9 best B2B intent data providers in 2024

Intent data providers sound like something Chandler Bing would have encountered in his career. But, unlike his actual job (something something data something), they’re easy enough to explain. Here, we’ll demystify the tech-y connotations and walk you through the best intent data providers on the market.

What is an intent data provider? 

An intent data provider is a tool to help you understand your leads’ behavior better. They’ll track their activities, collect and analyze data, and point out trends so you can make sure they progress through the buying journey smoothly.

From the data, you’ll learn how interested leads are in your product or service.
With it, you can:

• Create ABM campaigns
• Create personalized web experiences and prioritize leads
• Reach out at the right time
• Identify your hot leads

There are three types of intent data: first, second, and third-party. Using all three data points gets you the best view of your customers, their behaviors, and their needs.

First-party intent data

This is data collected from your own channels or integrations. It could be gathered at different stages of the buying journey but you’ll only see information from interactions with potential customers across your digital landscape – like the company website, socials, and email.

It could be:

• Web visits or page views
• Lead generation form submissions
• Webinar sign-ups

Second-party intent data

Second-party data comes from another company’s first-party data. For B2B marketers, review sites like G2 or TrustRadius give you some of this intel. Second-party data is most useful further down the buying journey, at the bottom-of-the-funnel stage. It gives you a broader view of market trends and patterns in customer behavior.

It could be:

• Content engagement data on social media sites like LinkedIn
• Mentions in review sections of other sites e.g. Glassdoor, Google Reviews
• Engagement in product vendors or categories

Third-party intent data

iIntent data provider companies are businesses that collect third-party data and sell it to you.

They could gather this data from many sources such as:

• Online searches
• Researching competitors
• Downloading guides or publications

When researching third-party intent data provider companies  to work with, look for the best:

• Integrations
• Customization
• Reporting
• Pricing

Whether it’s first, second, or third-party, intent data has the power to transform content performance. Use it to take your leads’ temperature so you can give the most TLC to feverish leads. Incorporate data into your marketing strategy and you’ll catch the right attention from the right people.

Click to read Make your point with data

The best third-party providers

1. Bombora

If you don’t read Bombora’s name and immediately start singing Bamboléo in your head, we can’t be friends.

Anyway, if straight-up, no-frills B2B intent data is what you’re after, look no further than the self-proclaimed market leader.

Key features

• Data isn’t siphoned or scraped. It’s collected from a cooperative of 5000+ B2B sites, where B2B buyers search for solutions
• 85% of their data is exclusive to them
• CRM integrations

2. Cognism

Cognism’s specialty is sales intelligence. They source accurate company and contact data. But they also embed intent data from a certain Bombora, so you can find the businesses that want to find you.

Key features

• 12,000 topics you can track
• Contact data with 98% accuracy
• GDPR compliant
• Local and global markets

3. ZoomInfo

ZoomInfo’s sales platform combines real-time data, handy business organization charts, and advanced firmographics. All these together give you a strong picture of who’s interested in your products and services.

Key features

• Details for 50 million businesses and 230 million professionals
• Real-time intent data
• Automated workflow builder
• CRM integrations

4. Demandbase

Demandbase’s AI-driven software covers all bases – from identifying high-intent leads to engaging with the potential customers most likely to buy.

Key features

• Real-time intent with 500 billion signals a month
• AI-driven
• Partners with other sources to extend data
• Intent data at many stages of buyer journey
• View tech that your prospects use
• Account-based advertising
• CRM integrations

5. 6Sense

6Sense doesn’t see dead people, but it does use AI as a sixth sense in its capacity as both an ABM tool and intent data provider.  And you can create personalized experiences with its enhanced customer segmentation.

Key features

• Real-time insight
• Uses AI to predict the optimal time to engage with prospects
• Good customer support
• View buyer activity on competitor sites
• Get info on prospects’ buying team

6. TechTarget Priority Engine

Continuing the theme of smushing two words together to create its name, TechTarget Priority Engine isn’t just an intent data provider but comes with add-on tools to hook you up with a smooth, well-connected marketing stack.

Key features

• View topics your prospects are actively researching
• Data not available anywhere else
• GDPR-compliant data
• Integrations available

7. G2

Simply named, G2 is a software review site. But create a profile for your business and you can discover the companies searching for a solution like yours. It’s also a goldmine of that second-party intent data we talked about. Millions use the site each year and can be an effective, and cheap, way to generate new leads and target potential customers.

Key features

• Multi-channel attribution
• Plenty of integrations available
• Insight into churn risk

8. Lead Onion

Obviously, we love a fun name, and Lead Onion gets points for theirs. This intent data provider  finds up-to-date purchase intent data that you can then segment and align with buyer personas within your ICP. It also includes communication tools so you can reach out to your prospects straight away.

Key features

• Advanced segmentation
• Unlimited contact storage
• Build contact lists that match your personas
• Integrations available

9. Uplead

A lead gen platform that helps sales teams identify the best prospects, automate journeys, and put together a cohesive outreach strategy.

Key features

• CRM and API integrations
• Can be used with email and mobile marketing to help personalize content
• Includes competitor intel
• Includes data from 200 countries
• Advanced search filters

But what about first and second-party intent data?

Third-party intent data might seem like the easiest option, but it comes at a cost. If budgets are tight, you’ll want to think about how you can capitalize on first and second-party intent data.
Web analytics and form fills are the most accessible ways to get into the details of your first-party data. But have you thought about how your content can work just as hard for you?

Using Turtl to get first-party data

When you create content with Turtl, you get access to real-time customer behavior data. From awareness content through to purchase and referral, there are content types for every part of the buying journey. Turtl’s Analytics Dashboard gives you content performance analytics so you can iterate and learn from your leads’ actions.

In the Dashboard, you’ll find stats such as:

• Read time by section
• Click through rates
• Bounce rates
• Form or survey fills
• Poll interactions

And if a reader completes certain actions, like filling out an in-content lead capture form, you’ll even get access to Known Reader data. On the Reader Dashboard, you’ll find how an individual reader interacted with your content. Impressive stuff if we do say so ourselves.

All of these are crucial first-party intent data points that help you hone in on impactful content and find best-fit leads who are listening to what you have to say.

Turtl takeaway

Getting to grips with intent data providers doesn’t need to be as tough as figuring out Chandler’s job title. We’re hoping our rundown of the intent data providers to look out for in 2024 makes things less murky – and shows you why it’s a smart move to take note of your leads’ purchasing intent. Whether it’s first, second, or third, intent data enriches your marketing strategy and gives guidance about what content will pull prospects over the line.