Intent Data's Signals: Cracking the Code, Part 1

During WWII, the Allied Forces had access to secret German messages, but they were unable to decipher the encrypted data. Ultimately, it was the development of the world's first electronic computer, Colossus, that allowed the Allies to understand the valuable information they had collected. In B2B, marketers face a similar challenge in gathering and interpreting intent data signals to better understand their customers.

Intent data comes in three forms: first-party, second-party, and third-party. First-party data is any activity on a property or asset owned by the company, such as clicks and opens from emails. Second-party data is from sites not owned by the company, like review sites. Third-party data is research done elsewhere on the web and is important because it points to potential customers who haven't visited the website yet.

With technology, intent signals can be turned into usable insights. To maximize the effectiveness of intent signals, companies should consider all three forms of intent data and use the best data providers to filter out the noise and focus on meaningful signals. This will help B2B marketers understand their customers and drive better results.