questions focusing on the audience’s primary concerns and propose solutions that directly respond to the lead’s needs. In this way, you demonstrate Preparation and understanding, generating greater trust.
Develop proactive conversations, take a proactive approach to making sales to your target audience; this is crucial to advancing their buying decision. For example, suppose you notice that a user has downloaded a report or has been actively researching. In that case, you can communicate directly to offer assistance.
Identifying new opportunities, leverage the information you get from your customers about their interests in certain products to offer them upgrades and cross-selling. This way, you can open the door to additional business opportunities.
Shortening the sales cycle, access detailed information about your target audience’s intentions and needs to improve efficiency and manage more accounts in less time. So, targeting suitable leads at the right time and with the right message makes you more likely to close sales faster.
Collaboration with marketing, sharing insights on intent data across teams is crucial to tailor marketing campaigns to support the sales effort. Effective collaboration enables a cohesive and personalized customer experience across all touchpoints.

Apply these innovative strategies so your sales team can increase conversion and build stronger relationships with prospects.

How can marketing teams use intent data?

Learn how to properly use the valuable resource of intent data! Not only will its proper implementation help you understand your audience, but it will also help you create compelling and impactful marketing campaigns.

Here are some key ways in which marketing teams can leverage this tool:

Audience segmentation, marketing team members can classify leads based on their online behavior, considering the pages they visit or what content they consume to create personalized messages and campaigns that match their interests and needs to improve the likelihood of conversion.
Creating relevant content, intent data allows you to identify the type of content your audience consumes so that your marketing team can create material that impacts them. This approach educates your leads and positions your brand as a benchmark in the field.
Ad campaign optimization, the implementation of intent data by marketers, allows them to adjust and tailor ad content to your audience’s interests. The marketing team can create targeted ads based on observed purchase intent to increase users’ likelihood of clicking and converting.
Alignment with sales, sharing information about which users are showing signs of interest among sales teams is crucial for them to be more proactive in their approach. This way, they can have more meaningful and personalized conversations. Collaboration across sales and marketing teams allows for a more seamless and consistent customer experience.
Segmented email activation, use intent data to trigger personalized email marketing campaigns that respond to users’ needs. So, suppose users repeatedly visit a specific section of your site. In that case, you can send them emails with content related to it.
Performance analysis, consists of measuring the performance of your advertising campaigns, emails, and content through metrics obtained from intent data to observe the leads’ interactions and responses. With this information, the marketing team can adjust their strategy in real-time and do A/B testing to see what type of content, messages, or formats generate the best results.
Retargeting strategies, Implement targeted ad campaigns to attract users’ attention based on their behavior on your site, such as downloading content or interacting with other elements. This way, you can help keep your brand in prospects’ minds while they are deciding to make a purchase or hire decision.

Integrate these effective strategies into your marketing team to build meaningful connections with your audience.

What are the challenges of working with intent data?

Recognize the challenges you may face when implementing intent data!

Although this tool can be a powerful ally in your sales and marketing efforts, there are some common obstacles you may encounter and some ideas on how to overcome them effectively.

Data quality: Not all intent data is the same, so ensure the information you use is accurate and relevant. Only accurate or updated data can lead to good decisions and affect the effectiveness of your campaigns. To mitigate this risk, data cleansing and validation processes must be established, and analysis tools must be used to verify the provenance and accuracy of the data collected.
Integration with existing systems: Incorporating intent data into your CRM systems and other marketing tools can be a technical challenge, as merging new data sources with established platforms is complex. To facilitate this integration, it is advisable to work with IT teams that are knowledgeable in technology and business needs.
Context interpretation: Not having the right context can lead to erroneous conclusions, so it is crucial to interpret data correctly. To overcome this obstacle, you must research and train your team in the proper interpretation of data, combining quantitative insights with qualitative information.
Lack of familiarity: For many marketing teams, implementing intent data is new, so some feel insecure when handling it. This generates resistance to change and decreases effectiveness. The solution is to educate and train your team by organizing training sessions and workshops so that they learn to take advantage of the benefits of intent data.
Regulatory compliance: Failure to fully comply with privacy and data protection regulations can result in significant damage, so you must ensure compliance. We recommend staying informed about regulations such as GDPR or CCPA and creating policies to ensure ethical and responsible handling.
Information overload: The sheer amount of data available can be overwhelming, and deciding incorrectly can result in superficial analysis and poorly informed decisions. To combat this obstacle, you must develop a clear framework of criteria to identify and prioritize the most relevant data for your business.

Follow our tips to prepare to overcome challenges with a balanced and conscious approach. Don’t let obstacles hold you back—reach new levels of effectiveness!

How do you add intent data to your outreach?

Transform how you connect with your prospects by correctly incorporating intent data into your outreach.

Learn step by step how to effectively integrate the tool into your outreach tactics, significantly increase the relevance of your messages, and improve your conversion rates:

Collect and organize your data

First things first—before you can start using intent data, you need a steady source for it. Think of this as gathering the “what’s hot” intel on your prospects.

To get this, you can use tools like Bombora, 6sense, or your website’s analytics to gather signals, like page views, content downloads, or searches. Once you have the data, organize it in your CRM (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.) or an intent data platform where you can access it whenever you need.

Set it up so that this data is clearly tagged and easy to filter—this will save you tons of time later.

Segment your audience

With your data ready, it’s time to group your prospects based on the intent signals they’re giving off.

Let’s say you notice a cluster of people visiting your pricing page repeatedly—that’s a strong buying signal, so group them accordingly. Others might be reading your blog on a specific solution you offer, so tag them as potentially interested in that area.

This segmentation lets you craft messages that are far more relevant and timely, making it easier to reach the right people with the right message at the right time.

Personalize your messages

Here’s where the real magic happens. Instead of generic “Hi, we’re so-and-so” emails, you can craft messages that feel like they were made just for them.

If someone has been reading up on your latest whitepaper about a specific pain point, your message could start with, “I noticed you’ve been exploring solutions for [their specific problem].”

This approach shows you’ve done your homework and are reaching out with something genuinely valuable to them. You can do this across channels too—think personalized LinkedIn messages, calls, or even targeted ads.

Implement follow-up sequences based on intent data

Don’t stop at the first message! Build intent-based follow-up emails tailored to each prospect’s level of interest and interaction with your content.

For instance, if someone opens your email but doesn’t respond, send a casual follow-up a few days later that references the previous message. If they’ve looked at your pricing page but haven’t engaged, follow up with a special offer or an invitation to chat.

These gentle nudges keep the conversation going without being too pushy.

Leverage automation

Using automation tools here is a game-changer. With platforms like Reply.io, you can set up sequences that fire off based on specific behaviors.

For instance, you could schedule emails that automatically send when a prospect visits your demo page for the third time. Track how they engage across channels—email, LinkedIn, or even SMS—and use the data to tweak your approach.

This way, you’re covering more ground with minimal manual work but still maintaining that personal touch.

Measure and adjust your strategy

Once your intent-driven outreach is in motion, you need to track what’s working and what isn’t. Pay close attention to metrics like open rates (are people even reading your messages?), click-through rates (are they intrigued by your call-to-action?), and conversions (are they taking that final step?).

If you notice certain segments aren’t engaging, it could be a sign to refresh your messaging or target different pain points. Make tweaks regularly based on what your data is telling you.

Collect feedback

When a campaign wraps up, gather insights on how it performed and, if possible, any direct feedback from prospects who interacted with it. You can do this by sending a quick follow-up survey or even checking in with a simple email like, “Was this information helpful to you?”

This feedback loop will keep you tuned into what resonates with your audience, so you’re even better prepared next time.

With each step, the goal is to make your outreach feel like a natural conversation driven by real insights, not generic messages. When done right, using intent data can make your outreach feel like you’re reading your prospects’ minds in the best possible way.

Maximize the potential of intent data in your customer engagement strategy

Using intent data in your sales strategies is not just a trend; it is the path you need to follow to stand out in a competitive environment. By applying this tool correctly, you will transform the way you connect with your potential customers and reach a higher level.

With Reply.io, you can automate repetitive tasks without losing that human touch that resonates so much with your prospects. Thanks to its diversity of functions, you can qualify leads and provide instant responses, and you can ensure that your emails arrive in inboxes, not in the spam folder.

Remember, it’s not just about sending messages; it’s about sending the right message to the right person at the right time. By intelligently using intent data, you can personalize your approaches so that every interaction you make with users is relevant and meaningful. That way, your efforts will translate into more conversations.

If you’re looking to build stronger connections and boost engagement, using intent data with a tool like Reply.io can be a real game-changer. With features that let you automate the small stuff while keeping your outreach human and authentic, Reply.io can help you qualify leads faster, send timely responses, and make sure your messages reach the inbox, not spam.