Retargeting campaigns are a staple of digital marketing, but most companies burn budget on ads that don’t convert.
Why? Because they’re not using intent data to target the right buyers at the right time.
Intent data helps you stop guessing and start targeting accounts that are actually in-market. Instead of just serving ads to anyone who visited your site, you can prioritize high-intent prospects and tailor your messaging based on what they’re researching.
Here’s how to use intent data to make your retargeting campaigns smarter, more cost-effective, and way more likely to drive conversions.
🔥 The Problem: Most retargeting campaigns treat every visitor the same, even if they bounced after two seconds.
🔥 The Fix: Use intent data to only retarget accounts that show strong buying signals.
✔ Prioritize accounts that visit high-intent pages (pricing, product comparisons, case studies).
✔ Exclude low-intent visitors (single-page sessions with no engagement).
✔ Layer in third-party intent data to target companies researching competitors.
🚀 Action Tip:
Create separate retargeting audiences for high-intent, mid-intent, and low-intent visitors—and adjust ad spend accordingly.
🔥 The Problem: Most retargeting ads are generic—"Still thinking about [Product]? Book a demo!"
🔥 The Fix: Match your ad messaging to the specific content and intent signals of each account.
✔ If they visited your pricing page → Show a "Limited-Time Offer" ad with a call to discuss pricing.
✔ If they compared competitors → Serve a "[Your Company] vs. [Competitor]" breakdown ad.
✔ If they downloaded a case study → Retarget with a testimonial or customer success story.
✔ If they engaged with thought leadership → Show a “Join Our Webinar” ad to keep nurturing.
🚀 Action Tip:
Use dynamic ad creatives that change based on what the account has already engaged with.
🔥 The Problem: Standard retargeting only reaches people who visited your site—but many buyers research elsewhere first.
🔥 The Fix: Use third-party intent data to retarget accounts researching industry topics and competitors.
✔ Identify accounts reading about your product category on industry sites.
✔ Target companies searching for your competitors.
✔ Retarget based on engagement across ad networks, not just your own site.
🚀 Action Tip:
Use Bombora, G2, or LinkedIn Matched Audiences to retarget companies showing intent across multiple platforms.
🔥 The Problem: Most companies waste money retargeting accounts that aren’t actually ready to buy.
🔥 The Fix: Increase budget for accounts showing surging intent signals and pause spending on low-intent traffic.
✔ If a company’s intent activity increases, increase ad frequency.
✔ If engagement drops, reduce ad exposure to avoid wasting spend.
✔ Adjust bids based on account-level engagement.
🚀 Action Tip:
Use intent-based scoring to automatically adjust ad spend in real time.
🔥 The Problem: Many companies track clicks and impressions but don’t measure which retargeted accounts actually convert.
🔥 The Fix: Track conversions tied to intent-driven ad engagement instead of just raw clicks.
✔ Monitor pipeline impact. Are intent-based retargeting campaigns generating qualified leads?
✔ Compare intent-driven ads vs. standard retargeting. Are high-intent accounts converting faster?
✔ Refine ad creatives and messaging based on which intent signals drive the most revenue.
🚀 Action Tip:
Set up UTM tracking to directly tie intent-driven retargeting ads to closed deals in your CRM.
Most retargeting campaigns waste money because they don’t prioritize high-intent prospects. When you combine intent data with retargeting, you’re only spending on buyers who are actually in-market.
Want to see how high-quality intent data can supercharge your retargeting strategy?
View the Intent Data Slide Deck to see it in action. If you’re ready to start using intent data for smarter ads, you can purchase it here.
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