Predictive Targeting with Intent Signals: How It Works

Want to reach buyers before your competitors do? Predictive targeting uses intent signals to identify high-intent prospects, improving conversions by 2–3× and cutting costs by 30–45%.

Here’s how it works:

• What It Does: Tracks real-time signals like website visits, search behavior, and content engagement to find buyers ready to act.

• How It Works: AI scans billions of data points every six hours to detect patterns and build buyer profiles.

• Why It Matters: Companies using predictive targeting report better lead quality, lower costs, and higher sales.

For example, businesses have reduced costs per lead by 42% while increasing lead volume by 71%. Predictive targeting ensures your ads reach the right audience at the right time.

How to use intent data to maximize your marketing impact

Collecting and Processing Intent Signals

Where Intent Signals Come From

Intent signals are sourced from a wide range of data points. AI technology scans billions of web pages every week, offering insights into potential customers' purchasing behaviors. These signals generally fall into two categories:

First-Party Data:

• Website activity, such as visitor behavior

• Form submissions

• Content downloads

• Product page interactions

• Shopping cart usage

Third-Party Data:

• Co-registration partner networks

• Public records

• Professional platforms like LinkedIn

• Census information

Once collected, this data is carefully analyzed to detect patterns that indicate strong buying intent.

Data Analysis Methods and Tools

AI and machine learning play a central role in analyzing intent data, processing it almost instantly. Key analysis steps include scanning websites every six hours, daily updates for over 270 million profiles, and real-time handling of more than 100 billion signals.

These tools are used to:

• Match personal and business data

• Build detailed buyer profiles

• Develop custom data models for advertising platforms

• Pinpoint patterns that signify high intent

This method makes targeting buyers who are ready to make a purchase much more effective.

"Intent data shows which people or businesses are actively researching a product or service like yours - so you can target high-intent buyers before they choose a competitor." – 24/7 Intent

Common Data Collection Issues

Collecting intent data isn't without its challenges. Here are some common hurdles:

Privacy Compliance:

• Adhering to privacy laws

• Managing consent and protecting user data

Technical Challenges:

• Integrating systems smoothly

• Verifying data accuracy

• Filtering out irrelevant signals

Data Quality:

• Ensuring profiles are accurate and up-to-date

• Removing duplicate entries

• Confirming the relevance of signals

To address these issues, data is refreshed every six hours, ensuring it stays accurate and relevant while meeting privacy requirements.

3 Steps of Predictive Targeting

Step 1: Collecting the Data

Predictive targeting begins with gathering a massive amount of data. AI scans billions of websites to pick up intent signals from a mix of sources. These signals come from first-party data (like website activity and form submissions) and third-party sources (such as co-registration networks, public records, and professional platforms). Every day, over 270 million consumer profiles are updated, and more than 100 billion buying signals are analyzed. To keep the data fresh, updates happen every six hours.

Once the data is collected, advanced analytics step in to uncover patterns in customer behavior.

Step 2: Identifying Patterns

With analytics tools, raw data is transformed into meaningful patterns, making it easier to group buyers based on how likely they are to make a purchase. The results speak for themselves:

These insights are then used to create custom data models, which can be plugged into advertising platforms. This ensures businesses can target high-intent buyers with precision.

Step 3: Crafting Personalized Messages

Once audience segments are clear, the focus shifts to creating messages that turn interest into action. Intent data allows businesses to connect with the right people at the right time. Personalized messaging, built around these insights, drives better conversion rates and more efficient ad spending.

"Before we were getting $6-$9 per click, with a 20% avg conversion… with this, CPC at $1.03 and 50% conversion, 3x the number of total clicks."
– Rob T, Digital Marketing Specialist

The results highlight how effective tailored messaging can be. For example, an agency owner closed 27 sales worth about $10,000 each in a single weekend while cutting CPA by 40%. Similarly, a digital marketing specialist reduced video engagement costs by 50% within just 24 hours of using intent-based targeting.

Main Advantages of Predictive Targeting

Higher-Quality Leads

Predictive targeting helps focus on active shoppers, significantly improving lead quality. For example, iLawyer achieved an impressive 80% lead qualification rate, while Bill Luke Automotive generated 1,608 qualified leads in just three days, complete with detailed buyer information. This level of accuracy comes from analyzing detailed intent data through predictive targeting.

Increased Sales Conversions

Engaging potential customers at the right time leads to better conversion rates. Predictive targeting has delivered strong results across various industries:

For instance, a financial advisor using predictive targeting cut their cost per lead by 42% while boosting lead volume by 71%. This also led to a 133% improvement in appointment show-up rates compared to standard Facebook targeting.

Smarter Resource Allocation

Predictive targeting helps reduce wasted advertising spend while making better use of marketing budgets. For example, Bobby reduced VSL opt-in costs by 50% in just 24 hours by leveraging intent data. This approach ensures that marketing efforts are more focused and effective, delivering stronger results with fewer resources.

24/7 Intent Features for Predictive Targeting

Live Data Updates

24/7 Intent refreshes its data every 6 hours, keeping predictive targeting campaigns up-to-date. By analyzing over 100 billion buying signals and updating more than 270 million consumer profiles daily, the platform ensures its data stays relevant and actionable.

The platform's AI pulls intent data from key online sources, maintaining both accuracy and reliability.

"Our real-time intent data plugs directly into your ad platforms - so your ads reach qualified buyers before your competitors even know they exist." - 24/7 Intent

Automatic Lead Management

With its ExactMatch system, 24/7 Intent simplifies lead management. It offers over 24,000 pre-made audience segments, enabling precise targeting. The platform combines personal and business data to create detailed buyer profiles, helping businesses achieve better results:

"We eliminate wasted ad spend by targeting buyers actively searching for what you offer - boosting conversions 2-3x and cutting customer costs by 30-45%." - 24/7 Intent

This streamlined lead management process, paired with detailed performance insights, helps businesses refine their approach and maximize results.

Performance Reports

24/7 Intent's reporting tools provide a closer look at campaign performance, making it easier to adjust targeting strategies. Key metrics include:

Real-world results demonstrate the platform's ability to deliver measurable improvements across these performance indicators.

Conclusion: Using Predictive Targeting for Growth

Key Takeaways

Predictive targeting, powered by intent signals, offers a powerful way to improve marketing outcomes. By analyzing billions of signals daily, businesses can connect with high-intent buyers at just the right time.

Here’s how it’s made a difference across industries:

Data Source:

How to Start with Predictive Targeting

If these results caught your attention, getting started is simpler than you might think. A two-week trial with personalized setup and optimization is a great first step. This trial uses custom messaging and data-driven insights to create impactful campaigns.

"Meet with one of our founders. We personally build your audience."
– 24/7 Intent

The setup works seamlessly with your existing ad platforms, so there’s no need to change your creative assets. Testing predictive targeting alongside your best-performing campaigns ensures you can measure its effectiveness accurately.

Here’s a real-world example:

"42% decrease in cost per lead, and we got 71% more leads. Within the same timeframe, our show-up rate increased by 133% compared to previous default targeting by Facebook."
– Owner, Financial Advisor

To begin:

• Create a custom audience tailored to your ideal customer profile.

• Integrate intent data into your ad platforms for precise targeting.

• Measure the results against your top campaigns to see the difference.

With real-time updates and daily integration, predictive targeting helps businesses stay ahead by reaching qualified buyers before competitors do.

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• How Intent Data Powers Retargeting Campaigns

• How Intent Data Improves Retargeting Segments

• How to Use Intent Data for Lookalike Segmentation