Firmographic vs Technographic Data at a Glance
Firmographic data tells you what a company looks like. This means basic facts like how many people work there, what industry they're in, how much revenue they generate, and where they're located.
Technographic data tells you what technology a company uses. This means their CRM system, marketing tools, cloud provider, security software, and everything else in their tech stack.
The difference matters because each answers different questions. Firmographics help you find companies that fit your ideal customer profile. Technographics help you figure out which of those companies actually need what you sell.
Attribute | Firmographic Data | Technographic Data |
|---|---|---|
What it tells you | Company characteristics | Technology stack |
Example data points | Industry, revenue, employee count, location | CRM, marketing automation, cloud provider |
Best for | Finding target accounts | Personalizing outreach |
When it changes | Slowly (quarterly or annually) | Frequently (monthly) |
Where it comes from | Public filings, business registries | Web scraping, tag detection |
What Is Firmographic Data?
Firmographic data is company demographics. Just like consumer marketers segment people by age and income, B2B teams segment companies by size and revenue.
This data answers "who is this company?" before you spend time researching them. You need to know if they're big enough to afford your product, in the right industry to need it, and located where you can sell to them.
The core firmographic attributes are:
Industry: What sector the company operates in, usually classified by SIC or NAICS codes
Company size: How many employees work there, typically grouped as small (under 200), mid-market (200-2,000), or enterprise (over 2,000)
Revenue: How much money the company makes annually, which signals budget capacity
Location: Where their headquarters sits and which markets they operate in
Ownership: Whether they're public, private, PE-backed, or a subsidiary
Age: How long they've been in business, which indicates stability
Firmographic data changes slowly. A company's industry doesn't shift overnight. Their headquarters stays put for years. Even employee count and revenue only update quarterly or annually.
This stability makes firmographics reliable for long-term planning. You can build territory maps, set quotas, and define your total addressable market without worrying the data will be stale next month.
What Is Technographic Data?
Technographic data is intelligence about what software and systems a company runs. This data answers "what's in their tech stack?" before your first sales call.
You need technographic data when your product integrates with existing tools, replaces a competitor, or requires specific infrastructure. Knowing a prospect uses Salesforce but lacks contact enrichment tells you exactly what problem to solve. Knowing they run AWS instead of Azure shapes your technical pitch.
Common technographic categories include:
CRM systems: Salesforce, HubSpot, Microsoft Dynamics
Marketing automation: Marketo, Pardot, Eloqua
Cloud infrastructure: AWS, Azure, Google Cloud
Security tools: Okta, CrowdStrike, Palo Alto
Communication platforms: Slack, Microsoft Teams, Zoom
Analytics tools: Snowflake, Tableau, Looker
Technographic data changes fast. Companies adopt new tools, switch vendors, and consolidate platforms constantly. A tech stack that's accurate today might be outdated in three months.
This volatility means you need fresh technographic data. Stale signals lead to embarrassing conversations where you pitch a Salesforce integration to a company that just migrated to HubSpot.
Firmographic vs Technographic Data Compared
The two data types serve different stages of your targeting process. Firmographics cast a wide net. Technographics narrow it down.
Data Collection Methods
Firmographic data comes from public sources. Companies file information with regulators, list themselves in business directories, and report basic facts on their websites. Data providers aggregate these sources into searchable databases.
Technographic data requires detective work. Providers scrape websites looking for JavaScript tags, check DNS records for cloud providers, and partner with technology vendors to track installations. Some companies disclose their tech stack publicly, but most don't advertise every tool they use.
The collection difference affects accuracy. Firmographic data is easier to verify because it comes from official sources. Technographic data relies on inference and detection, which means it's harder to keep current and complete.
Use Cases for Sales and Marketing
Firmographics power your initial targeting. They help you answer questions like "which mid-market fintech companies in Texas should we pursue?" or "how many healthcare organizations over $500M fit our profile?" This data defines your market before you get specific.
Technographics drive personalized outreach. They help you find "Salesforce users without sales intelligence tools" or "companies running legacy marketing platforms ready for replacement." This specificity turns broad segments into actionable lists with clear value propositions.
Here's how they work in practice:
Territory planning: Use firmographics to assign accounts to reps based on geography, industry, and size
Account scoring: Combine both to rank accounts by fit (firmographic) and readiness (technographic)
Competitive displacement: Use technographics to find companies using competitor tools
ABM campaigns: Layer both to build precise target lists for personalized campaigns
Data Accuracy and Refresh Rates
Firmographic data stays accurate longer because company fundamentals don't change often. A company's industry classification might never change. Their headquarters location stays fixed for years. Even employee count and revenue only shift quarterly.
Technographic data decays faster because tech stacks evolve constantly. Companies add tools, remove redundant platforms, and switch vendors based on pricing, features, and M&A activity. What's true today might be wrong next quarter.
You need different refresh strategies for each. Firmographic data can be updated annually or when trigger events happen (funding rounds, acquisitions, leadership changes). Technographic data needs continuous monitoring to catch changes as they happen.
How Firmographic and Technographic Data Work Together
Using both data types together creates targeting precision neither achieves alone. The strategy is layering: start broad with firmographics, then narrow with technographics.
Here's the workflow:
1. Define your market with firmographics. Filter by industry, company size, revenue, and location to build your total addressable market. This might give you 10,000 companies.
2. Add technographic filters. Look for companies using specific tools, missing key capabilities, or running competitor products. This narrows your list to 500 high-fit accounts.
3. Prioritize with signals. Rank accounts based on technology gaps, recent tool adoptions, or stack changes that indicate buying intent. Now you have 100 accounts worth immediate attention.
4. Enrich with contacts. Find the right people at those companies who own the budget and feel the pain your product solves.
Example: You sell a sales intelligence platform. Start with mid-market B2B SaaS companies (firmographic). Filter for companies using Salesforce and Outreach but lacking contact data tools (technographic). You've just identified accounts with both budget capacity and a specific gap your product fills.
The combination works because firmographics establish fit while technographics prove need. A company might match your ideal profile but have no use for your product if they already run a competitor or lack the infrastructure to integrate with you.
How to Choose Between Firmographic and Technographic Data
You rarely choose one over the other. The question is which to prioritize first and how much weight to give each.
Start with firmographics when:
You're entering a new market and need to understand the landscape
Your product serves a broad audience regardless of their tech stack
You're building territory plans or setting quotas
You need to define your total addressable market for investors or board reporting
Add technographics when:
Your product integrates with or replaces specific tools
Competitive displacement drives your sales motion
Product fit depends on existing infrastructure
You're running targeted ABM campaigns to a small account list
Use both together when:
You're building outbound prospecting lists for SDRs
You're scoring accounts for sales prioritization
You're personalizing messaging at scale
You need to prove ROI on your targeting strategy
The balance depends on your product. If you sell accounting software, firmographics (industry, size) matter more because every company needs accounting tools. If you sell a Salesforce integration, technographics (CRM platform) become the primary filter because your product only works for Salesforce users.
Don't overthink it. Start with the data that answers your most important targeting question, then layer in the other type to refine your list.
Where to Get Firmographic and Technographic Data
You have three options: build it yourself from public sources, buy from specialized providers, or use a unified platform that combines both.
Public sources like business registries, SEC filings, and LinkedIn give you basic firmographics for free. The tradeoff is manual work, limited scale, and no technographic coverage. This works if you're targeting 50 accounts. It breaks at 500.
Specialized providers focus on one data type. Some excel at firmographic enrichment. Others specialize in technographic detection. The problem is tool sprawl. You end up managing multiple vendors, reconciling data conflicts, and building integrations between systems.
Unified platforms combine firmographics, technographics, contact data, and intent signals in one place. This means one platform for all your account data instead of stitching together exports from five different tools.
ZoomInfo delivers both firmographic and technographic data in GTM Workspace, along with verified contact information and buyer intent signals. You can filter by company size and industry, then layer on technology requirements, without switching tools or exporting CSV files. Talk to ZoomInfo to see how this works for your team.
The right choice depends on your team size and targeting complexity. Small teams with simple ICPs can get by with public sources and manual research. Enterprise teams running multi-channel ABM campaigns need unified platforms to operate at scale.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between firmographic and demographic data?
Firmographic data describes companies through attributes like size, industry, and revenue. Demographic data describes people through characteristics like age, gender, and income. B2B teams use firmographics to segment companies the same way B2C marketers use demographics to segment consumers.
What are common examples of firmographic data points?
Industry classification (NAICS codes), employee count, annual revenue, headquarters location, ownership type (public, private, PE-backed), years in business, and number of office locations. These attributes help you determine if a company fits your ideal customer profile.
What are common examples of technographic data points?
CRM platform (Salesforce, HubSpot), marketing automation tools (Marketo, Pardot), cloud infrastructure (AWS, Azure), security software (Okta, CrowdStrike), communication platforms (Slack, Teams), and analytics tools (Snowflake, Tableau). This data reveals what's in a company's tech stack.
Can you target accounts using both firmographic and technographic data?
Yes. The most effective targeting combines both. Use firmographics to identify companies that match your ideal customer profile, then use technographics to find which of those companies have the right tech environment for your product. Layering both gets you targeting accuracy that neither data type delivers on its own.
How often does technographic data need to be updated?
Technographic data changes frequently as companies adopt new tools, switch vendors, and consolidate platforms. You need continuous updates to avoid pitching solutions to companies that already use competitor products or recently changed their tech stack. Firmographic data changes more slowly and can be refreshed quarterly or annually.
