What Is Intent Data?
TL;DR
Intent data is behavioral or firmographic signal that indicates a person or company is actively in-market for a product or service right now, used to prioritize outreach toward contacts who are more likely to be receptive at this moment rather than reaching a static list at random.
Where intent data comes from
Common sources include content and search-behavior signals aggregated across the web, technographic signals (what software or tools a company currently uses or is evaluating), firmographic trigger events (funding rounds, hiring surges, leadership changes), and first-party engagement, like someone visiting your own pricing or product pages.
How intent data is typically organized and used
Platforms group contacts into intent segments (buckets of people or companies showing a specific signal, like companies that recently raised a funding round or are hiring for a specific role) so outreach can target a segment directly instead of filtering a large generic list by hand.
Intent data vs. firmographic filtering alone
Firmographic filters, like industry, company size, or location, narrow down who might be a fit. Intent signals narrow further to who is likely to be receptive right now. The two are usually combined, since a perfect-fit account with no active intent signal converts differently than one showing clear buying signals.