Customer Intent Recognition

Without data structure, intent signals are just noise. After months of refining our account-based program, I've come to a simple realization: without proper data structure, intent signals are drowned and unusable. The team is tackling this challenge using this 3-step process: 1️⃣ Capturing the RIGHT signals With AI, Clay, and countless data providers, intent signals have become more accessible and commoditized (company announcements, reviews, technographics, hiring and more). It's incredibly tempting to buy it all and see what surfaces — I've been there! But I've learned the hard way that collecting signals without strategy creates more noise than insight. Beyond the hype, we took a deep dive into our customer journey (specifically won deals) to identify common patterns in buyer attributes and behaviors. Yes, we scrap and ingest external signals, but we've placed special emphasis on our 1st party data (CRM infos, website/product tracked events, webinar viewers, ad engagement). This gives us an edge that competitors simply can't replicate. 2️⃣ Building a UNIQUE data set Playing around with new intent signals in Clay is fun — and we do it! But the game-changer was figuring out how to structure and process these signals within the CRM. We've customized HubSpot to store them in custom objects. Every signal, regardless of source, follows the same structure: name, desc, source, URL, and timestamp. This standardization has transformed our ability to combine signals, refine scoring models, and surface insights that truly resonate with our team. In the end, better iteration and more educated guesses. 3️⃣ Routing signals for HUMAN engagement The final and hardest part (in my opinion): getting these signals into the hands of our sales team for meaningful action. While we've automated the routing mechanics, we've discovered that enablement and discipline are equally crucial. We’ve set up regular team meetings to go over disqualification reasons, celebrate wins, and come up with new signal ideas. There’s nothing better than seeing our team turn these intent signals into conversations. Technology enables, but the human connection converts. Open questions to the #Growth and #RevOps in my network: what signals are you prioritizing in your growth strategy right now? What sources are delivering the best results? Any tips on improving signal routing and sales enablement? —— Follow me if you found value in this post 🙇♂️ I used to share stuff about growth, marketing and SaaS.

Stop Chasing Keywords: Here's Why Intent-Based Content Wins in 2025 For years, we’ve all relied on keyword research to guide our SEO strategies. But only a few know the hard truth: chasing high-volume keywords without understanding search intent is a trap. Let me tell you how! Just imagine A SaaS company offering project management tools optimized for "What is Project Management?" The page attracted traffic from students who are studying project management and curious readers, not business decision-makers looking to invest in software solutions. Will they get traffic? Of course. And what about conversions? Obviously, they are not getting any conversions. Why does this happen? Because everyone’s focus is on volume and relevance instead of what truly matters (intent).  Here’s what I’ve learned after spending 10 years in SEO:  ✅ Search engines have evolved and are still evolving, and modern algorithms prioritize intent over keyword relevance.  ✅ Relevance ≠ Conversions. High-volume keywords often lack the purchase intent needed to drive sales.  ✅ Intent is momentum.  Get it right, and searchers move naturally toward conversion.     Things you should be doing instead. Start with customer research, not keyword research.  Map the customer journey to uncover the questions, their triggers, and information needs driving purchase decisions.  Use intent as a filter to prioritize keywords and create content that solves real problems for your audience.  By replacing the traditional approach, you can:  ✅ Boost conversion rates by targeting high-intent searches.  ✅ Improve marketing efficiency by focusing on your ideal customer.  ✅ Extract cross-channel customer insights to inform your entire marketing strategy.  SEO isn’t just about rankings or traffic anymore. It’s about understanding who your customers are and what they truly want. Tip: High-intent keywords often have lower volume and higher competition, but they’re worth every second of effort because they drive results that matter.  How do you prioritize search intent in your SEO strategy? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments. 

Too many digital marketers hide behind analytics tools instead of talking to real customers. To uncover your customers’ search intents, do customer research beyond just keyword research. This might include face-to-face conversations, customer surveys, listening to sales calls, or using AI to analyze customer interactions. Your goal is to uncover the actual problems your customers are trying to solve, the specific language they use to describe their situation, and the questions they ask while making a purchase decision. Then, combine these qualitative insights with quantitative data—e.g. analyze your GA4, Search Console, Google Ads Search Terms report, page-by-page content performance, etc. You’ll discover pages on your website with intent mismatches. These are pages that generate traffic but for the WRONG intents. For example, we worked with a brand that runs team-building events for corporations. They offered a team-building activity titled “Write a Country Song Like Taylor Swift“. The page for this activity received most of its traffic from people who were looking for a Taylor Swift-themed drink at Starbucks. These visitors were looking to purchase coffee, not a corporate team-building event. Conversely, you’ll find pages on your website with low traffic but high conversions – these often reveal highly specific, valuable intents to target. This combined qualitative and quantitative analysis helps you identify search intents worth targeting and pinpoint content that may need updating or even pruning. Tomorrow: Using these insights to create content truly aligned with user intent.

Here's how we increased a customer's revenue from $44k (control) to $82k (challenger) with 1 flow in 72 hours. We audited a client's welcome flow and spotted a massive opportunity. Their welcome flow was sending identical messages to every new subscriber. Whether someone was a first-time visitor, returning customer, or high-intent prospect - they all got the same generic emails. Here's what we changed: → Added zero-party data collection in the popup → Created 3 different welcome paths based on customer intent → Personalized messaging for each segment → Optimized send timing for maximum engagement Within 72 hours: Control flow: $44k New flow: $82k 86% revenue increase One flow. Three days. Nearly double the revenue. Your subscribers aren't all the same. Stop treating them like they are. The more you understand your customers, the better you can serve them. And when you serve them better, they buy more.

I partnered with Bombora to integrate intent data into UpLead, and it's transformed how our 4,000+ B2B customers target prospects. Here are 3 ways intent data helps you find ready-to-buy prospects (with real examples from our customers): 1. Identifying active buyers before your competitors do - Traditional outreach relies on static firmographic data, often missing the crucial timing element - Intent data analyzes online behavior to spot companies actively researching solutions like yours - Example: A SaaS customer of ours increased their qualified lead rate by 215% in just 3 months by focusing on high-intent accounts identified through our platform Why it works: - You're reaching out when prospects are already in a buying mindset - Your message aligns perfectly with their current needs and research - You get ahead of competitors who are still using outdated outreach methods 2. Personalizing outreach based on specific pain points - Generic outreach messages often fall flat, even when sent to the right people - Intent data reveals not just that a company is in-market, but what specific topics they're researching - Example: An enterprise software company using UpLead's intent data tailored their pitches to address the exact challenges their prospects were researching, resulting in a 40% increase in response rates Why it works: - Your messages resonate more deeply because they address current, specific needs - Prospects perceive you as more knowledgeable and relevant to their situation - You can prioritize different product features or use cases based on the intent signals 3. Optimizing your sales team's time and resources - Sales teams often waste time on prospects who aren't ready to buy - Intent data helps prioritize outreach to companies showing strong buying signals - Example: A B2B agency using our platform reallocated their SDR efforts based on intent scores, resulting in 50% more booked sales calls without increasing headcount Why it works: - Your team focuses on the warmest leads, increasing efficiency - You reduce time wasted on prospects who aren't in a buying cycle - Sales and marketing efforts align more closely with market demand BONUS: Combining intent data with other UpLead features. Intent data becomes even more powerful when combined with our other offerings: - 95%+ accurate contact data ensures you're reaching the right people within high-intent companies - Real-time email verification reduces bounces and improves deliverability to these hot prospects - Direct dials, including mobile numbers, help you quickly connect with decision-makers in active-buyer companies TAKEAWAY By leveraging intent signals, you're not just reaching out to more prospects but you're engaging with the right prospects at the right time with the right message.

Intent data won’t save your outbound. Especially if you skipped step 1. 👇 Had a webinar today with Shira. Spoiler: she cracked the outbound code (link in the comments) Here’s what actually hit me: Most people are lost when it comes to intent data. Not because intent signals don’t exist — because they don’t know what the hell they’re even looking for. Here’s where everyone messes it up: They start with signals. They skip criteria. They enrich random companies. Then, chase the wrong signals. Then, blame outbound for not working! 😖 Let’s fix that Start with Criteria. Always! Ask: What kind of company makes sense for you? What should they have? (Tech stack, tools, team size) What shouldn’t they have? Examples: Do they use Tag Manager? Got a Meta Pixel? HubSpot tracking script? Use tools like Similarweb to get the number of website visitors Use tools like BuiltWith to find out which technology they are using Example: If a company has very few website visitors but is running ads, it might be a good time offer them your PPC services Next: Look at team sizes in specific departments (sales, marketing, product). Use data tools like Apollo or RocketReach to get that info. Once you have this baseline — then look at intent. Intent ≠ Magic. It’s just timing. Signals can look like: - New hires in key roles - Fresh funding rounds - Company posts going viral - Engaging with specific influencers - Updated websites or new product releases But if you don’t know which signals matter for your ICP... You’re just throwing darts in the dark. Here’s how to fix it: Look at your last 30 closed deals What state were those companies in right before they converted? That’s your pattern. No customers yet? No problem: Cherry pick companies try to initiate a conversation to see where they are at. Figure out what gets them interested. Don’t automate anything until you’ve validated the human stuff. Once you’ve got: ✅ The right criteria ✅ The right signals Then you can scale: Use tools like Ocean.io to find lookalikes. Run real outbound. 🧠 What’s the worst usage of intent data you’ve seen lately? Drop a screenshot or example in the comments. Let’s dissect it.

I'm not anti-intent data tools, but I've found that the most powerful signals are usually inside the org - embedded in customer stories, conference/event interactions, website visits, and social engagements - and mostly remain untapped. Four Underutilized Intent Sources Worth Exploring 1. Customer Intelligence: Your customer success stories contain targeting patterns that can identify similar high-potential accounts. The way customers use your product, their growth trajectory, and reported pain points create powerful targeting templates. 2. Conference Engagement Patterns: Beyond badge scans, meaningful connections at events offer valuable signals. Who attended your sessions? Which conversations led to follow-ups? These interactions often indicate genuine interest that standard attribution misses. 3. Website Visitor Behavior: Anonymous visitors showing specific navigation patterns is useful. Analyzing these pathways can reveal accounts in early research phases before they formally engage. 4. LinkedIn Content Consumption: How accounts interact with your content reveals their priorities and challenges. Mapping these engagement patterns helps identify accounts showing genuine interest beyond basic demographic targeting. What I've found most effective is combining these signals into a composite view (insider intent) that's unique to your organization, creating targeting precision that generic outbound approaches simply can't match. #B2Bmarketing #accountbasedmarketing #ABM

Intent signals are not ZoomInfo intent topics, Bombora, scoops, or G2 intent. These are the types of "signals" we've relied on for the past decade, but the truth is that none of them have truly performed exceptionally well. To be fair, they've delivered some decent leads, but nothing truly outstanding IMO. Also they are signals that every outbound SDR truly despises. Intent signals, in today’s context, are highly unique to each business and are custom-built based on your specific needs and criteria. Let's pretend you're selling a B2B solution that solves a Customer Success problem. Old Intent Signals tools would tell you: "This company is researching customer success topics, so you should reach out!" Today's Intent Signals would look more like this: "This company is using Zendesk (your competitor). Zendesk has announced they're raising prices next month (good opportunity since you're cheaper). This company also received funding a month ago. They are also actively hiring Customer Success Managers with a good grasp of CS technologies. Additionally, their CEO posted on LinkedIn that their biggest bet this year is improving customer support and experience. Oh, and they just hired a Head of Customer Success." Who would you rather reach out to? Again, we're building all of this on Clay + Ai solutions.