This is the summary of an article by Tim Peterson. It talks about  email retargeting, which is the process of tagging subscribers with identifiers and targeting online display advertisements to those consumers. Targeting is based on their email behavior. Email retargeting has been found to increase consumer reach and touch them more frequently, among other benefits. However, only a few marketers take advantage of this retargeting technique, perhaps because it is not clear to most of them that there is a strong connection between display ads and email. Here’s a link to the original behavioral targeting article: Email retargeting: no-brainer for brands.

For quite some time now, targeting methods have been used in the promotion of services and products on the Internet: behavioral targeting, contextual targeting, and search targeting, to name a few. However, not a lot have employed email retargeting as a strategy. Email targeting, basically, is an approach that promotes online advertisements based on users’ email behaviour.

How It Works

Email targeting begins with the tagging of computer cookies to certain subscribers; in turn, these cookies keep track of their email behaviour. When a user receives an email that features a product, for example, cookies can help determine whether or not the users opened the message, sent a response, or clicked on any link within the mail. Based on these actions, marketers can make the necessary action, such as resending the message again, providing more relevant information or inviting them to visit a Web site.

Boosting Marketing Efforts

Through retargeting, business owners and markers are able to peek into more information and insights about their prospective customers. According to Scott Jones, product marketing and partner strategy director of Responsys, shares that marketers utilize all kinds of Web information, including those gathered through contextual targeting, in boosting their marketing efforts. In addition, email retargeting helps to combine all of these data for more effective marketing. Notably, Responsys is a provider of email service.

Uses of Retargeting

Jones also adds that an online retailer can make use of retargeting in cases of shopping cart abandonment. He explains that before sending an email about cart abandonment, a message or display advertisement reminding the customer about any unfinished transactions can be sent. One more example that Jones shares pertains to businesses that depend on cyclical purchases; specifically, their customers can be sent display ads that alert them about a pending renewal. Then, this can be followed by an email reminder just before the expiration date. Remarkably, Jones shares that the conversation rates for customers who are retargeted through email are almost a hundred percent higher than those who receive emails only. Thus, it can be noted that email retargeting offers greater reach, interaction, and capacity to help businesses remain competitive.

Few are Using Email Retargeting

Given the possibilities of email retargeting, one may wonder why not a lot of companies are using it, and even when they do, they do so sparingly. For instance, AdRoll, an advertising retargeting company says that only a few of their 2,500 active advertisers are using email retargeting. In another firm, AdReady, people have been “under-utilizing” retargeting, as reported by its SVP for sales, services, and marketing, Randy Wootton. What’s more, Epsilon, a marketing services company which started their retargeting service in June, shares that it is too early to talk about the users of the service, according to the EVP of online solutions, Eric Stein. According to Wootton, few are using email retargeting perhaps due to lack of understanding the association between ad displays and email. Stein, on the other hand is more hopeful. He shares that marketing is now evolving from campaign-based to personal in approach. He stresses that marketers today have to make use of personalization more, in order to engage customers more successfully and effectively.

This is the summary of an article by a guest author for the blog Creately.com. This article discusses the fundamental principles behind user centered design, and how these principles have been used in behavioral marketing to appeal to the subconscious of consumers of various kinds. Here’s the link to the original behavioral targeting article: User Centered Design with Behavioral Marketing.

Gone are the days when Web sites are simply static pages that provide information about various types of products or services. Over the years, they have evolved based on the needs and preferences of Internet users. Just like the computer mouse, which is constantly being improved to provide ease of use and comfort, Web sites are also continuously being crafted based on principles of User Centered Design or UCD.

Elements of UCD

The basic elements of User Centered Design are: accessibility, credibility, language, legibility, visibility, and human factors.

1. Accessibility
Navigating a Web page should be easy, not complicated; thus, accessibility is a major element of User Centered design. One general rule to remember would be to make sure that getting from one part of the page to another should not take more than three clicks. Being able to change the size of the text or other contents is also a plus.

2. Credibility
The more credible a site is, the more the number of visitors it can attract. But what are the signs of credibility? The presence of testimonials, along with people’s contact information, is an example. When visitors see real people patronizing a product or service, then the more they are likely to believe and even try it out. Establishing links with credible groups or figures would also be a great idea, as well as putting up active pages on Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking sites.

3. Language
When it comes to language, the basic rule is to keep things simple. Avoid technical language, jargon, and other words that ordinary users would not be familiar with. If there is an option to change the language of the text, that would be very helpful, indeed.

4. Legibility
On the Web page, texts and other portions should of course be legible and easy to read. The addition of numbers, bullets, and other arrangements can also be done to help improve the legibility of the Web site contents.

5. Visibility
This is an essential element to Web page design and navigation. When a visitor logs in a site, can they easily locate the Location Map, Contact Us and other portions of the site? Is the email address or contact number easy to find? By bearing in mind the visibility of these elements, a Web site can either be pleasant to the eye or a pain to navigate.

6. Human Factors
Sometimes, putting up pictures in a Web site is not enough. The human factor is an important in establishing genuine interaction with Internet visitors. Hence, keeping in mind the human aspect of a site would definitely help attract and retain online users.

By taking note of these basic elements of User Centered Design, a Web site can be more successful, and operating a behavioral marketing program would be much more convenient.

This is the summary of an article by Michael Garrity. It talks about the Federal Trade Commission’s involvement in how online companies may or may not use user data, which gives online advertising its intrinsic advantage over offline advertising. Here’s the link to the original behavioral targeting article: Tracking the Behavioral Targeted Ad Debate.

Online advertising is advantageous because it allows publishers to provide ads to the right customers. These are ads that are in line with the personal characteristics, interests, geographic location, and other aspects of a certain individual. The effectiveness of the ad rises for both the consumer and the marketer.

Many Web users, however, are put off by the tracking that is done which reveals their interests and behavior online. As such, advocacy groups have demanded transparency in behavioral advertising. This demand has paved way for the involvement of the Federal Trade Commission, or FTC. One of the commission’s contributions toward the matter is the Final Privacy Framework Report, which outlined what is and what isn’t allowed when it comes to companies using consumer data from the Internet.

The online advertising industry also has two self-regulatory commissions: the Digital Advertising Alliance or DAA, and the Network Advertising Initiative or NAI. Online advertisers will have to face the fact that this is a real issue. For example, 73 percent of consumers surveyed by Pew are not in favor of receiving personalized advertisements at the expense of stored searches in search engines.

The infographic below, created by Loeb & Loeb, discusses the number of people that opt out of behavioral targeting services. During the past 4 years, 10 million users have visited the opt out website of NAI. While that number may not be too many in a 4 year span, it is well worth noting that 5.9 million of those users are from just last year. Out of that number, close to 1.75 million actually opted out of tracking using cookies. The real question is: how should marketers go about serving targeted and effective ads, given that most users don’t want to be behaviorally tracked?

Image: via websitemagazine.com

This is the summary of an article by Wendy Davis, which talks about the problems faced by the ad industry as they try to implement “Do Not Track,” in particular, whether ad industries should stop collecting  data from users set to “Do Not Track” or just stop sending them targeted advertisements. It talks about how survey shows majority of users don’t want their data collected if they have this setting. Here’s the link to the original behavioral targeting article: Study: Most Consumers Say Do-Not-Track Should Mean Do-Not-Collect.

A few years ago, the Federal Trade Commission or FTC was requested by privacy advocates to support a system that enabled people to “opt out” from behavioral targeting online. The FTC responded affirmatively, resulting into companies coming out with browsers that include a “do not track” header. When this option is switched on, a signal is sent out by the user, indicating that he or she does not wish to be tracked.

Unresolved Issues

However, despite the existence of the Do Not Track policy, the advertising industry is still in the process of resolving some issues. One of these is the question of whether publishers and advertising networks should cease from gathering information from users with an activated “do not track” setting, or if they should cease merely from serving these people up with targeted ads. Despite current discussions and debates, matters such as these have not yet been settled.

What Consumers Really Think

Amidst the heated debates about the issues between privacy advocates, the advertising industry, and other stakeholders, learning about what consumers really think is also important. And this is the purpose behind a recent study by the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology. Notably, the survey revealed a surprising finding: majority or 87% percent of about 1,200 students had not even heard of what the Do Not Track proposal is all about.

Likewise, they Berkeley study also probed into what the consumers’ think the Do Not Track should be able to do. Majority or 60% shared that they would prefer it if Internet sites stopped gathering data from them. Meanwhile, 20% mentioned that they want all advertisements to be stopped, and 14% shared that they do not want to receive advertisements based on their previous online activities such as searching, surfing, and so on.

The study concludes by saying that majority of consumers do not want their information to be tracked and gathered, and that they expect the Do Not Track to be able to stop this.

Consumers’ Attitude toward Ads

The study also explains that based on past studies, Americans generally believe that there are privacy laws strong enough to protect them. Moreover, upon looking into the attitude of Internet users toward advertising, they also learned that most people think that online advertising is not particularly useful, and 50% even explained that they never click on advertisements at all. These findings show major insights about what consumers truly think.

Based on these findings, it is evident that there is still much to be cleared and talked about with regard to the Do Not Track, behavioral tracking, targeting, and online advertising in general. What’s more, as legislators and advertisers talk the issues out, consumers themselves should also have a say in the matter.

This is the summary of an article regarding the latest updates regarding the pros and cons of behavioral targeting and its role in analyzing the effectiveness of implementing “Do Not Track” Policy in improving online advertising and keeping it on the go.

Despite the mounting pressure from members of Congress and advocacy groups, a lot of online marketers do not believe that the “Do Not Track” proposal will hinder or put a stop to online advertising. History shows that regulations against direct mail advertising have not really been effective; and it seems unlikely that they will succeed in terminating web-based ads, too.

Of course, the introduction of proposals such as the Do Not Track means that certain adjustments will have to be made. In fact, Microsoft has already begun by creating a default Do Not Track setting in the latest Internet Explorer version. Some are claiming that such actions indicate the end of online ads; however, some are saying that it’s too early to tell.

Some Things to Consider

Amidst predictions that online advertising will be “killed” by the Do Not Track, the following observations state otherwise:

1. The issue is ultimately a Federal vs. State matter.
After all interpolations have been made, the final decision regarding the regulation of behavioral targeting will ultimately fall on the State. It is on this level that legislative matters will eventually be agreed upon and finalized.

2. Enforcement seems unclear.
When it comes to opting out of advertisement calls or emails, one simply has to log in with the “Do Not Call” registry or unsubscribe from a mailing list. On the other hand, the process of claiming to be a “victim” of online advertising seems unclear. This is because as soon as a person goes online, many data points are actually being gathered. What’s more, the technology used in data tracking is always being updated and improved.

3. Behavioral targeting is beneficial to the consumer.
Contrary to what many people think, personal and identifiable information is typically not used by behavioral tracking and targeting practices. Once they realize this, they would soon see that behavioral targeting is actually beneficial to the consumer.

4. Consumers have the freedom to choose.
Even if regulations on Internet advertising are put in place, advertisers, consumers, publishers, and website owners would still have the freedom to choose. Just as a lot of people still decide to smoke amidst the anti-smoking posters and campaigns done by the government, behavioral marketing and related strategies would still go on regardless of whether it is regulated or not.

Predictions & Possible Effects

Aside from the above considerations, it is also worth pondering about the possible effects of regulating behavioral tracking and online advertising. First of all, the cost of marketing would increase, since data gathering by online marketers could be hampered. Secondly, companies might make a shift toward social networking sites in carrying out their marketing campaigns. After all, people who use Facebook and other social media platforms have made some of their demographic information already available.

In the end, legislation pertaining to data tracking could happen, but this does not necessarily mean the end for online advertising. Through constant innovation, adjustment, and technology, the advertising industry would still be able to adapt and find ways.

This is the summary of an article by Lee Tien. It talks about the struggle between two parties,  users and companies, to strike a balance between privacy and protection from the former and providing ads and security threats protection from the latter. Here’s the link to the original behavioral targeting article: Do Not Track Update: From Congressional Hearings to Uproar Over Microsoft’s “Default” Settings, the Fight for User Privacy Continues.

In recent months, the Electronic Frontier Foundation or EFF, along with other privacy advocates, continue with the fight for Do Not Track, a policy that enables Internet users to avoid being tracked by the websites that they visit online. At present, discussions about the policy are being done in Congress, while EFF, Mozilla, and Stanford have made a proposal about it.

Discussions in Congress

In Congress, experts talked about how privacy protection can be better implemented in the technology industry. James Grimmelmann, a professor from the New York Law School, cited three basic principles that are essential toward having authentic consumer choice: innovation for privacy, or the development of technologies pertaining to consumer protection; reliability, or the assurance that a consumer’s choice will be honoured; and usability, or the ease with which a user can utilize a privacy option.

Meanwhile, Peter Swire, a professor from Ohio State University, expressed critical opinion about the self-regulation of the online behavioral advertising industry, citing that exceptions to the rule make it hard to clarify exactly what limitations are being imposed.

The W3C & Do Not Track

Another group that has been working hard on the Do Not Track is the World Wide Web Consortium or W3C. Simply put, the W3C consists of academics, experts, industry groups, advocacy groups such as the EFF, and other stakeholders who are concerned about making standards for the World Wide Web. Notably, they have a Tracking Protection Working Group or TPWG, which focuses specifically on online privacy concerns.

A Compromise Proposal

Meanwhile, another group that has been tackling the Do Not Track issue is composed of EFF, Mozilla, and Stanford. Specifically, they have made a compromise proposal that basically limits a company’s ability to gather protocol data for a particular length of time. However, the proposal would also allow these same companies to gather certain data for the purposes of security. Notably, Jonathan Mayer from Stanford has been looking into how this could be implemented. He has made a video presentation about it; as well as analyses about the measurement of advertising, frequency capping, and how targeting is done without tracking.

In a nutshell, EFF, Mozilla, and Standard are suggesting a compromise proposal. On one hand, there are the users who demand privacy and protection. On the other hand, there are companies that seek to provide ads and protect against threats to security. The key lies in striking a balance between the two extremes. Thus, they have devised a compromise proposal that limits the gathering of information by third parties, but at the same time does not hinder newer forms of advertising techniques and does not impose on advertisers the kind of advertisements that they can feature on the Web.

This is the summary of an article from pymnts.com. It talks about a new technology that enables retailers to re target customers based on their mobile location by Sense Networks. Behavioral targeting and predictive location strategies are used to match potential customers with enticing offers displayed in their mobile devices.  Here’s the link to the original behavioral targeting article: Sense Networks Unveil First Retail Retargeting Technology.

Recently, a new technology that enables retailers to re target customers based on their mobile location has been announced by Sense Networks. The company says that the innovation is part of their AdMatch platform, describing it as the first Retail Retargeting solution in the industry. The technology can assist retailers in identifying, retargeting and driving customer loyalty among customers who have come to their stores.

Behavioral Targeting & Predictive Location

Prospective customers who are frequently near the location of a store can be identified through Retail Retargeting. Through the use of behavioral targeting and predictive location strategies, Sense Networks’ AdMatch platform can “match” potential customers with enticing offers placed on mobile display ads. Notably, a total of 90 million users can be reached by Sense Networks; likewise, its Retail Retargeting technology can determine which users often shop with the top 1,000 retailers in the United States.

More Effective Retargeting

Unlike other companies, which often use a strategy that targets consumers when they are at a store, at a specific point in time, Sense Networks takes things a step further. They are able to find out which mobile device users are shoppers, and consequently retarget them when they are no longer inside the store. This is made possible through careful analysis of location patterns and algorithms, which aids in creating profiles of mobile users.

Through Retail Retargeting, customers can be retargeted immediately by a retailer, even within 24 hours after they have shopped at the store. Similarly, the technology can also target customers ahead of time, coinciding with their plans for making subsequent purchases. Eventually, this leads to greater profits and higher click-through-rates. This goes beyond targeting simply by demographic date, as Sense Networks utilizes behavioral information and geographic location of mobile users.

Reaching Out to Possible Customers

Because Sense Networks has a highly flexible platform containing more than a thousand behavioral attributes, retailers can prioritize very specific targets, such as sports enthusiasts who reside within five miles of a their store, for example. Armed with this information, they can focus on targeting possible customers who are often near their store. This helps them to stay ahead of their competition in the same area.

Realizing Mobile Power

According to Sense Networks CEO, David Petersen, mobile power has not yet been realized, and Retail Retargeting aims to address this. Through their technology, retailers are able to gain a wider understanding of their customers, particularly those who can be retargeted after analyzing their behavioral data and location. Petersen adds that they seek to help retailers attract more customers develop customer loyalty as well.

Despite the ability to gather data about mobile users, Retail Retargeting ensures that these are kept anonymous. After processing, personal information such as names, phone numbers, and emails are discarded; the remaining data are then categorized into customer segments.

This is the summary of an article by Damien Acheson. It talks about the high correlation between mouse and eye movement, and how mouse movement provides more insight regarding a user’s interests and intent, therefore making it a more effective tool for targeting. Here’s the link to the original behavioral targeting article: Staying One Step Ahead with Mouse-Based Targeting.

Behavioral targeting is commonly done through analyzing the click patterns of a user, which tells how a particular user has reached your website and what they are clicking and interacting with in the site. While this technique has been proven effective to some degree, businesses are continuously looking for more effective methods of finding out the next moves of their visitors.

Ideally, a business is on the money if it can accurately identify the answers to the following questions: what is the best way and when is the right time to engage consumers? Will my consumers visit the page for a relatively long time? Are my consumers going to look at the various products being sold in my site, or are they going to leave the site right away?

To answer these questions, sophisticated technologies and tools are being used right now, and such is done by click pattern analysis behavioral targeting.

Mouse Movement is Better than Clicks

On the other hand, recent research has revealed that mouse action and movement across a screen can provide more understanding with regards to the intent of a visitor than click pattern analysis, and this is because there is a stronger correlation between it and eye movement.

According to a study conducted in Carnegie Mellon, “there is an 88 percent correlation between mouse behavior and eye movement.” In addition, a Microsoft-sponsored survey signifies that “mouse cursor behavior is strongly correlated to a user’s area of interest.”

The insight that mouse movement provides may let online marketers side-step guessing based on clicks, targeting visitors even before they have clicked on anything.

Mouse-based Analytics and Targeting

Mouse movement analysis can lead to improvements in conversations, in particular, upgrades in visitor remarketing, cart rescue, and lead generation. Essentially, targeting becomes more effective.

LP Marketer, by LivePerson, uses mouse behavior analytics to provide targeting solutions that are data driven and real time, to provide highly personalized and relevant content to site visitors. This technique provides companies the ability to forestall visitor’s intent to hit the close or back button or leave the website, which then prompts “dynamic interruption” to occur.

These dynamic interruptions include banner displays that tell users that are about to get out to not do so and check out stuff instead that are relevant to their shopping interest, geographical location and customer history.

If a visitor starts filling up a very important form in your website, and then all of a sudden his or her mouse movement indicates that he or she is about to desert the form, then a pop-up will proactively appear prompting the user to write down his or her email address and complete the form later.

The main advantage that is seen right now for mouse movement analysis is indeed towards giving customers a more dynamic experience and making companies win back a lot more customers before they go out of their site, conversions and leads increase.

This analysis will continue to improve, and ultimately, a more successful and intelligent online strategy will be attained as companies can make better visitor behavior anticipations.

This is the summary of an article by Mely Salv. It talks about the various steps concerned in creating an opt-in list for email marketing, and the two kinds of e-mail analytics. Here’s the link to the original behavioral targeting article: E-mail marketing Analytics.

These days, marketing takes place in all sorts of platform: print, broadcast, and online. Recently, marketing has also been taking place through e-mail. In this case, the first step is basically concerned with the creation and growth of an opt-in list. The second step then focuses on how to keep subscribers happy and retain their active membership on the database. Subsequently, the third step concentrates on marketing through e-mail analytics, as this can help in effectively engaging and retaining subscribers. This article talks mainly about the third step.

Two Kinds of Analytics

In order to be successful in the use of e-mail analytics in marketing, one must be informed and updated about the behavioral patterns of various customers. Knowing about their interests and their actual intentions for purchasing is very important. Notably, one must also engage in the selling of two kinds of analytics: marketing analytics and customer analytics. Both are very crucial elements in e-mail marketing, and through them one can help increase Web site traffic and generate excitement about a particular product or brand.

Marketing Analytics

When it comes to marketing analytics, one must first ensure that their promotional campaign is an interactive one and that it is possible to constantly monitor sales performance. In turn, analytics can ultimately help in supporting the main goal: accurate measurement and monitoring of marketing programs. These are indicators of a health and successful campaign.

Indeed, using the right metrics can truly help in the implementation of a marketing program. For example, finding out what kind of conversion is more effective – such as opting-in or registering for an event – is important. Likewise, gathering different kinds of data is also essential. This includes the tracking of clicks on banners and print ads, search engine optimization, and blog posts, as well as looking into the geographic location and other relevant information. Data such as these can be collected, and eventually analyzed, for the purposes of making promotional materials more personal, and therefore more effective.

Customer Analytics

With regard to customer analytics, this enables one to determine the online behavior of customers in relation to a service or product. Through this, their purchasing patterns and other possible future actions can be predicted. Furthermore, customer analytics can help in matching the right segment with the right customer. Aside from being able to predict their response to a product, one can also customize the e-mail that can be sent to different kinds of customers.

In sum, e-mail analytics is a huge step toward the optimization and success of a marketing campaign. By utilizing metrics in measuring, monitoring, and constantly improving marketing strategies, analytics can help gain and retain more loyal customers at present and in the future.

This is the summary of a behavioral targeting article by Richard Harris. It talks about the difference between personalized targeting, which is initiated by the users themselves, and behavioral targeting, which is initiated by the marketer. Criticisms to both targeting techniques is misplaced, because they critics fail to see that this is simply good service, and is similar to what customer service personnel does in brick and mortar shops. Here is the link to the original behavioral targeting article: Personalized Targeting.

More often than not, the personalization of advertising and marketing on the Web is portrayed as something that is invasive and creepy. Hence, many have come to view it in a negative light, which is a stark contrast to its primary purpose.

A “Personal Shopper” Online

If one really thinks about it, personalization is simply a kind of strategy where Internet users, when they visit a website, are served up with content and products that they might find most useful. It is quite similar to the practice of employing a “personal shopper” in an actual store, when a person is assigned to assist customers in finding, trying out, and purchasing the items that they are looking for.

Behavioral vs. Personalized Targeting

One reason why personalized targeting is being criticized could be because it is being likened to behavioral targeting. This is a bit misleading, because even though the two methods seem similar, they are in fact very distinct from each other.

Behavioral targeting works first by gathering information through different means: analytics, Web searches, site visits, demographic indicators, and so on. Through the collection of various data, the main goal of behavioral targeting is for an advertiser or marketer to determine which Internet users may be the most interested in a product offering. In doing so, the chances of a website visitors becoming a buyer is increased.

Personalized targeting, on the other hand, is a different matter. It is initiated by the online users themselves, and not by the marketer. Here’s how it works: when a person decides to visit a website, the content adapts to his or her preferences. For instance, if based on prior click history is has been determined that the visitor is male, or often searches for men’s products, the website would automatically serve him up with the exact pages featuring the products he may need.

The Benefits of Personalization

Obviously, an advertisement that has been personalized based on a person’s preferences is more relevant than one that is not. After all, nobody wants to view ads of products that are of no use to them. However, due to the current discussions about online privacy, the practice of targeting is facing some serious setbacks. Generally, people are not fond of the idea of being followed.

Still, when a customer enters a store, isn’t it better if they are shown the very things that they may find most interesting and useful? This is not creepy at all; it is an indication of
good service. There is a need to avoid blurring the lines between personalized and behavioral targeting, though, so that personalization would not be met with misplaced criticism.

What’s more, advertising and marketing personnel should always see to it that even if customers are shown relevant products, they are not disturbed by “trackers.” After all, whether online or offline, no customer likes being followed around.