If you’re running B2B campaigns and tired of spraying ads everywhere, you’ve probably heard about intent data. There’s a lot of noise out there, but here’s the real deal: custom intent audiences can help you stop wasting money on people who don’t care. This guide walks you through building custom intent audiences in Intentsify—and just as important, what to ignore.
Whether you’re in demand gen, ABM, or just trying to prove your budget is worth it, this is for you. No fluff, just clear steps and some honest advice along the way.
Why Custom Intent Audiences Matter (and What to Watch Out For)
Intent data isn’t magic. It won’t hand you qualified leads on a silver platter. But when you use it right, it helps you focus only on companies actually showing interest in what you sell—right now.
Custom intent audiences are just lists of companies (and sometimes people) who are sending signals that they’re researching stuff you care about. In Intentsify, you can build these lists based on topics, keywords, or behaviors.
Caveats to know upfront: - Intent data is directional, not gospel. Don’t ditch your other targeting. - Bad input = bad output. Garbage topics or vague keywords? You’ll get junk back. - Small audience? Don’t panic. Quality beats quantity for B2B.
Step 1: Get Your Strategy Straight
Before you log in, decide what you actually want to achieve. Otherwise, you’ll end up with a Franken-audience that doesn’t do much.
Questions to ask:
- What business problem are we solving? (Pipeline, awareness, upsell, etc.)
- Who are our best customers? (Industry, size, tech stack, pain points)
- What topics do they research before they buy?
Pro Tip: Talk to sales. They’ll give you the blunt truth about who actually buys and why.
Step 2: Log In and Find the Custom Audience Builder
Assuming you’ve got an Intentsify account, log in and navigate to the Audience Builder section. The interface changes from time to time, but look for terms like “Custom Audience,” “Intent Segments,” or “Build New Audience.”
If you’re lost, their help docs are decent and support is responsive (for now, anyway).
Step 3: Define Your Company Criteria
Start by narrowing down your audience by company traits. This is where most people mess up and go too broad.
- Industry: Pick the verticals that actually buy from you. Skip the “all industries” trap.
- Company Size: Be realistic—don’t waste impressions on companies you can’t support.
- Geography: If you can’t sell in Europe, don’t include Europe.
- Tech Stack: Some plans let you filter by tech in use (great for SaaS sellers).
What to Ignore: Don’t get distracted by shiny filters you can’t act on, like company “growth signals” unless you know what that actually means.
Step 4: Pick the Right Intent Topics
Now you choose which topics or keywords actually mean “someone is shopping.” This is where most intent campaigns live or die.
How to choose:
- Start with your sales cycle. What words do buyers use before they talk to you?
- Be specific. “Cloud computing” is vague; “cloud cost optimization platform” is better.
- Include competitors (carefully). Sometimes tracking competitor brand names surfaces real buyers.
- Exclude noise. If a topic sounds like research, not buying (e.g., “what is cloud computing”), skip it.
Pro Tip: Don’t add 20 topics “just in case.” It waters down your audience. Three to five strong topics usually beat a laundry list.
Step 5: Choose Your Intent Signal Strength
Intentsify lets you dial in how strong a company’s signal needs to be before they make your list. This isn’t an exact science, but here’s a rule of thumb:
- High signal (spiking): Fewer companies, but they’re really showing interest.
- Medium signal: More companies, but some may just be browsing.
- Low signal: You’ll get a big list, but a lot of looky-loos.
Most B2B teams do best starting with “spiking” or “high” intent. You can always loosen later if you need more volume.
Step 6: Layer On Additional Filters
If you want to get fancy, Intentsify lets you add filters like job roles, seniority, or account lists.
- Job titles: Useful if you know exactly who clicks “buy.”
- Custom account lists: Upload your ABM target list to cross-reference with intent.
- Exclusions: Block companies you already closed, or competitors.
Don’t overdo it. Every filter cuts your audience. If you end up with five companies, you probably went too far.
Step 7: Review and Save Your Audience
Before you hit “Save,” check: - Audience size: If it’s under a couple hundred companies (for most B2B), double-check your filters. - Topic overlap: Make sure your topics aren’t redundant. - Export options: Can you push this audience into your CRM, ad platform, or marketing automation tool?
Give your audience a clear name (e.g., “Q2 Midmarket Cloud Security Spiking”). You’ll thank yourself later.
Step 8: Activate and Integrate
Now, actually use the audience. You can: - Sync to LinkedIn, Google, DSPs, or wherever you run ads. - Push into Salesforce or HubSpot for sales alerts. - Trigger email or nurture campaigns.
Reality check: Don’t just build audiences and let them rot. If you’re not activating, you’re not getting value.
Step 9: Monitor and Refine
Most people set it and forget it. Don’t.
- Watch for weird spikes or drops. Sometimes a topic goes haywire (hello, bot traffic).
- Check engagement, not just reach. Are you getting clicks or pipeline, or just impressions?
- Swap out underperforming topics or filters. Iterate every month or so.
Honest Take: Most intent audiences need a few tweaks before they work. That’s normal. Don’t chase perfection.
What Works, What Doesn’t
Works:
- Tight, specific topics.
- Using high-signal intent first.
- Layering in your own ABM lists.
Doesn’t:
- “All industries” or “all companies” approaches.
- Too many vague topics.
- Building the audience and never actually using it.
Ignore:
- Vanity metrics (“look, 10,000 companies!”). Focus on the ones who’ll move the needle.
- Overhyped AI filters unless you see real-world results.
Keep It Simple and Iterate
Custom intent audiences in Intentsify can save you time and budget, but only if you keep them sharp and practical. Don’t overthink it—start with what you know, focus on signals that actually matter, and keep tweaking. You’ll get better results (and fewer headaches) than chasing every new feature.
Now, go build something useful—and don’t be afraid to trim the fat as you go.