What Is Behavioral Targeting & How To Do It Right + Examples

76% of businesses still do not leverage behavioral marketing. Do not be one of them.

A data-driven approach can help you tap into your audience’s mindset and create relevant marketing content that matches needs.

In this article, we will discuss what it means and why you MUST do it. We will also explore the behavioral targeting process so you can implement it correctly with a few successful examples.

By the end, you will be set to leverage customer behaviors to take your brand to new heights and get more conversions.

What Is Behavioral Targeting?

Behavioral targeting uses behavioral data to deliver personalized marketing messages to the right people. It lets you target customers based on their specific actions.

With this approach, you can improve your advertising campaign because you understand how your audience interacts with your content. Then, use your data to create user segments and target each of them with more personalized ads.

Behavioral targeting is characterized by 4 types:

Use these 4 types as a starting point on where or how to collect your data based on your goal. Talk to your team as to what would be most beneficial for your business right now.

For instance, use purchasing behavior targeting if you are a subscription service looking to retain more customers. Analyze what products customers buy, how often they purchase, and their average order value to tailor your offers and recommendations.

3 Best Benefits of Behavioral Targeting

What makes behavioral targeting so effective? Here are 3 things it can do for your brand:

Improves Predictive Marketing

Predictive marketing uses the data collected to forecast future customer behaviors so you can anticipate their needs.

Where does behavioral targeting fit in?

It gives you a set of observable behavior patterns to improve your predictions. This lets you see what users will likely do next. With that, you can make smart, timely decisions and stay ahead of trends.

My favorite example for this is Simply Beach’s Kaftan page ‘Most Popular Products In This Category’ section where they use data to gauge customer interest in specific items. By analyzing which products are trending, they can better predict and promote items that are likely to appeal to their audience.

Increases Conversion Rates

Since behavioral targeting lets you deliver personalized content, you can focus on what your customers truly want. People respond better to marketing content that feels tailored to them. With that, they are more likely to take your desired action.

Here’s an excellent example of how you can use behavior data to increase conversions:

Prime Time Window Cleaning uses SEO strategies to understand what local customers are looking for. They figured out ‘Chicago window cleaning’ as an excellent search term to target and optimized content based on this. This got them in Google search’s top spot which put them in place to get more site visitors and conversions.

Reduces Ad Fatigue

Ad fatigue happens when people see the same ads too often and they start to ignore them. Fortunately, behavioral targeting focuses on user behavior.

It tailors ads to what a website visitor likes and does, unlike contextual targeting, where ads are based on the current website content. This keeps your content fresh, making it more likely for customers to respond positively to your online advertising.

For example, if users frequently check out running shoes, show them different running-related ads. One ad can feature shoes, another can highlight running gear, and another can offer training tips.

With this, you keep your marketing campaigns interesting and prevent customers from getting bored and frustrated with repetitive ads.

How To Implement Behavioral Targeting In 3 Steps

Ready to boost your marketing game? Follow these 3 steps to execute behavioral targeting and watch your success grow.

Step 1: Gather & Review User Data

Collect detailed information on how existing and potential consumers interact with your brand. It is not just about your website—think social media, emails, and past mobile apps.

Then, once you have the data, analyze it.  Understand their browsing behavior and preferences so you can craft more personalized and effective marketing strategies.

Here’s how you can gather data:

Set Up Tracking Tools

Install web tracking technology like cookies and tracking pixels on your website. The former are small files stored on a user’s device to track web browsing behavior. They help identify returning visitors and remember preferences.

Meanwhile, tracking pixels are tiny images embedded in web pages to collect data on user interactions. They have many types, including:

• Email pixel;
• Facebook pixel;
• Retargeting pixel;
• Conversion pixel.

There is also the Google Analytics tracking code, and here’s how to install it:

This step can get highly technical with all the coding and different types of pixels you may need to install. It is best to outsource this to a developer or IT expert and hire from Genius. They use on-the-ground recruiting and vetting tactics to make sure you get a highly-experienced expert on Google Analytics and can configure it based on your needs.

Once you complete the setup, analyze your metrics, including:

To find these metrics on Google Analytics, navigate to your “Reports” section, click on the Engagement tab, and go to “Pages and screens”:

Use the data to identify what interests your audience so you can create targeted messages for them.

Collect Demographic Data

Create popups and forms to collect demographic information from registered users. You can ask about their age, gender, and location. Use this to refine your behavioral targeting tactics and make specific user segments.

A good example that highlights the importance of this is if you are in the health niche selling supplements. To be more specific, suppose you sell bariatric multivitamins.

Those aged 16 to 70 years old are eligible for bariatric surgery. So knowing the exact age range of your customers is crucial since teens and seniors have different supplement needs.

With demographic data, you can create targeted campaigns for bariatric supplements based on age-specific needs. If you notice that more teens are browsing your products, focus on ads highlighting multivitamins that support their growth and recovery.

Meanwhile, if you notice that seniors are the majority of your site visitors, promote supplements with formulations aiding bone health and overall vitality.

To achieve this, use KyLeads. We offer multiple opt-in types, powerful targeting options, and deep customization. You can optimize your popup forms to make sure they take your desired action.

Leverage Social Media

Facebook, X, Instagram, and others are not just for broadcasting your message; it is a goldmine for insights that can shape your social media marketing strategies.

The likes, shares, and comments can gauge your followers’ interests and preferences. Use Social Sprout to dig deeper and analyze trends and behaviors from your social media interactions.

Additionally, its Social Listening tool shows you what is buzzing about your brand on social media. It tracks trending topics, customer terms, and sentiments to give you a clear picture of what people are saying about your products and services.

Here’s what Social Sprout’s sentiment tab looks like:

It shows you the overall sentiment from your social media mentions. Plus, it breaks down how many positive and negative messages you are getting.

What can you do with it?

Suppose you run a general eCommerce store and notice a surge of interest in posts about eco-friendly products. You can craft targeted ads for that specific user segment.

Step 2: Segment Your Audience

Break down your customer base into smaller, manageable groups sharing similar characteristics or behaviors. When you segment your audience, you can customize your marketing efforts to meet each group’s specific needs and preferences perfectly.

Utilize Various Segmentation Technique

Use different segmentation techniques to better understand various customer behaviors. With this, you can make your behavioral targeting more accurate and create campaigns unique to each segment.

Behavioral Segmentation

Behavioral segmentation groups customers by how they interact with your brand, including their:

• Product usage;
• Website activity;
• Purchase history.

This approach is especially critical for businesses offering multiple services this at-home med spa treatments and this wellness centers, since they need to cater to each segment’s preferences.

Here are examples:

For medical spa treatments, if clients regularly book lip fillers, target them with email campaigns offering discounts on complementary treatments like chemical peels. Conversely, if they frequent IV drip shots, send details about similar services like detox cleanses.

For wellness centers, if clients often book yoga classes, send them email offers for related services like massage therapy. If they frequently schedule nutrition consultations, provide information about additional services like personalized meal plans.

Demographic Segmentation

Divide your audience by age, gender, income, or education. This demographic segmentation helps you tailor campaigns to fit specific life stages or economic conditions. Hitting the right note with each demographic increases conversions.

For example, let’s say you have an electronic store. You can segment your audience between millennials and Gen X.

For millennials, design ad campaigns showcasing feature-heavy smartphones. Use targeted messages that resonate with their talent to handle advanced tech and financial capability.

For older customers, focus on user-friendly devices and practical gadgets. Tailor your ads to highlight products that enhance convenience and everyday life.

Geographic Segmentation

Organize customers based on their location, from countries and regions to cities and neighborhoods. Then, use the data to tailor your marketing campaigns to local tastes, seasons, and needs.

For example, let’s say you own a coffee shop chain. Promote iced drinks to customers in warm regions and hot beverages for those in colder areas. Use targeted ads to highlight regional flavors, like pumpkin spice in the fall for New England or peach iced tea in the summer for Georgia.

Psychographic Segmentation

Psychographic segmentation classifies customers based on their lifestyle, values, interests, and attitudes.

For instance, let’s say you have a messaging app targeting broad audiences. Segment users based on their shared values, lifestyle, and so on. Then, create campaigns that showcase your app’s features tailored to each segment’s specific activities and interests:

• Sports teams: Promote coordination tools for games and practices like calendar sync;
• Emergency teams: Focus on features that aid quick and efficient communication like GPS location sharing;
• Church communities: Highlight features for prayer groups and charity events like bulk SMS messaging to church members.

Doing this helps guarantee your messages align with your target audience’s lifestyle to increase engagement.

Use Segmentation Tools

Make your life easier with segmentation tools. They simplify the data collection process and audience segmentation seamlessly.

One of the most powerful tools is HubSpot. Use it to create segments to refine your email marketing campaigns. Here’s how you can do it:

You can also use Twilio Segment to centralize your data collection from multiple sources. It lets you segment users by their interactions across different platforms, like websites and mobile apps. Plus, it allows you to create detailed customer profiles.

Step 3:  Create Targeted Campaigns

Once you have your data and audience sorted out, it is time to create your campaigns. Here’s how to do it:

Use Relevant Channels

Sending your ads or marketing content to relevant channels ensures your messages reach the right people. To do this, consider where your target audience spends their time.

For instance, if you are selling trendy fashion products, make Instagram your go-to since it is a visual content platform and is hugely popular with 18 to 34-year-olds, making it perfect for a lifestyle fashion brand.

Meanwhile, if you are a B2B company like AlisQI and SimplyDo, focus on LinkedIn campaigns or target industry-specific forums to reach decision-makers. Display relevant ads like how your company improves employee efficiency to pique other businesses’ interest.

What if you are in tech like mobile app development? Focus on advertising on tech blogs and app review sites. These attract tech-savvy users who are always on the lookout for new and innovative apps.

Design Custom Creatives

Create unique visuals for each segment to guarantee your designs align with their tastes. Custom creatives make your ads more engaging to capture your audience’s attention. With this, you increase the chances of your customers interacting with the campaigns.

How do you do this?

Use Canva for easy, professional-quality visuals. You can customize templates to fit your audience’s preferences. Plus, it had Magic Write to help you create your ad copy.

Additionally, use vibrant colors and eye-catching graphics to draw attention. Use fonts and styles that resonate with each segment. For example, design pop-up promotions with bold visuals for a younger audience. But for a professional audience, use sleek, minimalist designs.

You should also include images that reflect the user’s interests and highlight products that match their preferences. For instance, if you are marketing fitness gear, create ads with dynamic, action-packed visuals.

3 Successful Behavioral Targeting Examples

As you read these real-life success stories, think about how these strategies can apply to your business.

Amazon

Amazon is a global eCommerce giant and technology company. It operates online retail, cloud computing, digital streaming, and artificial intelligence.

How It Uses Behavioral Targeting

It meticulously tracks user browsing and purchase history. When you browse or buy items on Amazon, the platform collects this data to understand your preferences and shopping habits.

Then, Amazon uses this data to recommend products to both potential and existing customers based on their frequently viewed items and past purchases.

Why It Is A Success

This creates a tailored shopping experience and makes it easier for customers to find products they are likely to purchase. When customers can quickly find what they are looking for, it makes shopping so much easier and keeps them coming back for more.

Takeaway

To make your business more profitable, track your customers’ browsing and purchase history. Use this data to create ads and recommend products that they are already interested in to encourage them to finally click the “buy” button.

Spotify

Spotify is not just for streaming music; it is a discovery hub. It digs deep into research and data to help users find new favorites while giving creators tools to reach and grow their audiences. Plus, it features podcasts, translated lyrics, and music video snippets to make the user experience better.

How It Uses Behavioral Targeting

How many times have you opened Spotify and found the perfect playlist that seems to know your musical taste better than you do?

Spotify tracks your listening habits to create custom playlists like Discover Weekly and the various Daily Mix recommendations.

By analyzing what you listen to, how often, and when, it curates playlists tailored just for you.

Why It Is A Success

The way Spotify turns your listening habits into spot-on music recommendations keeps you hooked while it builds strong brand loyalty.

Plus, this level of customization introduces users to new music that keeps them coming back for more and staying subscribed.

Want proof of that loyalty and engagement? Well, around 120 million users accessed their Spotify Wrapped back in 2021.

Takeaway

Start tracking your customers’ usage patterns. For instance, if you manage a fitness app, keep tabs on your users’ workout routines and times. Use this data to recommend personalized workout plans, fitness advice, and even nutritional pointers. With this, you can help them discover new ways to be healthier.

You can also use this as a marketing tactic much like Spotify does with its Spotify Wrapped year-end event.

Netflix

Have you aimlessly browsed Netflix, looking for something to watch, and somehow, they suggest the perfect TV show or movie? That’s the magic of Netflix, the global leader in the streaming entertainment industry.

How It Uses Behavioral Targeting

Netflix uses sophisticated algorithms to analyze your viewing habits. They track what you watch and even how long you watch to understand your preferences and interests.

Then, it recommends relevant content based on your past viewing behavior. For example, if you binge-watch dramas, Netflix will suggest similar shows or movies in that genre. Also, they use this data to create personalized homepages for each user.

Why It Is A Success

Focusing on the users’ unique viewing habits helps Netflix guarantee that the recommendations are something they enjoy. With this, users get to discover new shows, binge-watch, and continue their subscriptions. This means more money for Netflix to produce original shows to expand their business.

Takeaway

Segmeny by behavior to create a system that dynamically adjusts content based on user interaction. For instance, if you manage a travel booking website, develop a feature that adapts destination recommendations and travel deals based on a user’s browsing history and previous bookings, similar to how Netflix tailors show suggestions.

Conclusion

Get your team together and start brainstorming. Plan when and how to incorporate behavioral targeting into your strategy.

Begin with these small, actionable tasks and watch how targeted campaigns will transform your business. But make sure to tweak your plan accordingly to put user experiences at the forefront consistently.

To help you with this, partner up with KyLeads. Create popups and quizzes that will help you get data while not interfering with users. Start your free trial now and get your plan going.

Author Bio:

Burkhard Berger is the founder of Novum™. He helps innovative B2B companies implement modern SEO strategies to scale their organic traffic to 1,000,000+ visitors per month. Curious about what your true traffic potential is?

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