Imagine you're in a shop. You’re holding a pair of running shoes, turning them over in your hands, checking the sole, the price tag, maybe even trying them on. You’re not just browsing, you’re clearly thinking about buying. Now imagine the shop assistant ignores you, and instead starts pitching running shoes to someone who just walked in for a bottle of water.
Traditional B2B marketing wastes too much effort on people who aren’t ready to buy. The smarter approach is to focus on in-market buyers, the ones actively researching and showing intent.
By tracking signals and aligning marketing and sales around real-time engagement, businesses can:
In-market strategies don’t require starting from scratch. They just require a smarter use of the tools, data, and attention you already have.
Sadly, that’s how a lot of B2B marketing still works today.
Despite all the tools and data at our fingertips, many teams still pour time and money into reaching people who aren’t remotely interested, much less ready to buy. And all the while they’re overlooking the ones quietly showing intent, right under their noses.
And when you’re pumped up with enthusiasm, motivation, and high hopes, it’s easy to forget, not everyone is in-market. That’s when disappointment and a lack of motivation can appear, but it’s important to remember that while not everyone is in-market, some people absolutely are. And those people are gold.
The shift happening in modern B2B marketing isn’t about chasing more leads, it’s about spotting the right ones, earlier in their journey. The key is knowing who’s actually in buying mode, enabling you to show up at just the right moment, with something relevant to say - that’s where the new advantage lies.
In this article, we’ll look at why in-market buyers are changing the game, how to identify them, and how focusing on buyer readiness, not just personas or pipeline stages, can help you stop wasting effort and start winning more deals.
The problem with traditional B2B marketing
Most B2B marketing still treats buying intent like a mystery, or worse, an afterthought. We build out detailed personas, map them against broad funnel stages, and then launch a campaign, hoping it lands with someone, somewhere, at some point.
This approach worked(ish) when attention was cheap and inboxes weren’t already flooded. But now, it’s like handing out flyers at a bus stop and hoping one of them reaches someone in the market for what you’re selling, today.
The issue isn’t effort; marketing teams are working hard. The issue is focus.
Traditional outbound strategies, especially the persona-only kind, assume that if someone could buy from us, they eventually will. So we push content, ads, and cold emails to anyone who fits the job title, regardless of whether they’ve ever shown an ounce of interest. But that’s wildly inefficient.
According to research from Forrester, fewer than 1% of B2B leads actually turn into revenue. That means 99% of the people you’re targeting aren’t ready to buy, and yet your budget is being spent treating them like they are. It’s no wonder then that sales teams are getting frustrated, marketing teams are getting questioned, and prospects are getting bombarded with messages they didn’t ask for, about problems they don’t (yet) care about.
We’re not saying that personas are bad, but personas alone don’t tell you when someone is ready, they just tell you who they might be. We all know that timing can be everything, so this distinction alone really matters. Remember, don’t just shout louder and think you’ll reach more people… instead, wait, find the person who’s already listening, then engage them in a conversation.
The strategic shift from campaigns to conversations
Most marketing still acts like it’s running a broadcast station. You build a campaign, press play, and hope it reaches the right people at the right time. But you’re not broadcasting to an anonymous crowd anymore. You’ve got access to a digital paper trail so you can actually see buying signals, track intent, and prioritise who’s actually interested… so, if we can see who’s interested, why are we still marketing like we can’t?
Instead of launching yet another email cadence to everyone with ‘VP’ in their title, the smarter approach is to prioritise the people who are already leaning in. Not theoretical personas. Not database contacts from 2021. Real people showing real interest, right now.
This doesn’t mean you need to rip up the playbook, you don’t have to stop building brand or ditch your best-performing campaigns. But it does mean rebalancing. Moving from mass messaging to meaningful moments, from cold blasts to warm signals, from “we think you might be interested” to “we know you are.”
The new rhythm of B2B
Think of it like this: traditional marketing campaigns say, “here’s what we want to talk about this quarter”, but conversations with in-market buyers say, “we saw you looking at this, here’s more that might help you.” There’s a world of difference between sending a monthly nurture email because it’s on the calendar and sending a case study because someone just spent four minutes on your customer success page.
It’s a small shift, but it’s these small shifts, done consistently, that turn marketing from a megaphone into a magnet. So, remember: you don't want to be broadcasting to the crowd, you should be joining a conversation that’s already started.
Better timing, fewer wasted steps
When marketing and sales teams align around in-market activity, not just funnel stages or MQLs, the whole process gets leaner and things start to flow faster, more smoothly. Sales gets warm leads who already know who you are. Marketing gets cleaner feedback about what content and channels actually influence revenue. And prospects get timely, relevant experiences, not random pop-ups or six cold emails asking if “now is still a good time.”
The best part is, this means you stop burning budget on those that are unaware. And it makes sense, of course you want to focus your time, efforts, and budget on accelerating those that are aware instead. But perhaps most importantly, you’ll also be building a reputation for being helpful and relevant, not just noisy.
Being useful beats being everywhere
The modern B2B advantage isn’t about volume anymore. It’s not about being everywhere, it’s about being useful in the right moments, and having the tools, data, and mindset to spot those moments before your competitors do.
As a function, the marketing team's focus needs to switch to building a brand reputation that says, “we’re not here to sell to anyone. We’re here to help the right people, at the right time.” It’s important to recognize that a better experience for your customers or users isn’t just better for them, it’s the route to more sustainable growth.
The strategic shift from campaigns to conversations
In-market insights don’t just tweak your marketing, they change the whole rhythm of your go-to-market strategy. Instead of treating all accounts as equal, or waiting for someone to fill out a form before sales pays attention, your team starts working from a shared, dynamic picture of where the real demand is.
This means marketing isn’t just running broad campaigns hoping against hope that something sticks. They’re creating smart, contextual touchpoints based on what specific accounts are actively researching, clicking, and caring about. And sales isn’t stuck cold calling from a spreadsheet, they’re reaching out to buyers already warmed up by relevant content and well-timed ‘nudges’.
That doesn’t mean everything has to be hyper-personalised or creepily tailored, think of it more as being useful in the right context. Like sending a Gartner report to a buyer who's been comparing vendors, rather than blasting it to a cold list.
What makes this shift work is alignment: shared intent data, shared prioritisation, shared language around what “good” looks like. Sales and marketing move from working in parallel to working in sync with the same target accounts, same definitions of readiness, same signals pointing to “now’s the time.” This approach naturally forces better prioritisation. Instead of pouring budget into channels that hit wide but land shallow, you can reallocate time, headcount, and budget toward accounts that are already showing signals of life. Not only does that make your outreach more relevant, it makes your pipeline more efficient.
It also reshapes how teams think about success; marketing isn’t just measured by MQL volume anymore, it also considers influence and acceleration. Sales isn’t just chasing volume, they’re closing deals faster because they’re focused where the heat is. Put simply: when your GTM strategy revolves around in-market insight, you stop chasing leads and start capturing momentum, and you trade generic reach for genuine relevance.
The payoff? ROI, efficiency, and win rates
If we bring it back to the outcomes that really matter, most of us would cite: performance, efficiency, and growth.
When you start prioritising in-market buyers, things move faster as you’re no longer trying to warm up someone who’s never heard of you and you’re stepping into the buyer’s world at exactly the right moment, when they’re already researching, comparing, and shortlisting. Ultimately, that means shorter sales cycles, fewer dead ends, and less back-and-forth convincing someone to care about what you’re selling.
Conversion rates climb too because you're engaging people with actual intent, not just a passing curiosity. The conversation starts further down the funnel, so it’s less about “who are you?” and more about “how can you help me solve this?”
This all adds up to a lower cost of acquisition as you're not wasting paid spend on broad impressions or nurturing hundreds of leads that will never become opportunities. You’re focusing your firepower where it counts, on the 5% of your market that’s in a buying window right now. And pipeline quality gets a boost too. Instead of a bloated CRM full of dead-end leads, you’re working with a tighter, more relevant list of prospects, accounts that are active, engaged, and closer to a decision. Sales teams love this, because it gives them a reason to believe in the numbers, and finance loves it, because efficiency means better margins.
Basically, in-market strategies aren’t about doing more, they’re about doing less, but smarter. Less spray-and-pray outreach, less wasted spend, less friction between marketing and sales. In return you can expect more deals, more predictability, and more confidence in your GTM engine.
How to get started with in-market buyer marketing
Shifting to an in-market approach doesn’t mean burning everything down and starting from scratch. It’s more about tuning your existing engine so it runs smarter and delivers more mileage per drop of effort.
1. Start with a quick audit
Look at what tools and data you’re already working with. Consider these:
Are you tracking who’s visiting your site?
Can you see which accounts are engaging with your content, and where they are in their journey?
Do you have intent data flowing into your CRM or CDP, or are your teams still working off last-touch MQLs?
2. Get your data to talk to each other
If you’ve invested in tools like Bombora, G2, or LinkedIn intent, make sure that insight is actually visible where your team works, not trapped in a dashboard that no one checks. Dealfront, for example, can surface buying signals from your key accounts directly into your CRM, helping reps prioritize the right outreach at the right time.
3. Sales and marketing need to be aligned
When we say sales and market should be aligned, this isn’t just surface deep. Alignment should be focused, not just on who to target, but why now. Set clear definitions for what an “in-market” signal looks like for your business: is it a certain level of site activity? A spike in category research? A competitor comparison?
4. Create content that matches intent
Buyers in research mode need different information than those choosing vendors. Think about helpful tools, case studies, product explainers — and how you can match those to specific triggers or journeys.
5. Track performance based on buyer readiness, not lead volume
Instead of focusing purely on how many leads you’re generating, compare how well different types of leads actually convert. Look at how quickly in-market buyers move through your funnel compared to everyone else. That difference will show you where your efforts are paying off and where to invest more.
A quick win can be to turn on website visitor tracking for your top accounts. Within days, you’ll start seeing who’s lurking with intent, even if they haven’t filled out a form. The sooner you start acting on buyer signals, the sooner you can stop guessing, and start growing.
Real results of in-market targeting in action
Many B2B businesses are already reaping the benefits of in-market buyer targeting. Here are just a few examples of how it's transforming go-to-market efforts:
These real-world examples highlight just how powerful it can be to align your marketing with actual buyer intent. When your outreach is grounded in real interest, not just guesswork, you stop chasing leads and start meeting demand more directly.
Remember, the B2B advantage is timing
Marketing to in-market buyers isn’t just a tactic or a new strategy, it requires a complete mindset shift. Ultimately teams must learn to acknowledge the simple truth that not everyone is ready to buy, and that chasing volume alone is no longer enough. The modern B2B advantage lies in timing, relevance, and precision. It’s about teams being smart with their resources, aligning with their sales teams, and stepping into the buyer’s world rather than forcing them into yours.
By focusing on in-market activity, you make your go-to-market motion more human and more efficient, you reduce friction, increase win rates, and deliver a better experience for your prospects. Most importantly, you also spend less time shouting into the void and more time talking to people who are already listening.
This doesn’t mean abandoning brand-building or long-term nurture. Those things still matter, but they’re no longer your only play. The winning formula is a combination of strong brand presence and sharp in-market prioritisation; one builds familiarity over time, the other delivers impact in the moment.
So take stock of where you are, start small, test and iterate, and let the data show you where the heat is. Once you’ve seen how quickly in-market insight sharpens your marketing, aligns your team, and accelerates your deals, there’s no going back.
In-marketing FAQs
What is an “in-market buyer”?
An in-market buyer is someone actively researching solutions like yours. They're not just a match on paper, they’re showing signs (through behavior or intent data) that they’re ready to buy soon.
How is in-marketing different from traditional lead gen?
Traditional lead gen often focuses on broad criteria such as job titles, company size, industry, etc., without knowing if someone is ready to buy. In-market marketing focuses on behavior and timing, not just demographic fit.
Does in-marketing mean I should stop brand or top-of-funnel marketing?
No, brand-building still matters. But it should be paired with real-time insight so you know when to switch from awareness to outreach. Think balance, not replacement.
What kind of intent signals should I look for?
Signals might include: repeat visits to pricing or product pages, increased activity from target accounts, content downloads, etc. These behaviors suggest heightened interest and can indicate that a prospect is moving closer to a buying decision.
What tools do I need to do this?
Platforms like Dealfront help surface buying signals and combine intent data with firmographic insights to prioritize outreach. But even basic web analytics and CRM engagement data can be a decent starting point.
What if I don't have much intent data yet?
Start small. Use what you have (like website behavior or email engagement) and build from there. Focus on making your sales and marketing touchpoints more responsive to actual signals, even if they’re subtle.
Mit über 15 Jahren Erfahrung im Schreiben ist Becky eine erfahrene Texterin mit einem vielseitigen Werdegang. Angefangen hat sie als freiberufliche Journalistin für eine Lokalzeitung, bevor sie sich schnell auf Lifestyle- und Kulturmagazine und Blogs spezialisierte, während sie auch für eine Agentur arbeitete. In den letzten 5+ Jahren hat sie sich auf B2B SaaS Sales Intelligence spezialisiert.
