If you’re tired of spray-and-pray email blasts and want to actually send nurture emails when prospects are ready to hear from you, intent data is worth a look. This guide is for B2B marketers and demand gen folks who want to use Bombora intent signals to trigger better-timed, less-annoying nurture campaigns—without getting tangled up in technical spaghetti.
Let’s cut through the noise, get practical, and set up something that works.
What Is Bombora Intent Data, and Why Should You Care?
Bombora (more here) tracks which companies are researching topics related to your business across the web. Basically: it tells you when a company (not a person) is showing signs they might need what you sell. You get a weekly list of company domains with “surging” interest in certain topics.
If you’re still blasting emails to your entire list, hoping someone’s in the mood to talk, you’re missing the point. Bombora intent data lets you narrow in on the handful of companies that are actually looking—or at least, thinking—about your solution right now.
But here’s the thing: It’s not magic. Bombora tells you which companies are interested, not who inside those companies. And intent data is noisy—sometimes a company is just researching a competitor, or a random employee goes on a reading spree. So, use it as a trigger, not gospel.
Step 1: Clarify Your Goals (Don’t Automate Just Because You Can)
Before you start wiring up automations, ask yourself:
- What do you want from these nurtures? Is it booking meetings? Driving webinar signups? Just warming up cold accounts?
- What’s realistic? Even with intent, most companies aren’t ready to buy tomorrow. Nurture is about timing, not brute force.
Pro Tip: Pick one clear goal and one or two topics to start. For example: “Send a four-email nurture sequence to companies surging on ‘cloud security’ and try to book a demo.”
Step 2: Get Bombora Data Flowing into Your CRM or MAP
You can’t do much until Bombora intent data is in something you can automate from—usually your CRM (like Salesforce) or your marketing automation platform (MAP) like HubSpot or Marketo.
There are a few ways to get Bombora data in:
- Direct integrations: Some platforms have Bombora connectors. If you’re on Salesforce, HubSpot, or Marketo, check the marketplace for a Bombora integration.
- Manual CSV upload: You can always export Bombora’s weekly report and upload it as a list into your CRM/MAP. Not sexy, but it works.
- Third-party tools: Middleware like Zapier, Tray.io, or Workato can help if you’re stuck.
What matters: You need to tag or flag accounts in your system with “intent surge” on specific topics. Don’t overcomplicate—get the surge list into your system somehow.
Step 3: Map Intent Data to Contacts (This Is the Tricky Part)
Bombora tells you the company domain, not the person. To send nurture emails, you need to find the right contacts at those companies.
Options:
- If you already have contacts/accounts in your CRM/MAP: Match Bombora’s surging account domains to your existing records. Tag those accounts/contacts as “intent surging.”
- If you don’t: Consider using data enrichment tools (like ZoomInfo, Clearbit, or LinkedIn) to pull in key contacts from surging domains. But don’t expect perfection.
What doesn’t work: Blindly emailing every contact you can find at a surging company. That’s just spam with extra steps.
Focus on:
- Titles/roles that fit your buyer persona.
- Existing opt-in or engaged contacts (if possible).
Step 4: Build Your Nurture Logic & Automation
Now, set up the trigger: “If account is surging on [topic], and we have a valid contact, send nurture sequence.”
Here’s how to do it, step by step:
- Create a “Surging Accounts” segment.
- Use your CRM/MAP to create a dynamic list or view of contacts at companies flagged as “intent surging.”
- Set entry criteria for nurture.
- Example: Contact is in surging account and fits your buyer profile and isn’t already in a nurture or sales sequence.
- Design your nurture sequence.
- 3–5 emails is plenty. Don’t overthink it.
- Make emails specific to the intent topic (e.g., “Cloud Security”).
- Don’t shove CTAs down their throat in every email—think value, not volume.
- Set exit criteria.
- If they reply, book a meeting, or get picked up by sales, pull them out.
- If they don’t engage after the sequence, cool off for a while.
Pro Tip: Use personalization tokens (“Hi [First Name]”) but skip the fake “I saw you were researching X” line. It’s creepy and, frankly, everyone knows you’re using intent data.
Step 5: Sync with Sales (or Prepare for Pain)
If you automate nurture off intent data without telling sales, you’ll either step on toes or have reps calling ice-cold leads who just got an email. So:
- Give sales visibility: Share the list of surging accounts and who’s being nurtured.
- Set rules: Who reaches out, and when? If a sales rep is working the account, pause nurture.
- Feedback loop: Are the nurtured accounts actually responding? Are reps seeing better timing? If not, tweak.
What doesn’t work: Treating intent data as a secret weapon. It’s only useful if marketing and sales are pulling in the same direction.
Step 6: Measure What Matters (Ignore Vanity Metrics)
Don’t pat yourself on the back for open rates. Instead, focus on:
- Meetings booked or demos requested from nurtured accounts
- Movement through the funnel (e.g., MQL to SQL)
- Feedback from sales (“These are actually warm” vs. “Still ice-cold”)
Tweak your nurture copy, timing, and targeting based on what works. If you’re not seeing results, don’t be afraid to pause and rethink.
What Actually Works (and What to Skip)
Works:
- Tight targeting. Only nurture the best-fit contacts at surging accounts.
- Specific, value-driven messaging tied to the intent topic. Don’t send generic “Let’s connect” emails.
- Keeping the sequence short. You’re not building trust over a year—you’re seeing if the timing is right.
Doesn’t work:
- Over-automation. Resist the urge to set up 12-email sequences or multiple nurture tracks out of the gate.
- Relying on intent as a silver bullet. It’s just a signal, not a guarantee.
Ignore:
- Fancy scoring models and endless segmentation (at least at first).
- Trying to “personalize” based on weak signals (“I saw your company is interested in AI”). It’s transparent and can turn people off.
A Few Real-World Warnings
- Intent data is messy. Sometimes a company surges because a random employee read 15 blog posts. Don’t treat every signal as gospel.
- Don’t nuke your sender reputation. If you start blasting everyone at surging accounts, you’ll tank your deliverability. Go slow.
- Data gaps are normal. You won’t always have the right contacts. That’s life.
Set expectations with your team—and your boss. This can absolutely improve timing and relevance, but it’s not going to triple your pipeline overnight.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Start small. Pick one intent topic, one nurture sequence, and a handful of accounts. Get the basics working before you get fancy.
You’ll learn way more from running a real sequence and tweaking it than from over-engineering. If it feels too complicated, it probably is.
Automate just enough to make your life easier—and keep your emails relevant, respectful, and timely. That’s the real win.