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B2B marketing leaders are gearing up for 2026 with bigger budgets and higher expectations. According to a recent Forrester report, 83% of decision-makers predict their investments will grow in the next year. Nevertheless, the current economic and geopolitical issues still require careful navigation. Marketers must make informed decisions about where to cut back and how to experiment with new ideas. Their success depends on these decisions more than ever.
As B2B companies spend more on digital tools, they are not just improving technology. They are developing improved methods of reaching new buyers. Intent-based marketing is one of the fastest-growing tactics. It uses online footprints and customer behavior to spot leads who are genuinely interested. By aligning tech spend with buyer signals, businesses can turn digital investments into measurable growth and faster conversions.
This article explains how to create intent-based targeting flows that drive conversions in 2025 and beyond.
Breaking Down Intent-based Marketing for Modern B2B
Intent-based marketing enables enterprises to create targeted collateral that is directed explicitly at customers interested in purchasing a product or service. Companies focus on buyers’ online behaviors and interests, tailoring their strategies instead of using generic messages.
There are two types of buyer intent:
Active intent (transactional) indicates a strong readiness to purchase, often resulting in prompt sales.
Passive intent (informational) involves customers researching without the intention of making a purchase.
The success of intent-based marketing comes from its accuracy. Businesses can identify potential clients at various stages of their buying journey. They use tracking tools to analyze website visits, search queries, and content interactions. For example, if someone searches for “best CRM alternatives,” a software company might spend more on advertising themselves as “a more affordable option to Salesforce.” This approach helps you meet buyers at the exact right moment.
Last year, 47% of sales and marketing teams started using intent data to generate leads and changed how their brands connect with potential clients. After all, ads that use intent data perform 2.5 times better than those that don’t.
Experts can assume personalization expectations have skyrocketed in the aftermath of the pandemic, as well as the widespread adoption of AI tools. This targeted method fosters customer-brand trust, which increases the success of advertising efforts.
The Science of Finding Leads Before They Contact Sales
In contrast to conventional targeting, intent-oriented targeting studies the target based on their behavior throughout the search. Accurate tracking leads to 30% more consideration and a 40% higher chance of purchase than ads based solely on demographic signals.
This approach enables businesses to identify prospects early in their buying journey, before they engage with any sales channels. Organizations should track various intent signals, including:
Downloading white papers or case studies.
Clicks on demo links found in emails.
Duration spent on product pages.
Visits to sites that compare competitors.
Responses on social media related to feature announcements.
Sales and marketing teams can track prospects’ activities and focus on those that show genuine interest. That way, enterprises can increase conversion rates by sending the right message to potential customers at the most opportune time. Smart sales tools can automatically start outreach based on predicted buying interest.
Research Proves That Intent Strategies Work
Studies reveal that 96% of B2B marketers have successfully met their goals using intent data.
Okta’s marketing team provides strong evidence. Their targeted accounts converted into opportunities 24 times more often than others. The results impressively showed:
17% increase in click-through rates;
270% decrease in cost per conversion;
63% reduction in the time to close deals;
22% increase in revenue influence.
Foundry’s research supports these claims. Their intent-based ads achieved 220% higher click-through rates and were 2.5 times more efficient overall. These advertisements targeted the right audiences, resulting in an average of 83.5% more impressions. Even smaller companies see major wins with well-timed intent ads.
The data shows that accounts showing intent signals are 3.7 times more likely to create opportunities. Organizations that used intent signals with targeted ads closed deals 36% faster and had average deal sizes that were 2.5 times larger.
Build a Winning Intent-based Strategy
To effectively use intent-based targeting, start by understanding your audience through data collection. Your platforms provide first-party data, while external sources offer third-party data. Combining your data with outside sources reveals customer intentions and offers insight into competitor strategies, helping you identify effective tactics.
Analyzing customer behavior reveals trends that show what customers want. Focus your marketing budget on the audience segments most likely to make a purchase. Intent data helps you identify key accounts by indicating which stage of the buying process they are currently in. Then you can focus your spend on high-intent buyers to really stretch your budget further.
Update your content strategy to align with your audience’s interests for improved campaign success. Research indicates that 46% of marketers are increasingly utilizing intent data to customize their outreach, while 37% are concentrating their efforts on high-value accounts. However, to do that, your sales teams need insights into high-potential accounts to use their tactics effectively. Ongoing testing and optimization will be essential for your strategy.
Types of Intent Data and Where to Find It
Targeting based on intent is most effective when you understand the data types that support these methods. There are two main categories: first and third-party data.
Different Data Sources Reveal Various Buyer Signals
First-party intent data comes directly from your channels, like website traffic, email engagement, content downloads, and customer feedback. This data gives clear insights into how potential customers interact with your brand.
Third-party intent data originates from external sources that track online behavior across various platforms. This information helps you find potential accounts before they contact you. Third-party data helps identify prospects who haven’t engaged with your brand but are seeking similar solutions.
Tools That Turn Intent Signals Into Real Conversions
Signs of buying interest indicate specific actions that suggest a person is considering a purchase. These actions include visiting competitor websites multiple times and researching industry topics.
Data on search intent reveals the keywords and phrases people use online, showing what they need. Engagement metrics track how users interact with a site, such as page views, time spent, and social media activity. The right tools can take all these signals and turn them into actual sales opportunities.
Final Thoughts
B2B marketers see better conversion rates when they use intent-based strategies. Companies that employ this focused approach benefit not only from higher conversion rates but also from other advantages. Their sales processes speed up, and the quality of leads improves. By focusing on accounts that exhibit accurate buying signals, leaders can more effectively utilize their resources rather than employing broad, unclear strategies.
First-party and third-party data combine to give a complete view of prospects’ needs. Insights from search trends and online behavior help sales teams make informed decisions about whom to contact. The in-depth knowledge of their audience enables them to create tailored shopping experiences that make buyers keep coming back for more.
As digital marketing continues to evolve, intent-based targeting will become increasingly critical. Acting on this trend will give you a competitive advantage over those who use traditional methods.
