Signal-based marketing: how to market to people already showing intent

Traditional B2B marketing tries to guess who’s ready to buy. Signal-based marketing stops guessing.

It looks at real behavior. Who’s engaging with your content. Who’s searching for a solution. Who’s quietly doing research across channels. Then it turns those signals into action, helping you focus on potential customers who are already showing intent, rather than casting a wide net.

If you’re running marketing at a SaaS startup and want better conversions, less waste, and smarter targeting, this is the shift you should make.

This article explains what signal-based marketing is, which signals matter, how to use them, and how to get started.

What is signal-based marketing?

Signal-based marketing means using behavioral data to trigger marketing actions.

Instead of blasting emails to a full list or running ads based on vague firmographics, you focus on people or accounts already showing buying signals. These can be public, semi-private, or completely hidden. Marketers analyze available signals and data points from various sources to identify intent.

It’s a way to work smarter. You’re not pushing a message to everyone. You’re responding to what real people are doing in real time, leveraging real time data.

What counts as a signal?

A signal is any action that suggests interest or intent. Consumer events and signal data, such as interactions with your brand, are key indicators that can be tracked and analyzed to personalize marketing efforts and improve targeting strategies. Not all signals are equal. Some are weak and need to be verified. Others are strong and can trigger immediate action.

Some examples of common marketing signals:

Public signals (easy to track)

• Someone comments on a LinkedIn post about your product category

• A buyer likes your CEO’s product teardown

• A company starts following your company page

• Multiple people from an account attend your webinar

Semi-private signals (trackable with the right tools)

• Someone clicks a link in your newsletter but never fills out a form

• A buyer reads three blog posts in one week

• Someone shares your content in Slack or DMs

• A prospect visits your pricing page multiple times

Hidden or dark funnel signals (need specialized tools or inference)

• A decision maker at a target account changes jobs

• A spike in direct traffic to your site from a known company

• People from a company start visiting your employees’ LinkedIn profiles

• A post about a problem you solve goes viral in a niche Slack group

The more signals you combine, the more confident you can be that someone is moving toward a buying decision.

Why signal-based marketing works

Most marketing today is still based on assumptions.

You define a persona. You build a funnel. You set up campaigns. Then you wait and hope people move through your journey.

But buyers don’t move through your funnel. They move through their buyer's journey and unique buying process. And they leave a trail of signals as they go.

Signal-based marketing follows that trail. It works because it:

• Targets people who are already active

• Prioritizes accounts with higher intent

• Makes marketing more relevant

• Reduces spend on cold audiences

• Aligns better with how modern buyers behave

• Helps you gain insights and provide insights into where prospects are in the buyer journey
  
  

You’re not guessing who might be in market. You’re acting on proof.

Understanding the buying journey

The buying journey isn’t a straight line—it’s a series of steps, each with its own signals and opportunities. Signal-based selling focuses on picking up intent signals at every stage, from the first moment a potential customer becomes aware of your solution, through consideration and evaluation, all the way to the final purchase.

By tracking these signals, sales teams can gain a better understanding of customer behavior and pain points. For example, early-stage signals might include social media engagement or website visits, while later-stage signals could be demo requests or time spent on your pricing page. Recognizing these key elements of the buying journey allows sales teams to deliver relevant messages that directly address what matters most to each prospect.

Signal-based selling isn’t just about collecting data—it’s about interpreting it in real time. When sales teams spot a signal, they can respond with the right message at the right moment, making their outreach more relevant and increasing the chances of moving deals forward. The result? A sales process that’s more aligned with how buyers actually make decisions, giving your team a significant advantage in a crowded market.

How signal-based marketing changes your strategy

It doesn’t replace everything you do. But it changes how you plan, prioritize, and execute. Signal-based marketing improves your marketing efforts by enabling you to focus on the right customers, using data insights and customer behavior signals to personalize and enhance your approach.

Here’s how it shows up across core marketing functions:

1. Content marketing

Stop creating content based on keywords alone. Start creating content based on signals from real accounts.

Example: If multiple buyers from your ICP are engaging with competitor migration guides, write one that addresses the same concerns — but framed for your product. Analyze relevant signals from your audience, such as engagement patterns and behavioral data, to determine which content topics to prioritize.

2. Paid campaigns

Stop targeting broad firmographics. Start retargeting based on actual behavior.

Example: Build audiences from people who engaged with specific content, viewed your product page, or matched multiple signals in one week. Retarget website visitors who have shown engagement with your product or content to increase the chances of conversion.

3. Outbound marketing

Stop sending cold sequences to a static list. Start triggering outbound when signals stack up.

Example: When three people from the same company visit your site, one clicks on pricing, and another connects with your PM on LinkedIn — that’s your moment to reach out. Focus your outbound efforts on the right accounts that have demonstrated purchase intent through these actions.

4. Lead scoring

Stop relying only on form fills. Start scoring based on a mix of visible and hidden actions.

Example: Score an account higher if they showed buying signals on multiple platforms, even if they haven’t filled out a demo form. Assign higher scores to accounts that demonstrate high value signals, such as strong prospect activity or clear buying intentions. Remember, not all signals are created equal—prioritize those that indicate real intent over generic or public actions.

Signal-based selling for sales reps

Signal-based selling is transforming how sales reps work. Instead of chasing every lead, sales reps can now focus on accounts that are actively showing intent signals—like repeated website visits, high engagement with content, or direct interactions with your team. This approach helps sales reps prioritize their time and energy on prospects most likely to convert, making every conversation count.

By leveraging the right data, sales reps gain deeper insights into customer behavior and preferences. This means they can engage prospects with personalized messaging that speaks to their unique needs and pain points, rather than relying on generic pitches. Signal-based selling empowers sales reps to deliver experiences that resonate, increasing conversion rates and driving more closed deals.

Tracking metrics and analyzing which signals lead to success also helps sales reps continuously refine their approach. With a clear view of what’s working, they can double down on high-value activities and adjust their strategies for even better results. In short, signal-based selling gives sales reps the actionable insights they need to engage prospects effectively and win more business.

Signal-based marketing vs intent data

Intent data is part of signal-based marketing. But it’s just one piece.

Most third-party intent data comes from tools that track topics across the web. It can be useful, but it’s broad and often delayed. Traditional predictable revenue models, which once relied on consistent, repeatable sales processes, are becoming less effective in today’s rapidly changing environment.

Signal-based marketing focuses more on real-time, first-party signals. The stuff you can see or track based on your own content, product, website, and audience behavior. Machine learning can help analyze and interpret these real-time, first-party signals to uncover deeper insights and enable more personalized marketing strategies.

Use third-party intent data if you have it. But build your system around signals you control.

How to get started with signal-based marketing

You don’t need a full data team. You just need a process.

Start by collecting individual data points from various sources, such as website analytics and social media interactions. Analyzing this signal data helps you understand customer behaviors and preferences, which informs your marketing strategy. Revenue teams benefit from a unified approach to signal-based marketing, enabling better collaboration and improved results.

Here’s a simple five-step framework:

Step 1: Define your key signals

Decide which behaviors are meaningful. Think across LinkedIn, your website, email, events, and partner content. Look for buyer signals—actions or patterns that indicate a prospect’s interest or intent, such as repeated website visits, engagement with your LinkedIn posts, or responses to emails.

Start small. Pick 5 to 7 signals you can track reliably.

Step 2: Set up a way to capture and map them

Use tools like ClearCue, Segment, or HubSpot. Even a spreadsheet is fine at the start.

The goal is to map signals to accounts or individuals. Make sure your sales team has access to these mapped signals so they can follow up effectively.

Step 3: Combine signals to find warm accounts

One click isn’t enough. But three signals in the same week from the same company? That’s intent.

Create a scoring system or a rule-based process to surface high-priority accounts, so go to market teams can use this process to prioritize outreach.

Step 4: Align with sales

Once you know which accounts are warm, make sure sales knows too.

Use Slack alerts, CRM flags, or shared dashboards. Give context. Don’t just say “this account is hot.” Say why.

Example: “3 people from Stripe read our pricing page, viewed 2 product deep-dives, and connected with our designer on LinkedIn.”

Involve customer success in the alignment process to ensure seamless handoffs and ongoing engagement, so all teams have the full context and can deliver a consistent experience.

Step 5: Trigger action

Now do something with the signals.

Run a retargeting campaign. Send a lightly personalized email. Have your founder connect on LinkedIn. Offer value based on what they engaged with.

The key is speed. Signals get cold fast. Acting quickly on these signals increases your chances of closing deals, as you can engage prospects when their intent and readiness to purchase are highest.

Pricing page signals

When a prospect lands on your pricing page, it’s one of the strongest signals of buying intent you can get. This action shows that a potential customer is seriously considering your solution and is evaluating whether it fits their needs and budget. For sales teams, pricing page signals are a goldmine—they offer a significant advantage in understanding where a buyer is in the sales process.

By closely monitoring pricing page visits and related customer behavior, sales teams can identify patterns that reveal which prospects are most likely to convert. For example, multiple visits to the pricing page, or spending extra time comparing plans, can indicate growing interest and readiness to buy. These signals can trigger targeted follow-ups, such as personalized emails or tailored offers that address specific concerns.

Sales teams can also use pricing page signals to automate parts of the sales process, ensuring that no high-value opportunity slips through the cracks. By acting quickly on these signals, teams can deliver relevant messages at the perfect moment, improving conversion rates and driving more sales. In a competitive market, leveraging pricing page signals helps you stay one step ahead and close deals faster.

What makes this hard

Most teams aren’t set up for this.

Their data lives in silos. Their systems are slow. Their habits are built around batch-and-blast. Traditional sales cycles can be lengthy and inefficient without signal-based marketing, making it harder to manage complex sales processes and slowing down deal progression.

Signal-based marketing requires a different mindset:

• Less guessing, more listening

• Less automation, more action

• Less focus on who, more focus on what they’re doing

But if you figure it out, the upside is huge.

You waste less time. You close deals faster. You run fewer campaigns but get better results.

Final thoughts

Buyers are already telling you what they care about.

They do it with their clicks. Their views. Their silent shares. Their LinkedIn behavior. Their time spent on page. Their job moves. Their engagement across your team’s content. Signal-based marketing is about listening to those cues and acting on them.

If you’re still relying on lead forms and cold emails to drive your pipeline, you’re playing an outdated game.

Signals are already there. Start using them to turn buyer interest into a sale.