So, you’ve heard about intent data alerts, and you’re curious if they’re actually useful—or just another noisy notification in your inbox. This guide is for people who want real-world, actionable steps to set up intent data alerts in Thecompaniesapi, without getting lost in jargon or marketing fluff. Maybe you’re in sales, marketing, or just trying to figure out if this stuff actually helps you catch opportunities before your competitors do.
Let’s skip the hype and get straight to what works, what doesn’t, and how to get started without drowning in configuration options.
What Is Intent Data—And Should You Care?
Intent data is basically information about companies or people showing interest in a product, service, or topic. In theory, it helps you catch “signals” that tell you who might buy soon, so you can reach out or nudge them at the right time.
Here’s the honest bit: intent data isn’t magic. A lot of it is noisy, some is just plain wrong, and without a clear plan, alerts will quickly become background noise. But if you’re focused, and set it up with real business goals in mind, it can help you spot warm leads or market shifts you wouldn’t have noticed otherwise.
Don’t expect gold on day one. This is one of those “garbage in, garbage out” situations, so the setup matters.
Step 1: Get Access and Set Up the Basics
Before you do anything, you’ll need:
- An account with Thecompaniesapi (obvious, but you’d be surprised)
- API credentials (usually an API key)
- An idea of what intent signals actually matter to you
Pro tip: Don’t set up alerts just because you can. Start with 1–2 clear use cases. For example: - Notifying your sales team when a target company visits your pricing page - Alerting marketing when a competitor’s customers start researching your category
To get started: 1. Sign up or log in to your Thecompaniesapi account. 2. Navigate to the “API Access” or “Integrations” section to find your API key. 3. Keep that key safe—don’t paste it into public docs or leave it lying around.
Step 2: Understand What Intent Data Thecompaniesapi Provides
Not all intent data is created equal. Thecompaniesapi generally offers: - Web behavior (e.g., visits to certain pages) - Content consumption (e.g., downloads, blog reads) - Tech install signals (e.g., a company starts using a new tool) - Job postings or hiring activity
What’s actually useful? - If you’re in B2B sales, visiting your site or researching your product is a strong signal. - If you’re in competitive analysis, seeing hiring spikes or tech stack changes can be gold.
What to ignore:
Vague “interest in topic” signals (like reading a random blog post) are usually too broad to act on for small teams. Start with clear, high-intent actions.
Step 3: Define Your Alert Criteria
This is where most people screw up. If your criteria are too broad, you’ll get swamped. Too narrow, and you might miss real opportunities.
Start with questions like: - Which companies do I actually care about? (e.g., just my target accounts, or anyone?) - What actions truly matter? (e.g., demo page views, repeated visits, specific downloads) - How often do I want to be notified? (instantly, daily digest, weekly summary?)
Set up a simple rule: - “Alert me when any company on my target list downloads our whitepaper.” - “Send a weekly report if a competitor’s customer adds our tech to their stack.”
Pro tip: You can always add complexity later. Start with one alert, get a feel for the signal/noise ratio, and adjust.
Step 4: Set Up the Alert in Thecompaniesapi
Thecompaniesapi gives you a few ways to create alerts: via their dashboard, API, or integrations (like Slack or email). Here’s a no-nonsense walkthrough.
Option A: Use the Dashboard (Easiest)
- Go to the “Alerts” or “Intent Signals” section in your Thecompaniesapi account.
- Click “Create Alert” (or whatever their button says).
- Choose your trigger (e.g., “Company visits demo page”).
- Set filters (industry, company size, account list, etc.).
- Choose your delivery method (email, Slack, webhook).
- Name your alert something obvious (“Demo Page Visits from Target Accounts”).
- Save.
What works:
Dashboards are quick for basic rules, and good for non-technical users.
What doesn’t:
Limited flexibility. If you want complex logic (e.g., “visited demo page twice in a week but not contacted before”) you’ll need to use the API.
Option B: Use the API for Custom Alerts
If you want total control, you’ll need some scripting chops. Thecompaniesapi’s API docs are usually pretty clear, but here’s a high-level flow:
- Use the endpoint for intent data (often something like
/intent-events). - Filter the results by your criteria (company domain, event type, etc.).
- Set up a script to poll the API at your preferred interval (hourly, daily).
- When a matching event is found, trigger your own notification:
- Send an email via SMTP or a service like SendGrid
- Post a message to Slack via webhook
- Update your CRM
Sample API call (Python-style pseudocode): python import requests
headers = {"Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"}
response = requests.get( "https://api.thecompaniesapi.com/v1/intent-events", headers=headers, params={ "company_domain": "mytargetcompany.com", "event_type": "demo_page_view" } )
data = response.json() if data and data["results"]: # Send notification logic here print("Alert: Target company visited demo page!")
What works:
Full flexibility. You can combine data, enrich it, or build your own dashboards.
What doesn’t:
Takes time to set up. If you’re not comfortable with code, stick to the dashboard or get help.
Option C: Integrate With Existing Tools
If you want alerts in tools your team actually uses (Slack, Teams, CRM), check the integrations page. Most APIs like Thecompaniesapi offer: - Slack notifications (usually via webhook) - Email alerts - CRM integrations (e.g., HubSpot, Salesforce)
Pro tip:
Don’t get fancy with integrations until you know the basic alert works. Otherwise, you’ll just create more places for things to break.
Step 5: Test and Tune Your Alerts
Here’s the part most people skip: make sure your alerts actually work, and aren’t just spam.
- Trigger a test event (visit your own site as a “target” company, if possible).
- Check that you get the alert in the right channel, at the right time.
- If you get too many alerts, tighten your filters. If you get none, loosen them.
Signs your alert is working: - You get a small but steady flow of notifications—enough to be interesting, not overwhelming. - The alerts match real-world actions you care about.
Signs you need to adjust: - You’re drowning in useless alerts (too broad). - You never get any alerts (too narrow, or something’s broken). - You’re getting alerts for companies you don’t care about (bad filters).
Step 6: Take Action—Or Don’t Bother
It’s easy to set up alerts and then never actually use them. The real work is what you do after you get notified.
- Make sure someone owns follow-up. If it’s sales, make it clear who should reach out and how.
- Don’t automate spammy outreach. Use the context—reference the trigger in a genuine way.
- Track outcomes. Did the alert lead to a meeting, sale, or useful insight? If not, rethink your criteria.
Pro tip:
If an alert never leads to action, kill it. Better to have one good signal than ten ignored ones.
What to Ignore, and What to Watch Out For
- Ignore vendor hype: “AI-powered intent” and “real-time buyer signals” sound great, but most of the value comes from clear, simple triggers.
- Don’t chase every signal: Focus on actions with a clear next step.
- Watch out for false positives: Sometimes, random visits or bots will trigger alerts. Refine your filters, and don’t trust every data point.
- Privacy and compliance: Don’t use intent data to creep on individuals. Stick to company-level insights, and respect privacy laws.
Keeping It Simple
Getting useful intent data alerts in Thecompaniesapi isn’t rocket science, but it does take some thought. Start small. Set up one or two alerts tied to clear, real-world actions. Test, tune, and only add more if you’re actually using the signals.
Don’t let the tech distract you from the basics: act on what matters, ignore what doesn’t, and keep the noise down. Most importantly, remember—if you’re not going to do something with an alert, don’t bother setting it up.
Happy (intent) hunting.