Lead Radar Buying Intent Keywords: Setup Guide

Lead Radar is only as good as your keyword list. Too broad and your inbox fills with noise. Too strict and you miss real buyers asking for help in Facebook groups.

This guide covers how to pick buying-intent phrases, when to use BROAD or STRICT matching, and how to filter out false positives.

What counts as buying intent

Buying-intent language signals someone is looking to hire, buy, or get a recommendation now or soon:

• “Looking for a…”
• “Anyone recommend…”
• “Need a [service] ASAP”
• “Who do you use for…”
• “Hiring a…”
• “Best [product] for…”
• “Moving to [city], need…”

Not buying intent:

• General discussion (“what do you think of…”)
• Rants with no request
• Job seekers posting resumes (unless you recruit)
• Memes and off-topic chatter

Lead Radar scores urgency and recommendation phrasing on top of keyword hits.

BROAD vs STRICT modes

BROAD matches partial and related phrasing, so you get more matches. Use it when:

• You serve a large metro
• Missed leads cost more than noise
• You review the inbox twice a day

STRICT requires phrasing closer to your keyword, so you get fewer matches. Use it when:

• Common words trigger false matches (“coach” in sports groups)
• You auto-draft replies and want precision
• Your inbox is overwhelmed

Run BROAD for two weeks, then move noisy keywords to STRICT or to negatives.

Negative keywords

Add negatives to block junk:

Niche	Example negatives
Real estate	”room for rent”, “job”, “scam”
Coaches	”life coach meme”, “football coach”
Home services	”DIY”, “free help”
Recruiters	”internship unpaid”
SaaS	”open source only”, “free alternative”

Spend as much time on negatives as on positives.

Keyword lists by niche

Real estate

• “looking for realtor”
• “recommend an agent”
• “moving to [city]”
• “best neighborhood”
• “first time home buyer question”

See /for/real-estate/ and book listing appointments.

Coaches and consultants

• “need a business coach”
• “looking for mentor”
• “accountability partner”
• “help with marketing”
• “stuck in my business”

See generate coaching leads.

Home services

• “recommend a plumber”
• “need HVAC repair”
• “electrician near me”
• “who do you use for roofing”

See /for/home-services/.

Ecommerce

• “where to buy”
• “best [product] for”
• “anyone sell”
• “looking for [item]”

See /for/ecommerce/.

Recruiters

• “hiring [role]”
• “open to work” (if candidate side)
• “referral bonus”

See /for/recruiters/.

Setup walkthrough in MaherPost

1. Make sure your MaherPost plan is active
2. Go to Settings → Lead Radar → Add keywords
3. Assign BROAD or STRICT to each keyword
4. Add your negative list
5. Check that the Chrome extension is connected and the groups feed is accessible
6. Keep manual approval on for the first 14 days
7. Review matches, move the best keywords to your pinned list, and demote the noisy ones

Reply quality beats keyword quantity

When a match arrives:

• Read the full thread
• Edit the AI draft to mention a specific detail from their post
• Do not open with a pitch
• Put links in a comment if the group prefers it

A fast, useful reply matters more than a perfect keyword list.

Tune weekly

Keep notes on your matches, even informal ones:

• Which keywords produced booked calls?
• Which produced arguments or off-topic threads?
• Move keywords to STRICT or negatives based on the answers

Pair with outbound group posting so members recognize your name when you reply.

Safety note

Lead Radar replies use browser-session posting. Do not send 30 identical replies in an hour. Account Health limits apply to replies too.

Related

• Glossary: buying intent keyword
• Glossary: lead radar

Lead Radar is included in every MaherPost account.