By Crystal Silvas

Forrester Research has just conducted a study for RevenueScience comparing behavioral targeting practices to contextual advertising. The study showed that online customers are more receptive to behavioral target advertising than they are to contextual methods—between 10 and 22% more receptive, in fact. Two thousand thirty-five online consumers were surveyed in fourteen different categories.

According to Marla Schimke, VP of marketing at RevenueScience, “Using advertising that consumers are receptive to is crucial, and behavioral targeting is clearly the best performer. When marketers use behavioral targeting, they can be sure that 93% of the audience receptive to their ad shop online, and those consumers make a more attractive online advertising target because they represent a higher income bracket, spend more money online and shop online more frequently.”

This study serves as proof that behavioral targeting is the best bet for reaching a very valuable, highly qualified audience. It’s crucial that marketers integrate behavioral marketing into their online marketing strategy.

The study also said that leveraging the general online activities and habits of the online consumer is key. According to the study, marketers should “Take advantage of the multiple steps of the purchase funnel where online shoppers leverage the Internet for more than just purchasing online—also for researching their purchases, whether the purchase execution is online or offline.”