Intent

Buyer Intent Data

💡TL;DR

Buyer intent data signals when someone is actively researching a purchase. First-party intent (your website, emails) is specific but limited; third-party intent (Bombora, G2) is broad but less actionable. For SMBs, prioritize first-party signals—they're free, specific to your brand, and directly actionable. Add third-party when you've maxed out first-party ROI.

Definition

Behavioral data that indicates a prospect's likelihood to purchase, collected from web activity, content consumption, and research patterns across first-party and third-party sources.

🏢What This Means for SMB Teams

Third-party intent (Bombora, 6sense) is expensive. Start with first-party: your website analytics, email engagement, content downloads. These signals are free and more actionable.

📋Practical Example

A 30-person B2B software company paid $24K/year for third-party intent data but struggled to act on it. They paused the subscription and built first-party tracking: pricing page visits, email clicks, and whitepaper downloads. Results: 3x more actionable signals (because they were specific to their brand) at zero incremental cost. After 6 months, they re-added third-party at a lower tier.

🔧Implementation Steps

  1. 1

    Instrument first-party: GA4 for web, email tracking pixels, form submissions

  2. 2

    Define intent signals: What behaviors indicate buying interest? (pricing page, case studies)

  3. 3

    Score and prioritize: Weight signals by conversion correlation

  4. 4

    Set up instant alerts: When high-intent signals fire, notify reps immediately

  5. 5

    Evaluate third-party: Only after first-party signals are fully utilized

❓Frequently Asked Questions

First-party vs. third-party intent: which is better?

First-party is more actionable (specific to your brand), but limited in volume. Third-party shows broader research (competitor evaluations, industry trends) but less specific. Best: first-party for immediate action, third-party for account identification.

How do we act on intent data fast enough?

Automate the first touch. When high-intent signals fire, trigger immediate outreach (email + call task). Don't let intent data sit in a dashboard—the window is 24-72 hours before the prospect moves on.

⚡How Optifai Uses This

First-party intent tracking (pricing visits, email engagement) with real-time scoring. Integrates with third-party providers when configured.

Signal Detection Engine

📚References

Related Terms

Signal Detection

Real-time detection of buying intent signals from web behavior, email engagement, and deal stage changes.

Intent Data Activation

The process of transforming raw intent signals into automated sales and marketing actions, including lead routing, personalized outreach, and campaign targeting.

Lead Scoring

A methodology for ranking prospects based on their perceived value to the organization, using demographic/firmographic attributes and behavioral signals to prioritize sales outreach.

Signal-Based Selling

A sales methodology that prioritizes outreach based on real-time buying signals rather than static lead lists or scheduled cadences.

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