B2B Company & Contact Marketing Data Providers — Terminology, Explanations and Use Cases
PDF download form at the bottom of this page.
ABA (Account-Based Advertising)
Summary: Paid media execution that delivers ads only to a defined account list (and roles) across programmatic, social, and CTV.
Use Cases:
-
Run LinkedIn and programmatic to a matched ABM list
-
Use IP/domain/ID graphs to reach targeted companies only
ABM (Account-Based Marketing)
Summary: A go-to-market approach that targets named accounts and buying groups with personalized, multi-channel programs.
Use Cases:
-
Coordinate ads, SDR outreach, and events to a shared account list
-
Tailor content by business unit, region, or industry for top accounts
Account Hierarchy (Ultimate/Domestic Parent)
Summary: Corporate family linkages connecting subsidiaries, branches, and parents to the same economic entity.
Use Cases:
-
Roll up pipeline/revenue to ultimate parent for coverage analysis
-
Prevent duplicate outreach across sibling brands
Account Scoring (Fit/Intent/Engagement)
Summary: Models that score accounts by ICP fit, current intent, and observed engagement to prioritize sales/marketing actions.
Use Cases:
-
Prioritize SDR queues by composite score
-
Alert AEs when fit+intent crosses a threshold
Account/Company Identity Graph
Summary: Resolved map of identifiers that refer to the same company (domains, LEI, D-U-N-S, social, locations).
Use Cases:
-
Unify records from CRM, MAP, and enrichment vendors
-
Match ad impressions back to the correct account
Buyer Committee/Roles
Summary: The group of stakeholders influencing a purchase; mapped to functions and seniorities for ABM.
Use Cases:
-
Build role-based journeys for IT, security, and finance
-
Route contacts to the right SDR based on role
Contact Graph (People Identity Resolution)
Summary: Person-level identity linking emails, phones, titles, and employers over time.
Use Cases:
-
De-duplicate duplicate contacts in CRM
-
Track job changes to enable win-back or expansion
Contact Verification (Email/Phone)
Summary: Validation checks (syntax, SMTP, carrier) and risk scores for deliverability/compliance.
Use Cases:
-
Improve deliverability and sender reputation
-
Filter risky numbers/emails before sequencing
Contactability/Reachability Score
Summary: A metric expressing the likelihood of successfully reaching a contact via email/phone/social.
Use Cases:
-
Prioritize sequencing on high-score contacts
-
Benchmark vendor lists by reachable rate
Data Enrichment (Append)
Summary: Adding missing firmographic/technographic/intent fields to company/contact records via API or batch.
Use Cases:
-
Auto-append revenue and headcount on new leads
-
Fill technographic gaps before segmentation
Data Hygiene & Normalization
Summary: Standardizing formats (names, addresses, titles) and taxonomies for consistent analytics and routing.
Use Cases:
-
Normalize job titles to function/seniority
-
Standardize countries/states for territory routing
De-duplication / Match & Merge
Summary: Algorithms and rules to detect duplicates and consolidate records while preserving lineage.
Use Cases:
-
Merge duplicate accounts before ABM activation
-
Prevent double-counting in pipeline reporting
Domain-to-Account Matching
Summary: Mapping website/email domains to canonical company records and hierarchies.
Use Cases:
-
Convert inbound form domains into the right CRM account
-
Backfill company for personal email leads using context
Firmographics
Summary: Descriptive company attributes such as industry, size, revenue, HQ, ownership, and growth stage.
Use Cases:
-
Segment campaigns by size/industry
-
Territory planning and quota setting by segment
ICP (Ideal Customer Profile)
Summary: Definition of best-fit accounts based on firmographic, technographic, and outcome data.
Use Cases:
-
Build allowlists for ABM and sales routing
-
Exclude poor-fit segments to improve CAC/LTV
Intent Signals (B2B)
Summary: Topic-level surges from web/content activity indicating research or in-market consideration.
Use Cases:
-
Alert SDRs to active accounts in their territory
-
Inflight budget reallocation to surging topics
IP-to-Company Resolution
Summary: Translating IP addresses seen on web properties or ad logs into likely visiting companies.
Use Cases:
-
Identify anonymous website visitors for ABM retargeting
-
Localize sales outreach by visiting company
Lead Routing & Assignment
Summary: Rules and systems that assign leads/accounts to owners based on territory, ICP, and availability.
Use Cases:
-
Round-robin high-fit leads to SDRs
-
Auto-reroute leads when owners change
Lead-to-Account Matching (L2A)
Summary: Associating person-level leads to the correct account using domains, emails, and identity graphs.
Use Cases:
-
Attach webinar registrants to parent accounts
-
Improve ABM measurement by account-level rollups
LEI / D-U-N-S
Summary: Global company identifiers (Legal Entity Identifier; Dun & Bradstreet D-U-N-S) used for normalization and de-duplication.
Use Cases:
-
Link disparate datasets to a single entity
-
Roll up global exposure by LEI family tree
Location (HQ vs. Site) & Geocoding
Summary: Distinguishing headquarters from branches/plants and assigning precise lat/long for each site.
Use Cases:
-
Territory carving by site density
-
Proximity marketing around plants/offices
Match Confidence Score
Summary: Probability score that a matched company/contact is correct given inputs (domain, name, address).
Use Cases:
-
Set thresholds for auto-merge vs. human review
-
Compare vendor quality by precision/recall
Org Chart Mapping / Buying Group
Summary: Modeled or observed reporting structures and influence paths inside target accounts.
Use Cases:
-
Identify the economic buyer and influencers
-
Sequence outreach across the buying group
Revenue & Employee Modeling
Summary: Statistical estimation of revenue/headcount where private disclosures are missing or outdated.
Use Cases:
-
Fill gaps for private companies
-
Size territories and TAM by modeled bands
Reverse ETL / Activation
Summary: Operationalizing warehouse data to downstream tools (CRM, MAP, ad platforms) for activation.
Use Cases:
-
Sync ICP flags and scores into CRM fields
-
Push account lists to ad platforms for ABA
SIC / NAICS Codes
Summary: Standardized industry classifications used for segmentation, analytics, and eligibility checks.
Use Cases:
-
Normalize industries across datasets
-
Benchmark performance by industry cohort
TAM / SAM / SOM
Summary: Frameworks for Total, Serviceable, and Serviceable-Obtainable Market sizing.
Use Cases:
-
Build board-ready market size models
-
Prioritize coverage gaps and whitespace
Technographic Methodologies
Summary: Approaches to detect tech install (web tags, JS, job postings, DNS, credit card exhaust).
Use Cases:
-
Select vendors by collection method fit
-
Blend multiple methods to raise coverage/accuracy
Technographics
Summary: Signals about a company’s installed technologies, stack, and adoption (e.g., cloud, CRM, analytics).
Use Cases:
-
Trigger competitive takeout plays
-
Prioritize pitches aligned to the existing stack
Trigger Events (Funding/Hiring/Tech Change)
Summary: Discrete company changes that correlate with buying propensity.
Use Cases:
-
Alert AEs when targets raise funding or spike hiring
-
Time outreach when competitors are displaced
Whitespace Analysis (TAM Coverage)
Summary: Finding net-new target accounts or roles not currently in CRM or engaged.
Use Cases:
-
Expand ABM lists with lookalikes
-
Set quota on whitespace penetration
