What is intent segmentation in B2B marketing?

Intent segmentation identifies prospects who are actively researching solutions in your category, even if they have not yet engaged directly with your brand. It uses signals such as content consumption, search behavior, and third party data to detect buying intent before a prospect fills out a form or requests a demo.

Intent data comes from sources such as website activity, engagement with industry publications, participation in webinars, and keyword research patterns. Providers such as Bombora, 6sense, and TechTarget aggregate these signals across multiple sites and sell access to marketers. When a company shows increased interest in topics related to your product, they appear in your intent segment.

This approach lets you prioritize outreach and tailor messaging based on where the prospect is in their research journey. Someone searching for email authentication best practices is further along than someone reading what is email deliverability. Intent segmentation is predictive rather than reactive. It is like spotting a ship changing course toward your harbor before it signals its arrival.