So, you’re tired of your sales and marketing teams playing “broken telephone.” You’ve got a list of leads, a pile of content, and a hunch that prospects are slipping through the cracks. Sound familiar? This guide is for you—anyone who wants to stop guessing about what their buyers want and actually map out a journey that makes sense, using real intent data.
Let’s cut the fluff. “Intent data” isn’t magic. But if you know how to use it—and you avoid the common traps—it can help your sales and marketing folks finally get on the same page.
Here’s how to map buyer journeys using Techtarget intent data, and actually make it work.
Step 1: Understand What Techtarget Intent Data Is (And Isn’t)
First things first: Techtarget isn’t a crystal ball. Their intent data is based on signals from content consumption across their network—think whitepaper downloads, topic searches, or vendor comparisons. It shows you which accounts are researching what, and how seriously.
What Techtarget intent data can tell you: - Which companies are actively researching solutions like yours - What topics or problems they’re focused on - The level of engagement (are they just browsing, or deep-diving into multiple assets?)
What it can’t tell you: - Who the specific person is (usually) - If they’re ready to buy right now - If they’re even aware of your company yet
Pro tip: Don’t treat intent data as gospel. People research for a lot of reasons—sometimes, it’s just curiosity or job research. Use it as a strong clue, not a finish line.
Step 2: Get Your Buyer Journey Out of Fantasyland
Before you start mapping, take a hard look at your current buyer journey. Is it just a PowerPoint diagram, or does it actually reflect what your buyers do?
Here’s what usually happens: - Marketing hands over “hot” leads based on form fills or webinar attendance. - Sales complains those leads are nowhere near ready. - Everyone blames the CRM.
Reality check: Your buyer journey should follow real behaviors, not internal wishful thinking.
Action items: - Interview recent buyers. Ask: What did you research? Where did you look? When did you talk to a vendor? - Map out the actual steps: Awareness, research, consideration, decision. Note the touchpoints that matter (Google, peer reviews, third-party content, your site). - Don’t make it complicated. Most B2B journeys have 4-6 key stages.
Step 3: Connect Techtarget Data to Each Stage
Now that you know what your buyers really do, plug Techtarget’s intent data into that journey.
How to do it: - Awareness: Look for companies just starting to read about your category. They’re poking around high-level topics. - Research: These folks are diving into comparisons, best practices, or solution guides. - Consideration: Now they’re downloading product sheets, checking out “Top Vendors,” or revisiting similar assets. - Decision: Multiple people from the same company are engaging, and they’re focusing on demos, pricing, or implementation.
Tips: - Use Techtarget’s filters to segment accounts based on intent signal strength and recency. - Don’t chase every blip. Focus on patterns—repeat visits, multiple topics, and account-level engagement.
What to ignore: - Single clicks or one-off downloads. Those are background noise. - Vague high-level topics that aren’t core to your business. Stay sharp—being “sort of relevant” doesn’t close deals.
Step 4: Build Actionable Playbooks for Sales and Marketing
Here’s where most companies fall down: They get the data, but nobody knows what to do with it.
Make simple playbooks tied to actual buyer stages:
- For Marketing:
- Warm up accounts showing early intent with targeted ads or nurture emails—don’t push product yet.
- Send relevant content (case studies, checklists) to accounts in the research stage. Keep it educational.
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Share “intent surges” (multiple signals from one account) with sales, but don’t dump every lead—prioritize.
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For Sales:
- Prioritize outreach to accounts showing deep or repeated engagement, especially if multiple people from the same company are involved.
- Reference the topics the account is researching. Don’t be creepy (“I saw you downloaded...”), but tailor your approach.
- Don’t waste cycles on accounts with weak or stale signals. It’s okay to wait.
What works: - Short, focused lists for sales—not 200 “maybe interested” accounts. - Weekly huddles to discuss what’s working and adjust in real-time.
What doesn’t: - Overloading sales with data dumps. - Treating every “intent” as equally valuable. - Automation without human judgment.
Step 5: Align Your Teams and Close the Feedback Loop
If sales and marketing don’t talk, none of this matters.
How to actually align: - Hold bi-weekly (not monthly) check-ins between sales and marketing. Review intent data, discuss which signals led to real conversations. - Have marketing listen in on a few sales calls per month. It’s eye-opening. - Share wins and misses honestly. If an “intent-rich” account ghosted you, figure out why.
Pro tip: Use a shared dashboard (not a 12-tab spreadsheet) so both teams see the same data, at the same time.
Common pitfalls: - Getting hung up on “lead score” perfection. Sometimes, gut feel beats an algorithm. - Overcomplicating the process. Simple = repeatable.
Step 6: Measure Only What Matters
You’ll be tempted to track every metric. Resist.
Stick to these basics: - Number of accounts with strong intent signals moving to sales conversations - Conversion rate from “intent” to qualified opportunity - Average sales cycle length for intent-driven accounts vs. others
Ignore: - Vanity metrics (like email open rates on nurture drips) - Total number of “engaged” accounts if they’re not your ideal customer profile
If you’re not closing more deals, or shortening cycle times, the intent data isn’t helping—yet.
Step 7: Keep It Simple and Iterate
Intent data is a tool, not a silver bullet. Don’t expect instant results, and don’t let consultants convince you otherwise.
How to keep improving: - Review your journey map every quarter. Buyers change. So should your process. - Run small experiments—try a new playbook for one segment, see what happens. - Keep talking to real customers. Data is great, but conversations are better.
Final thought: The best buyer journey map is the one your team actually uses. Start small, stay skeptical, and don’t let “perfect” get in the way of “done.”
Now, get mapping.