Known primarily in the advertising domain, behavioral targeting is a methodology that leverages (historical) data on users’ browsing behaviors in order to display relevant marketing messages. This data can include the user’s IP address, form entries, search history and cookies and is typically used to construct profiles that grow in sophistication as you collect more insights. The goal is to increase conversions by personalizing the promotions or content the user sees according to their interests and past activity.

That’s where personalization engines come in. Several vendors are already offering technology that pairs behavioral targeting with website personalization, enabling you to easily create audience segments and serve up the best content for each.

Examples of Behavioral Targeting

One common use of behavioral targeting is to personalize content based on the visitors’ stage in your funnel. For instance, if you know someone is a first-time visitor, you can highlight information to explain what you offer. Conversely, if you know a returning visitor is an existing customer (based on previous purchases or if they’ve logged into your system), you can display product up-sell options or new offers. This type of behavioral targeting can help you optimize conversions throughout the customer journey. Pretty cool eh?

Another interesting use case for behavioral targeting in B2B can be referral sources. For example, let’s say you run a SaaS business and you’ve listed your company in a software review website (much like this one). You could emphasize social proof by showing visitors who are referred by the review website a badge with “recommended by users on [review website].”  

If you think you could benefit from these tactics, the next step is to take a look at your data. Do you have accurate and up-to-date data to work with? Then read on to evaluate software providers!

What are the best behavioral targeting engines out there?

We prepared a listing based on:

• Implementation time and requirements
• Ease of use
• Price
• Features available
• Level of support provided in knowledge base and help desk