I was asked in a recent #b2boring live event, what is the difference between #intentdata and signal data? The answer in the cases where intent data companies just changed their language to signals is nothing, but there is an emerging ecosystem of companies offering "signals" so I thought I would expand here.
From my vantage point, there are three types of predictive/indicative data sets in the #b2bmarketing space
Trigger data - Commonly referred to as signals, these triggers are usually moments in time scooped from publicly available sources that may increase your chances to hook a meeting. Examples - Hiring a lot of sales reps on LI, a new CEO, a positive earnings call, onboarding a new technology, recent layoffs, etc. This event data isn't necessarily a signal, but a trigger that something might be brewing. Valuable, but generally assumptive - and a lot of false positives.
Intent Data - tale as old as time. This data is derived from generic website consumption data. Whether through a data cooperative, or bidstream manipulation, this data tracks which companies are on which random website based on website keyword analysis. I think we can all agree, ready a website about "10 trends in HR" doesn't indicate any interest in purchasing HR Software. This is the data set that has given a lot of B2B revenue teams a poor impression of predictive data.
Signal Data - This data signals a company's interest in purchasing a software/services of technology. Mostly content consumption derived, the key differentiation here is what content is being consumed - as not all content is created equal. Vendor comparison reports, Product buying checklists, engagement with product review sites, this engagement is far more predictive than simple intent data. The difference is propensity to purchase, vs propensity to learn.
Lots of confusion right now in this space, and lots of skepticism (rightfully so). Make sure you dive in deep into the question that matter when evaluating predictive data.
Do they buy their data from another source? Does that source sell its data to other vendors?
Is the data intent to purchase, or simple intent to learn?
Can the vendor create custom audiences, built specifically for your company?