Behavioral vs. Contextual Audience Targeting
Behavioral and contextual targeting are two popular methods of serving targeted ads. They have been compared to one another ever since Google’s release of its behavioral ad targeting program over a decade ago.
Since its introduction, behavioral targeting has produced no shortage of enthusiasm since it offers advertisers the ability to increase ad relevance based on a user’s past browsing history.
However, up to 79% of consumers are more comfortable seeing contextual ads instead of behavioral ads, according to a study conducted this year.
Behavioral Targeting
Behavioral targeting is an advertising technique through which the past actions of a user are used as signals to identify trends in their behavior; these trends are then used to target personalized ads toward the users.
It works by assessing factors like web browsing, search history, the amount of time a user has spent on certain web pages, and the level of engagement a user has made on certain pages or ads they’ve encountered in the past.
Behavioral targeting is reliant upon access to data surrounding a user’s behavior, which has traditionally meant relying heavily on third-party cookies.
Contextual Targeting
Contextual targeting is an advertising technique that works by serving ads to web properties that feature content that aligns with the topic of the ad being served. In other words, the products and services in the ad are related to the website upon which the ad appears.
Contextual targeting involves the manual or automated process of ensuring ads are placed on websites which share a theme with what's being sold or promoted by the ad creative.
One of the distinguishing characteristics of contextual is that it’s a cookieless targeting technique and doesn’t rely on third-party data (cookies).
Comparing Contextual vs Behavioral Targeting
Combining Contextual and Behavioral Targeting
The benefits of each ad targeting method are great, but why not combine them for a greater effect? Instead of choosing one, we recommend experimenting with both to see what mix works best. Using both contextual and behavioral targeting together can help create a more holistic approach and reach shoppers in different ways at different points in their journey.
Here are some shared best practices to keep in mind:
The more specific, the better. Instead of casting the widest net possible, target smaller audience segments to ensure your marketing message is as relevant as possible.
Invest in engaging creative. No matter what type of targeting you opt for, there’s one ingredient that will go into every marketing campaign you launch: engaging creative. Keep it aligned with your brand with a clear call to action and make sure you’re creating unique images and headlines for every ad set and audience segment.
Optimize your landing page. Compelling ads that lead to mediocre landing pages are a waste of time and money.
Consider how your contextual and behavioral ads complement each other. They shouldn’t exist in a silo, especially if you’re opting for an omnichannel marketing strategy. Instead, map out precisely how your ads work in tandem, as well as with your other marketing efforts. While you don’t want to repeat the same message, you do want to ensure cohesion.
Get Targeting
Marketers should be searching for ways to effectively combine both techniques to optimize performance.
As contextual advertising becomes a norm in the privacy-first era, augmenting contextual intelligence with first-party behavioral signals is sure to become a differentiator that attracts the attention of advertisers and their ad budgets.
Get in touch with our team if you’re ready to start implementing contextual and behavioral targeting into your marketing strategy.