Use intent signals

Please note: intent signals can be used with either purchased credits or a seat plan that includes credits. It does not have to be both.

Use intent signals to gain insights into high-value actions and news updates of companies you're tracking, helping you prioritize accounts, identify engagement opportunities, and personalize outreach.

When you track a company, HubSpot will monitor for various "signals," such as news about funding or when it starts to research a topic you care about. These signals are listed as events on the activity timelines of company or associated contact records. They can be used to trigger workflows, create lists/audiences, and contribute to lead scoring.

You can also create custom reports using company signals or contact signals as a data source. Learn more about custom reports.

Before you get started

• To track companies for intent signals, you need HubSpot Credits.
• To track companies, you need Data Enrichment permission.
• To edit intent signal settings, you need edit Buyer Intent permission.

Understand intent signals

Once you track a company, HubSpot will start monitoring for signals related to that company and its associated contacts. When a signal is detected, it's recorded as an event on the activity timeline of the object record.

When you track a new company, either manually or via automation, any intent signals from the last 30 days will be automatically searched for and added. This includes to the Signals tab table, the associated company's activity timeline, and more. This 30-day backfill is included in the existing credit cost of tracking a company; no additional credits will be used.

Intent signal types

There are several categories of signals that you can track:

Intent signal company properties

When you start tracking a company, company-level visit data will be updated to the following three properties using HubSpot's reverse-IP technology:

• Tracked Visitors (Last 30 Days): how many visitors from a tracked company have visited your site in the last 30 days.
• Tracked Page Views (Last 30 Days): how many page views on your site from a tracked company in the last 30 days.
• Last Tracked Visit Time: the time of the most recent visit to your site from a tracked company.

CRM signals

CRM signals are generated based on activity tied to deals. To generate a CRM signal:

• The engagement must occur on a contact.
• The contact must be associated with a company.
• The company must be associated with an existing deal.

CRM signals use this association path to reflect changes in deal context and progression, not just standalone conversations.

If these associations are not in place, or no deal exists, a CRM signal will not be generated.

CRM signal functionality

Signals are not updated on every new mention. After a signal is generated, similar activity will not create a new signal update until a 2-day cooling-off period has passed. This helps reduce frequent or duplicate updates.

Why a CRM signal may not appear immediately

If you expect a CRM signal to update but don't see a change, there are a few common reasons:

• A similar signal was recently generated and is within the 2-day cooling-off period.
• The new activity does not meaningfully change the deal context.
• Required associations (contact, company, deal) are not fully in place.

For example, if a similar topic was mentioned recently, the CRM signal may not update again until the cooling-off period has passed.

Configure intent signal settings

All signal types are switched on by default, but you can turn off signal types in the intent settings.

1. In your HubSpot account, click More, then navigate to Marketing > Buyer Intent. If More doesn't appear in your account, navigate to Marketing > Buyer Intent directly.
2. Click the Signals tab.
3. In the top right, click My signals.
4. To turn off a signal type, find the signal, then click the three vertical dots icon.
5. In the pop-up box, click Pause signal.
6. Click Save.

Please note: when you turn off a signal type, it won't be tracked moving forward. Historical signal events of that type that were previously recorded will remain on the record activity timelines and within the Signals tab table.

Translate intent signals

If your HubSpot account is set to a non-English language, you can opt in to have your standard intent signals delivered in that language for all users in your account. This includes signal names, descriptions, and metadata, so your team can act on intent data as soon as it arrives without a separate translation step.

Translation applies to new signals going forward. No additional credits are required, and it doesn't change which signals you track or how they're detected. It only changes the language they appear in.

Signal translation is off by default. When you turn it on, HubSpot translates standard signals into your account's default language for all users in the account.

Turn on signal translation

1. In your HubSpot account, click More, then navigate to Marketing > Buyer Intent. If More doesn't appear in your account, navigate to Marketing > Buyer Intent directly.
2. Click the Signals tab.
3. In the top right, click My signals.
4. Scroll to the bottom of the list and turn the Translate signals switch on.
5. Click Save.

Please note: the translation setting only appears if your HubSpot account is configured to a non-English language.

What gets translated

Once translation is on:

• Within the Signals tab, new signals from that point forward appear in your account's default language, including signal names, descriptions, and metadata.
• Company and contact events generated by detected signals are also translated, including event property values. You'll see these translations on record activity timelines and in workflows, segments, and more.
• Previously received signals stay in their original language. Translation applies to new signals going forward, not retroactively.

Please note: when you opt into signal translation, signals are translated based on your account's default language, overriding user-level language settings. Company Surge and Research signals don't yet support translation.

Track companies

The company needs to have a domain. You can start and stop tracking companies from multiple locations within HubSpot. When you start tracking a company, the Intent signals active property value will be Yes. If you stop tracking a company, it'll change to No.

1. In your HubSpot account, click More, then navigate to Marketing > Buyer Intent. If More doesn't appear in your account, navigate to Marketing > Buyer Intent directly.
2. Click the Signals tab.
3. Click Select companies to track.
4. In the right panel, in the Source section, select a source to filter the companies. If you selected Companies on a list, in the dropdown menu, select the checkboxes next to the lists you want to filter from.
5. Select the checkboxes next to the companies you want to track. There's a preview of historical signals next to each company. When you start tracking, you'll view signals from that point forward.
6. Click Track intent signals or Track all [X] companies.
7. In the dialog box, click Start tracking.

As soon as you start tracking a company, their 30-day signal history (e.g., funding, job changes, visitor and research intent, and more) will be added to their record timelines as events.

For tracked companies, the company property Recent intent signals is automatically updated whenever a new signal is detected. To keep this data current, the property only considers signals from the last 30 days. With this company property, you can:

• Add a Recent Intent Signals column to your index views and tables, or reports to see intent at a glance. You can also add Recent Intent Signals to your company records for quick context for your reps.
• Use the property in lead scoring and workflows to more easily prioritize and reach out to companies showing specific types of intent.
• Use the property in segments to filter, sort, and build lists for your sales team, workflows, or ad campaigns based on specific signals.

You can also start or stop tracking a company from:

• The Research tab or Visitors tab of buyer intent. Select the checkboxes next to the companies and click Track intent signals to start tracking or Stop tracking to stop.
• The Intelligence tab of a company record by clicking the Intent signal tracking switch on to start tracking or off to stop tracking.
• Company lists by clicking the More dropdown menu and selecting Activate intent signals, or by selecting the Actions dropdown menu and selecting Track intent signals.
• Workflows by using workflow actions to start and stop tracking companies.

Turn on rule-based automated tracking

Track your highest-value accounts for intent signals by using rule-based automated tracking. You can automatically start tracking companies based on target account status, lifecycle stages, or segment membership.

1. In your HubSpot account, click More, then navigate to Marketing > Buyer Intent. If More doesn't appear in your account, navigate to Marketing > Buyer Intent directly.
2. Click the Signals tab.
3. In the top right, click Automated tracking.
4. Turn the following switches on or off:
   • Start tracking when a company becomes a target account: when a company's target account property value is True.
   • Start tracking when a company enters a chosen lifecycle stage: when a company enters a chosen lifecycle stage (e.g., Lead).
   • Stop tracking when a company enters a chosen lifecycle stage: when a company enters a chosen lifecycle stage (e.g., Customer).
5. To edit specific stages or segments that trigger the automations, next to the specific switch, click Edit.
6. Click Save.

View companies with intent signals

You can manage intent signals from the Signals tab within buyer intent.

1. In your HubSpot account, click More, then navigate to Marketing > Buyer Intent. If More doesn't appear in your account, navigate to Marketing > Buyer Intent directly.
2. Click the Signals tab.
3. To filter the companies:
   • Click the Filters button, then click the Time frame filter and select an option.
   • To filter by companies' segment memberships, click the Filters button. In the Segment membership dropdown menu, click the checkboxes next to different segments.
   • To filter by specific signal types, click the Filters button. In the Signal type dropdown menu, select one or more company or contact signals (e.g., Funding or Job started).
4. Once you have filtered your company results, you can generate a segment or workflow with filters/triggers that match your current filtering criteria. Just click Use in, then selecting Segments or Workflows.
5. Once you have filtered your company results, you can add the filtered results to a segment or workflow by clicking Use in, then selecting Segments or Workflows.
6. To view intent signal details about an individual company, click the company name.
   • In the right panel, you can view an AI-generated summary of the company.
   • On the Signals tab, click to expand information about each intent signal.
   • Click the tabs to view more information about Top page views, Recent page views, About, and Associated contacts.
   • Click View to view the contact record.
   • Click the menu and select an action like: Add to a static list, Enroll in a workflow, Stop tracking, Exclude.

Complete actions with intent signals

You can use your intent signals in various other HubSpot tools. If you want to complete actions on companies filtered by time frame, segment membership, and signal type, learn how to add filters.

Add records with intent signals to a static segment

1. In your HubSpot account, click More, then navigate to Marketing > Buyer Intent. If More doesn't appear in your account, navigate to Marketing > Buyer Intent directly.
2. Click the Signals tab.
3. Select the checkboxes next to the companies you want to add to a segment.
4. Click Add to a static segment.
5. In the dialog box, select the segment from the dropdown menu.
6. Click Add.

Use signal-based company events in segments

1. In your HubSpot account, click More, then navigate to Marketing > Buyer Intent. If More doesn't appear in your account, navigate to Marketing > Buyer Intent directly.
2. Click Create segment.
3. In the left panel, click Companies.
4. Click Next.
5. Click + Add filter.
6. In the pop-up box, click Events, then click Company Signals.
7. Select an event from the available options.
8. Customize the filter based on your selection. Learn more about filter customization and setting up segment details.
9. Click Save and process segment.

Enroll records with intent signals in a workflow

1. In your HubSpot account, click More, then navigate to Marketing > Buyer Intent. If More doesn't appear in your account, navigate to Marketing > Buyer Intent directly.
2. Click the Signals tab.
3. Select the checkboxes next to the companies you want to enroll in a workflow.
4. Click Enroll in a workflow.
5. In the dialog box, select the workflow from the dropdown menu.
6. Click Enroll.

There are also workflow templates for common intent signal use cases.

Use signal-based company events in a workflow

1. In your HubSpot account, click More, then navigate to Automation > Workflows. If More doesn't appear in your account, navigate to Automation > Workflows directly.
2. Click Create workflow, then select From scratch.
3. In the left panel, click to expand Data values, then select Company signal events.
4. Select the event trigger from the available options. Below is an example of a trigger you could create:
   • Select Research level change. This indicates when a company starts researching one of your topics, or its level of existing research changes.
   • In Group 1, your first criteria will say Has completed: Research level change.
   • Click + Add criteria, then add an additional criteria (e.g., intent level, intent trend). You can continue to add additional criteria.
5. At the top of the left panel, click Next.
6. Optionally, click + Add condition to enroll companies that only meet specific conditions.
7. Click Next.
8. Apply any additional changes.
9. Click Save and continue.
10. Choose an action that will be executed by the trigger. Learn more about event-based workflow actions.
11. Click Review and publish.

Use signal-based company lead scoring for intent signals

1. In your HubSpot account, click More, then navigate to Marketing > Lead Scoring. If More doesn't appear in your account, navigate to Marketing > Lead Scoring directly.
2. Click Create score.
3. In the left panel, click Companies, then select how you'd like to score them. Below is an example:
   • Select Company combined score. This evaluates how closely a company aligns with your ideal customer or strategic objectives.
4. Click Create. Learn more about using the lead scoring tool to prioritize companies based on intent signals.
5. Click Review and turn on.

Filter records with intent signals

When you're creating your filter criteria for workflow triggers or lists, you can use the following events for company intent signals:

• Visitor intent change
• Research level change
• Budget mention
• Deal timing
• Client signing
• Event attendance
• Product development
• Funding
• Technology investment
• Geographic expansion
• Leadership content
• Merger and acquisition
• Layoffs
• Executive hiring
• Product launch
• Growth metrics
• Strategic partnership
• Industry recognition
• Office closure
• Physical expansion
• Regulatory approval
• Email bounce
• Job started
• Job ended

When you're creating your filter criteria for workflow triggers or lists, you can use the following events for contact intent signals:

• Email bounce
• Job ended
• Job started