How intent signals illustrate the full picture of B2B buying behavior

B2B marketers have long known that major purchases involve multiple stakeholders and complex buying committees. What’s changed? Our ability to actually find, track, and engage these elusive decision-makers. As technology evolves, intent signals have emerged as a powerful tool to illuminate the buying process, but not all intent signals are created equal. Understanding the difference between broad account-level intent and more granular persona-level intent is key to transforming your B2B marketing effectiveness.

Let’s explore how these approaches are reshaping the way we identify and engage with B2B buying committees that have always existed but were previously hidden from view.

Understanding account-level intent

Account-level intent focuses on identifying and targeting entire companies or organizations that show signs of interest in products or services similar to those you offer. This approach typically involves:

• Identifying target accounts based on ideal customer profiles (ICPs)
• Monitoring research behaviors across digital channels
• Prioritizing accounts showing the highest levels of engagement
• Aligning marketing and sales efforts to these high-priority accounts

The main advantage of account-level intent is its ability to streamline efforts around high-value target accounts. However, it has its limitations—it often overlooks the nuanced dynamics within buying committees and can miss key decision-makers who are actively researching solutions.

Why persona-level intent is the missing piece

Buying decisions aren’t made by companies; they’re made by people. That’s where persona-level intent comes in. By focusing on individual stakeholders within an account, persona-level intent provides deeper insights into the real decision-makers and influencers involved in the buying process. Studies show that the average B2B buying committee includes 11 or more individuals, making it critical to understand not just which accounts are engaged, but who within those accounts is driving the conversation.

Key features of persona-level intent include:

• Identifying research behavior of specific personas within a buying group
• Uncovering new stakeholders who may be overlooked in account-level tracking
• Delivering granular insights that enable hyper-personalized marketing and sales engagement

This approach offers a more precise and effective way to connect with buyers, ensuring that marketing and sales teams reach the right people with the right message at the right time.

Account-level vs. persona-level intent: What’s the difference?

Making intent signals work for you

While both account-level and persona-level intent have value, the complexity of modern B2B buying suggests that combining both approaches is the best strategy. Here’s how to put this into practice:

• Layer intent data with firmographic and behavioral insights to create a more accurate picture of each account’s buying group.
• Develop detailed buyer personas that go beyond job titles to include pain points, interests, and decision-making roles.
• Use persona-level intent to personalize marketing outreach, ensuring content resonates with the right people.
• Align sales and marketing around intent signals to ensure consistent, timely engagement across the buyer’s journey.
• Leverage solutions like Data Axle’s Audience360, which integrates professional and consumer insights to provide a full-funnel, human-centric approach to intent-based marketing.

Conclusion

Intent data is a powerful tool, but it’s only as effective as how you use it. Simply tracking account-level intent is no longer enough—modern B2B buying requires a more precise, persona-driven approach.

By combining account-level and persona-level intent insights, businesses can create more targeted, effective campaigns that drive real engagement, accelerate the sales process, and ultimately increase revenue. Those who embrace and master this shift will gain a competitive edge in the evolving world of B2B marketing.

Did you know that Forrester named us a strong performer in their B2B Intent Data Providers Wave? And we have an entire blueprint on B2B intent signals. Download your copy.

Ready to move beyond static intent data and into actionable intelligence? Let’s talk about how Audience360® can help.