As the digital marketplace expands and evolves, many organizations are diving into the world of behavioral data targeting to better define and capture their target audience. Successful digital marketing means sharing your message with the right people at the right time. Thanks to new data-tracking capabilities, we can clearly define brand messaging and target audiences with research-based accuracy.
Behavioral data helps brand marketers understand how users interact with information online, increasing engagement and giving organizations a high rate of return on their marketing investments.
The Buzz Behind Behavioral Targeting
Behavioral targeting leverages information about users’ online browsing habits to create actionable marketing campaigns. Data related to the likes, dislikes and shopping behaviors of your potential customers are recorded, organized and eventually transformed into a strategy that allows your marketing efforts to reach the best audiences through online advertising.
The goal is to craft messaging that resonates with your target audiences’ current behaviors. Behavioral data allows marketers to target consumers who are highly interested in your brand in ways that have already been proven successful.
Understanding the Process
Behavioral targeting relies on emotional cues to create highly personalized advertising that will speak to consumers and inspire your target audience to engage. Here’s how it works:
- Cookie Collection: When someone visits a new website, a cookie is placed on their computer. Cookies serve as roadmaps to show us which sites a user visits and how long they spend browsing.
- User Profiling: Over time, patterns begin to emerge from the cookie-related data. This allows marketers to create profiles for their target audiences based on how those audiences interact with web content.
- Consumer Grouping: Once each user persona is clearly defined, the users are organized into relevant groups for targeting. Important factors here include purchasing habits, interests and the preferences of each subsection within your target audience.
- Content Creation: Finally, marketing teams craft ad content related to each group that is aimed at matching their online shopping habits. This allows brands to spend their ad budgets efficiently by sending out specified content to users who are most likely to engage.
- User Profiling: Over time, patterns begin to emerge from the cookie-related data. This allows marketers to create profiles for their target audiences based on how those audiences interact with web content.
Tracking Metrics That Matter
Web cookies store and monitor a wide variety of metrics related to user behavior and engagement. To effectively leverage behavioral data, marketers must focus on the following information:
- Frequently Visited Pages: This metric offers great insights into behavioral patterns. A page the user visited once or twice likely holds less significance than one they visit on a daily or weekly basis. Track not only who visits specific sites, but also how often they find themselves going back.
Personal Search Habits: These habits reflect user needs and preferences. Search histories offer insight into shopper needs and goals, as well as which keywords they tend to use when searching for products or services similar to your own.
- On-Page Interactions: This information further clarifies user objectives and offers insights into which types of shoppers are most likely to complete a purchase online. Focus on data related to the link(s) and Call To Actions, or “CTAs”, they click the most often.
- Ad Clicks: This metric serves a similar purpose to CTA interactions. Research ad clicks to determine which buzzwords are the most effective at convincing users to take action.
- Purchasing History: A user’s history of purchases offers insight into future engagements. Seeing what your target consumers have purchased in the past helps your marketing teams and advertisers predict what they will buy in the future.
- On-Page Interactions: This information further clarifies user objectives and offers insights into which types of shoppers are most likely to complete a purchase online. Focus on data related to the link(s) and Call To Actions, or “CTAs”, they click the most often.
As the digital landscape continues to evolve, marketers must rely on data-driven strategies to create innovative advertising content. Our team helps brands across a variety of industries elevate ad campaigns with specified targeting and creative ad content. To learn more about how we can promote your practice with behavioral data. Let’s talk!
