Intent data for compliance vendors: platforms vs public signals
"Intent data" covers two different things. Topic-based intent platforms, such as 6sense and Bombora, infer interest from content consumption across the web. Public signals are facts a company has published itself. If you sell compliance software, the difference decides what your reps can actually say in an email.
How topic-based intent works
Intent platforms observe research activity, such as articles read or topics searched, across a network of publishers and sites, map it to companies, and flag accounts showing more interest in a topic than usual. They cover many categories at once and usually plug into your CRM and ad tools as part of a wider platform rollout.
That breadth is the strength. The trade-off is that the signal is inferred and aggregated: you see that a company appears interested in "SOC 2 compliance", not who at the company, why, or whether they already have a platform.
How public signals work
Public signals are things a company has said or done where anyone can see them: a job post to lead a first SOC 2 audit, a new trust page without a report, a blog post announcing an audit, a new head of compliance at a company already on a platform. Each one has a link and a date.
The trade-off here is volume. In a narrow market like compliance there may only be a few dozen qualified companies a week, and finding them takes manual checking. What you gain is a signal you can quote.
Side by side
| Topic-based intent | Public signals | |
|---|---|---|
| Source | Content consumption, inferred to a company | Job posts, websites, public statements |
| Can the rep see the evidence? | Usually a score or topic, not the underlying activity | Yes, a link they can open |
| Tells you why and when | Rarely | Often: the post or page says what they're doing |
| Separates new buyers from existing customers | Hard, since both research the topic | Yes, if you check for an existing platform |
| Coverage | Broad, many categories | Narrow, one market done in depth |
| Setup | Usually a platform rollout | A spreadsheet is enough |
Why it matters in compliance
Compliance buyers are skeptical by profession. An email that says "we noticed your company is researching SOC 2" invites the question "how do you know?", and there is no good answer. An email that says "you posted a GRC Manager role on September 3 to lead your first SOC 2 audit" answers that question before it's asked.
Compliance research is also noisy. Companies that already have a report keep reading about audits, renewals and new frameworks. Without checking for an existing platform, topic interest mixes first-time buyers with happy customers of your competitors.
Using both
These aren't mutually exclusive. Teams that already run an intent platform can use it for broad account prioritization and advertising, and use public signals for the short list their reps will email this week. Teams without one can start with public signals alone: the sources are free, and the method is described in our guide onfinding companies preparing for their first SOC 2 audit.