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Intent Audiences for SMBs

Stop guessing.
Reach buyers
already looking.

Intent audiences let you target real people who are actively researching what you sell — right now, before they visit your site or talk to a competitor.

Start free proof of value → See how it works
JR
James Rivera
Ops Manager · GreenBox Co.
Active
Fleet Software
76
MC
Maria Chen
Owner · ChefTech Supplies
🔥 Surging
Commercial Ovens
91
Kitchen Equipment
74
Supplier Reviews
60
↑ Research accelerating this week
35B+
Daily intent signals processed
26K+
Topics tracked across the web
3.2×
Higher lead-to-meeting rate
5–10%
Of your market is buying right now
The Basics

What is an intent audience?

An intent audience is a group of people identified by their real online research behavior — not demographics or job titles, but what they're actively reading, comparing, and searching for right now.

🎯

Real people, not just companies

Instead of knowing "some company is researching your product," you know which specific person is doing the research — their name, title, and what topics they're exploring.

📡

Signals from the open web

Intent data is gathered from millions of websites and content platforms — capturing research that happens before a buyer ever lands on your website.

⏱️

Timed to the buying moment

Only 5–10% of your market is actively buying at any given time. Intent audiences identify that window so you reach people when they're ready.

📊

Scored and ranked

Each person gets a 0–100 score based on how abnormal their research behavior is compared to their own baseline — not the general population.

The Problem

Traditional targeting wastes your budget

Most small businesses rely on job-title targeting or spray-and-pray campaigns. Intent audiences change the math entirely.

✕ Without intent audiences

  • ✗ Target everyone with the job title "Operations Manager"
  • ✗ Most of them aren't buying anything right now
  • ✗ High cost-per-click, low conversion rates
  • ✗ No idea which company is in a buying cycle
  • ✗ Sales team cold-calls with zero context

✓ With intent audiences

  • ✓ Target only people actively researching your category
  • ✓ Know who at a company is driving the decision
  • ✓ Reach buyers before they visit a competitor's site
  • ✓ 0–100 score + trend direction showing rising or falling interest
  • ✓ Give sales teams real conversation starters
How It Works

From signal to sales conversation

In five straightforward steps, raw web activity becomes a prioritized list of real buyers ready for your team to act on.

1

Define your audience

Set your ideal customer profile, target titles, and topics that signal buying intent for your product.

2

Signal collection

AI analyzes 35B daily intent signals across 26K+ topics — content reads, searches, comparison pages — across the open web.

3

Person identification

Each signal is matched to a verified individual. You get a real name, role, and company — not an anonymous IP address.

4

Score & trend

Each person gets a 0–100 precision score plus a trend direction: ↑ rising · ↓ fading · → steady.

5

Activate outreach

Trigger email sequences, digital ads, direct mail, or a sales call — all informed by what that specific person is researching.

The Score

What does a score of 85 actually mean?

The intent score measures how unusual this person's behavior is compared to their own normal. A score of 85 means they're doing something they almost never do.

85 Intent
↑ Trending Up
↓ Fading → Steady

Score + trend together tell you who to contact and when.

🔎

Score 70–100: Active buyer

This person is doing something highly abnormal for them. Prioritize for immediate outreach — these are your hottest leads.

📈

Score 40–69: Warming up

Research is above their normal baseline — good for nurture campaigns and educational content rather than hard sales.

💤

Score 0–39: Not in market yet

Their behavior is at or below normal. Save your budget. Focus on brand awareness so you're top-of-mind when their score rises.

🚨

Cold Topic Activation

An alert fires the moment someone researches a topic they've never engaged with before — giving you first-mover advantage.

3×
ROAS visibility improvement
17%
Avg. spend reallocation in month 1
3.2×
Lead-to-meeting rate lift
225%
More deals vs. account-level intent
Real-World Applications

How SMBs put intent to work

Intent audiences aren't just for enterprise sales teams. Here's how businesses like yours are using them today.

B2B Services

Accountant or consultant finds new clients

Set up intent audiences around "small business bookkeeping" or "tax planning for LLCs." Get notified when local decision-makers start researching those topics.

Result: Reach business owners already thinking about hiring a firm — before they start interviewing competitors.
SaaS / Tech

Software company targets switchers

Build an audience of people researching competitor names. When someone's score spikes on "alternatives to [competitor]," your team has a perfect outreach moment.

Result: Win deals before they're lost by engaging at the exact moment of evaluation.
Industrial / Wholesale

Distributor finds buyers before RFQ

Track intent around product categories you supply. Know when a purchasing manager is researching your equipment — weeks before a formal request for quote.

Result: Get on the shortlist early, before competitors are even aware the opportunity exists.
Recruiting / Staffing

Staffing agency targets hiring companies

Monitor intent around talent acquisition software and HR topics. Companies researching these are likely about to start hiring.

Result: Pitch your services to companies actively in hiring mode rather than cold prospecting the entire market.
Marketing Agency

Agency finds clients ready to spend

Watch for businesses researching digital advertising, SEO, or website redesigns. A rising intent score on "marketing agency" is worth a targeted outreach campaign.

Result: Spend sales energy only on prospects who've already mentally started the buying process.
Commercial Real Estate

Broker identifies expanding businesses

Track intent signals around office space searches and lease negotiations. Reach companies showing early signals before they hire a broker.

Result: Win relationships by being the first broker to reach motivated prospects.
Common Questions

FAQ

Is this different from LinkedIn or Google targeting? ▾
Yes — significantly. LinkedIn and Google targeting is based on static attributes like job title or platform keywords. Intent audiences are based on real-time research behavior across the open web. You're identifying people who are demonstrably researching your category right now.
How is this different from knowing a company is "surging"? ▾
Account-level intent tells you "Acme Corp is researching identity resolution." Person-level intent tells you exactly which individual is driving the research, what they've compared, and whether their interest is accelerating — a conversation you can actually have.
Do I need a big sales team to use this? ▾
Not at all. Even a solo founder or 2-person sales team benefits enormously from focusing on the right people at the right time. Intent audiences help you prioritize so you're not wasting time on people who aren't in a buying cycle.
What does "personal baseline" mean? ▾
Every person has a normal level of online research activity. The intent score compares each person's current behavior to their own normal — not the average population. A quiet researcher with a score of 75 is actually a stronger signal than a heavy researcher with the same score.
Is intent audience data privacy-compliant? ▾
Reputable intent data providers operate under GDPR, CCPA, and IAB TCF standards. Data is sourced from publisher networks where users have opted into data collection. Always verify the compliance posture of any vendor before activating campaigns.
What's the minimum budget to get started? ▾
Many platforms offer SMB-friendly tiers starting with a free proof-of-value trial — letting you see who in your target market is actively researching before committing to a paid plan.

See your buyers in 7 days.

Free proof of value. No commitment. Works with your existing stack.

Start free proof of value → No credit card required  ·  Setup in minutes
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