What Small Businesses Should Know About Behavioral Targeting

Behavioral targeting has revolutionized the way businesses reach their customers. By analyzing consumer behavior such as search terms, browsing history, and purchasing habits, small companies can deliver personalized experiences that resonate deeply with their audience. It takes the guesswork out of your marketing, so you can develop a strategy that delivers results.

For small businesses, success relies on understanding your customers, their needs, and how to meet them. Behavioral targeting does just that. And with McClatchy Media’s commitment to personalized marketing solutions, your business gains the edge it needs to thrive in an increasingly competitive landscape.

What is Behavioral Targeting?

Behavioral targeting is the practice of delivering tailored advertisements and content by analyzing online activity.

It collects data like:

• Search terms (keywords used in searches)
• Browsing history (websites visited and pages engaged with)
• Purchase history (previous buying behavior or patterns)

This data allows businesses to segment customers based on their behavior, purchasing habits, and preferences. Companies can tailor their marketing campaigns to resonate with specific audiences by understanding these unique characteristics. This leads to better customer engagement, higher conversion rates, and improved brand loyalty.

Why Behavioral Targeting Matters for Small Businesses

Small businesses face unique challenges, such as limited budgets, smaller customer bases, and the need to compete with larger companies with greater resources. Behavioral targeting is a powerful tool to help overcome these obstacles, allowing businesses to understand their customers' preferences and habits better.

Using this data-driven approach, small businesses can create personalized marketing campaigns, improve customer engagement, and drive more sales while maximizing the impact of their limited resources.

How Does Behavioral Targeting Work?

Understanding how behavioral targeting works is the first step to leveraging it effectively and maximizing its potential. Behavioral targeting involves data about a user’s online activities, such as browsing history, clicks, or time spent on particular pages, to deliver personalized and relevant ads. Here’s a simplified process to help you grasp the basics:

Data Collection

Cookies, pixels, and other tracking tools collect valid data whenever someone interacts with a website. This can include what they look at, search for, how long they stay on certain pages, and even the device or browser they use. These tools help website owners better understand user behavior, improve content, and create more personalized experiences.

Data Analysis

The data is then analyzed using advanced tools and techniques to spot trends, patterns, and behaviors that offer valuable insights into customer preferences, shopping habits, and overall engagement. This analysis helps businesses get to know their audience better—allowing them to make smarter decisions and adjust their strategies to meet customer needs.

Customer Segmentation

Customers are segmented into groups based on shared behaviors, allowing businesses to tailor their marketing efforts. For example, an e-commerce business might segment:

• Frequent shoppers: These customers make purchases regularly and are likely to respond well to loyalty programs or exclusive offers.
• Customers who open emails, but don’t purchase: This group shows interest by engaging with email content, but may need an extra push to convert, such as a discount or personalized recommendations, to complete a purchase.
• Users who abandon their carts before checkout: These customers add items to their cart but leave without buying, often due to high shipping costs, a complicated checkout process, or indecision. Targeted follow-ups can help convert these potential buyers.

Targeted Delivery

Personalized ads, emails, or landing pages are tailored to specific audience segments based on their preferences, behaviors, or interests. For instance, if someone’s been searching for “beach vacations,” they might see ads for hotel deals featuring beachfront properties, exclusive offers, or family-friendly spots that match what they’re looking for.

Behavioral Targeting Strategies for Small Businesses  

Behavioral targeting makes it easier for small businesses to connect with the right audience at the right time. Here's how it works across different industries:

E-Commerce

When it comes to e-commerce, personalization is everything. Behavioral targeting lets you fine-tune every customer interaction, leading to higher sales and happier customers. Check out some ways to use it:

• Product Recommendations: Use browsing and purchase history to suggest items customers are likely to love. For example, if someone shops for fitness gear often, recommend trendy yoga mats or workout clothes they might need.
• Abandoned Cart Reminders: Did you lose a sale due to an abandoned cart? Send personalized emails or notifications reminding customers of what they left behind, with a sweetener like a discount or free shipping to seal the deal.
• Dynamic Pricing: Spot frequent visits or price comparisons? Offer tailored discounts or promotions to nudge customers to make a purchase. It’s a win-win—more sales for you and an exclusive deal for them.

Local Service Providers

For businesses focused on the local crowd, behavioral targeting helps turn online interactions into real-world visits, boosting foot traffic and loyalty.

• Geofencing: Use location-based targeting to send push notifications or ads to people nearby. On a slow day, offer a quick 20% discount to draw in local customers.
• Event Marketing: Are you planning a local event like a workshop, festival, or exclusive sale? Behavioral data helps you target nearby customers who are most likely to show up.
• Repeat Engagement: Reward loyal customers by spotting those who’ve visited before and offering special deals to bring them back. A café, for instance, could send a “We miss you!” coupon to a customer who hasn’t stopped by in a while.

Startups

Startups often need to stretch their budgets, and behavioral targeting is a cost-effective way to focus your marketing.

• Lead Nurturing: Use behavioral data to organize your leads—are they cold, warm, or ready to buy? Tailor your messaging accordingly, like sending helpful content to cold leads or exclusive deals to loyal customers.
• Better Product Launches: When launching a product, behavioral targeting helps you find the audience that’s most likely to care. By looking at browsing habits or survey data, you can zero in on the right people and make your launch successful.
• A/B Testing and Scaling: Test different campaigns on small groups, see what works best, and then scale up. This saves time, money, and effort while boosting your results.

Behavioral targeting helps small businesses and startups create personalized, effective marketing campaigns. By understanding what customers want, you can better engage them, drive sales, and build long-term relationships.

The Value of Behavioral Targeting

Behavioral targeting is no longer a luxury for big companies. Its ability to drive results through precision targeting, personalized engagement, and measurable ROI makes it essential for small businesses looking to grow.

From transforming e-commerce experiences to helping local providers attract nearby customers, behavioral targeting makes your marketing efforts more effective and cost-efficient. By combining data insights with tools and platforms, your campaigns can precisely speak to customer needs, yielding better results without wasting resources.

At McClatchy Media, we specialize in empowering businesses like yours with innovative digital strategies and personalized marketing solutions. By leveraging our deep audience insights and advanced tools, we make it simple for your business to target with precision and grow confidently. Are you ready to take your marketing to the next level? Target better with McClatchy Media.