Not All Intent Data Is the Same—Here’s What You Need to Know

Intent data helps businesses identify in-market buyers before they ever reach out. But if you think all intent data works the same way, you’re setting yourself up for failure.

There are three distinct types of intent data—each with its own strengths, weaknesses, and best-use cases. If you’re not using the right type (or combining them correctly), you’re leaving deals on the table.

Let’s break down the 3 types of intent data, how they work, and how to actually use them to drive revenue.

1️⃣ First-Party Intent Data (The Most Valuable)

What It Is

First-party intent data is data you collect directly from your own website, CRM, and product usage. It’s the most reliable source of buyer intent because it’s based on real interactions with your brand.

Examples

✔ Website visits to high-intent pages (pricing, demo requests, case studies)
✔ CRM engagement (email opens, content downloads, webinar signups)
✔ Product usage signals (trial signups, feature interactions, logins)

How to Use It

🔥 Prioritize high-intent accounts. If a prospect repeatedly visits pricing pages, it’s time for sales to reach out.
🔥 Trigger automated nurture sequences. Someone downloads a case study? Follow up with a relevant email sequence.
🔥 Use for account-based marketing (ABM). First-party data shows which accounts are engaged, helping marketing target them with ads and personalized outreach.

Why It’s Powerful

✔ Most accurate and reliable (no guessing—these leads are interacting with you directly)
✔ Owned by you (no need to buy it from a third-party provider)
✔ 100% compliant (collected with user consent via website tracking & CRM activity)

The Downside

❌ Limited to your own audience—if a company isn’t engaging with your site, you won’t see them.

2️⃣ Second-Party Intent Data (A Valuable Middle Ground)

What It Is

Second-party intent data is someone else’s first-party data that they share or sell to you. It often comes from industry publishers, review sites, or technology partners who track buying signals across their networks.

Examples

✔ G2, TrustRadius, and Capterra sharing who’s researching products like yours
✔ Publishers providing content engagement data from gated industry reports
✔ Strategic partnerships where companies share mutual customer insights

How to Use It

🔥 Identify competitors’ prospects. If someone is researching your category on G2, they’re likely evaluating multiple vendors—including you.
🔥 Expand your outreach. Second-party data helps you see buyers outside your website traffic.
🔥 Refine your ad targeting. Use this data to serve ads to buyers already in research mode.

Why It’s Powerful

✔ More reach than first-party data—helps you target buyers before they visit your site
✔ Higher accuracy than third-party data—since it’s sourced from trusted partners

The Downside

❌ Not as customizable—you’re relying on someone else’s dataset, not your own
❌ Requires partnerships or paid access—you need agreements with data providers

3️⃣ Third-Party Intent Data (High Reach, But Needs Vetting)

What It Is

Third-party intent data is collected from external sources across the web. This data comes from ad networks, data aggregators, and content tracking platforms that monitor which companies are researching specific topics.

Examples

✔ Bombora tracking company-wide research behavior across thousands of websites
✔ ZoomInfo aggregating search trends and ad engagement to infer buyer intent
✔ Third-party ad networks tracking which industries are engaging with content

How to Use It

🔥 Target cold accounts that are showing buying intent. Third-party data helps you reach buyers before they ever land on your site.
🔥 Layer it with first-party data. If a company is showing intent across multiple sources, it’s a strong buying signal.
🔥 Guide outbound prospecting. Instead of cold-calling at random, prioritize outreach to companies already researching your space.

Why It’s Powerful

✔ Largest reach—captures buyers outside your direct ecosystem
✔ Great for outbound sales teams—helps identify prospects before they engage with your brand

The Downside

❌ Less accurate than first- or second-party data—some signals may be weak or outdated
❌ Overlapping data—multiple companies might buy the same intent data, creating competition
❌ Privacy concerns—third-party tracking is under scrutiny with GDPR and CCPA regulations

How to Use All 3 Types of Intent Data Together

The best strategy? Use all three types strategically to create a full-funnel intent strategy.

1️⃣ First-Party Data – Prioritize the hottest leads engaging with your brand.
2️⃣ Second-Party Data – Expand your reach to buyers researching your category.
3️⃣ Third-Party Data – Identify early-stage intent before buyers engage with you.

Example of a Full Intent Data Strategy:

🔥 A prospect visits your pricing page (first-party data) → Sales follows up with a personalized message.

🔥 A company is researching your category on G2 (second-party data) → They get added to a targeted ad campaign.

🔥 An account is showing intent signals on Bombora (third-party data) → SDRs prioritize them for outreach.

This multi-layered approach helps businesses catch buyers at every stage of the journey—before, during, and after they engage with your brand.

Use Intent Data the Right Way

Intent data isn’t just about buying a list of companies and hoping they convert. The best businesses layer first, second, and third-party data to create a real, effective intent-driven strategy.

Want to see how high-quality intent data actually works?

View the Intent Data Slide Deck to see it in action. If you’re ready to start using intent data the right way, you can purchase it here.