January 6, 2026

How Intent Data in Supply Chain Can Transform Logistics Marketing in 2026

Intent data is changing how supply chain and logistics companies identify, prioritize, and engage buyers. Research behavior is happening earlier, faster, and across more channels, while traditional lead capture continues to lose effectiveness. Teams that rely on surface-level signals are missing opportunities already in motion.

This article explains how intent data works in logistics marketing and outlines practical ways teams can use real buying signals to improve targeting, accelerate sales cycles, and build more predictable pipeline.

Intent data isn’t new — but in the logistics and supply chain world, it’s still wildly underutilized. That’s starting to change, and fast.

To explore how intent data is reshaping modern logistics marketing, I sat down with Kara Brown, CEO of LeadCoverage, a go-to-market powerhouse working with leading supply chain tech, freight, and logistics firms. In this candid interview, Kara broke down how intent data works, why it’s become indispensable, and what marketers in our space can do right now to get ahead.

The takeaways? Clear, actionable, and — if implemented with intentionality — capable of unshittifying your marketing pipeline almost overnight.

What Is Intent Data — and Why It Matters in Supply Chain

Intent data captures digital behavior: a company browsing solution pages, searching specific keywords, or consuming content related to a business problem. It helps answer a powerful question: who is showing buying signals — and when?

In the logistics and freight space, these digital signals often reveal when a company is actively exploring vendors or evaluating new technologies. And that kind of foresight can completely change how you prioritize your outreach.

In practice, this might look like:

A freight broker searching for “LTL optimization software”
A 3PL visiting your “cold chain visibility” product page multiple times in one week
A shipper reading analyst reports comparing 4PL providers

These behaviors may not trigger form fills — but they absolutely signal buying intent. When tracked and acted on effectively, they can accelerate deal cycles and give your team a clear edge.

The Intent Data Landscape: Primary, Third-Party, and “Single Stream” Signals

Intent data isn’t a monolith — and Kara Brown outlines four types that marketers need to understand to build a comprehensive approach.

1. Primary Intent

This is the most accessible and actionable data: behavioral signals from your owned platforms. Primary intent includes:

Website visits and repeat page views
Content downloads like whitepapers or ebooks
Email opens, clicks, and on-site behavior tied to known contacts

Tools like HubSpot make this data trackable and actionable. Best of all, it’s zero-party and first-party data — which means it’s compliant and entirely within your control.

2. Secondary Intent

This type comes from third-party publishers that aggregate data using cookies or ad tracking. Examples include Bombora or ZoomInfo, but Kara notes these signals are becoming less effective as LLM-based search tools change browsing habits and reduce trackable activity.

3. Third-Party Intent

This is broader, richer behavioral data from platforms like 6sense, Demandbase, or RollWorks. These tools tap into vast publisher networks to detect when companies are researching your products or keywords. Used well, they can uncover in-market buyers who haven’t engaged with you directly — yet.

4. “Single Stream Intent”

Coined by Kara, this refers to highly focused, vertical-specific data sources — like CarrierSource, which shows exactly which shippers are searching for trucks, carriers, or brokerage services. These are powerful because they’re tailored to your industry and filter out irrelevant noise.

The Rise of AI and the “Signal Half-Life”

AI is accelerating buyer research. Tools like ChatGPT and Google Gemini are changing how decisions get made — often earlier and faster than traditional funnels can track.

Every signal a prospect leaves behind — a visit, a keyword search, a download — has a half-life. The longer you wait to act, the less relevant or valuable that signal becomes.

“You can’t call five days later,” Kara says. “You have to act now. If you wait, the opportunity is gone or someone else got there first.”

That’s the urgency intent data brings to logistics marketing. It shifts your mindset from reactive lead capture to proactive engagement with buyers who are already in motion.

Intent Data Isn’t a Shortcut — It’s a System

Getting results from intent data isn’t about plugging in a tool and hoping for the best. It requires a clear system and aligned execution across marketing and sales. Kara recommends a simple but powerful framework:

Step 1: Get Your Foundation Right

Before you start buying tools or leads, align your targeting.

Define your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP)
Identify the problems they’re researching — e.g., “freight visibility platform,” “warehouse management automation,” or “TMS for 3PLs”
Audit your CRM and tracking setup to make sure first-party data is captured accurately

→ Related: How to Build a Strong B2B Lead Generation Strategy

Step 2: Expand Visibility

Once you’re tracking behavior from your site, expand your lens. Add third-party sources that expose signals from companies you’ve never interacted with.

Use tools like SalesIntel, Clay, or Leadfeeder
Supplement with niche databases (like CarrierSource) that reflect freight-specific research intent
Match your data to known domains and enrich it with context

→ Related: Account-Based Marketing Services for Logistics Companies

Step 3: Score and Prioritize

Signals alone aren’t enough — you need to sort them.

Use lead scoring to rank accounts based on behavior, firmographics, and engagement
Prioritize accounts showing strong “intent stacks” — i.e., multiple signals from multiple sources
Route high-priority accounts to sales with context, not just a name

Learn more about lead scoring.

The Mistake Most Mid-Market Teams Make

Kara shares a hard truth: too many marketing teams do their job well — generating dozens of qualified leads — only to see sales teams ignore them.

“29 touches in 60 days — across phone, email, and LinkedIn — is the proven cadence,” says Kara.

But if those touches never happen, intent data turns into wasted spend. Your sales team must be aligned, enabled, and held accountable to follow up.

→ Related: Lead Generation Services for Logistics & Freight

Can SMBs Use Intent Data?

Yes — and they should.

Even if you don’t have a six-figure tech stack, you can take advantage of intent signals by starting with:

A solid CRM like HubSpot Pro
One intent data source (e.g., CarrierSource)
Clear workflows for prioritizing and engaging inbound signals

What matters most is not the size of your toolset, but your intention

Content Still Matters (If You Do It Right)

The role of content has shifted — it’s no longer just about SEO or thought leadership. It’s a critical part of triggering and surfacing intent.

Create index-style content that includes benchmarks, KPIs, and analysis
Publish it through industry-relevant sites or press releases that are indexed in LLMs
Remove friction: avoid over-gating content unless you’re ready to nurture fast

Learn how content supports Google’s EEAT principles.

→ Bonus: Thought Leadership Content Services

ROI Benchmark: The Logistics Growth Efficiency Ratio (LGER)

To help clients understand ROI, Kara’s team developed the Logistics Growth Efficiency Ratio (LGER) — a benchmark for how much pipeline you generate per $1 in marketing spend.

Based on data across dozens of clients:

Top performers: $26 in pipeline per $1 invested
Mid-tier: $9 per $1
Target: $20 per $1

This metric helps logistics marketers justify budgets, compare performance, and forecast pipeline with confidence.

→ Download: Intent Data Benchmarking Workbook (Coming Soon)

Final Thoughts

Intent data in supply chain is not a trend — it’s a strategy shift. It enables you to stop guessing and start engaging with the right companies, at the right time, with the right message.

But it only works when you:

Know your ICP and align messaging
Track real-time behavior across channels
Empower your sales team to act fast and often

As Kara puts it:

“Know your who. Build a system around their signals. The rest is noise.”

Ready to Start?

📍 Explore Our Supply Chain Marketing Services
📍 Contact Us

Let’s turn signals into pipeline — with less noise, more revenue, and a hell of a lot more intentionality.

FR8 Marketing Gurus

A podcast where freight, logistics, and supply chain leaders come to talk real marketing.