POV

As important as it is to have a customer’s email address, the truth is that data isn’t all that helpful without knowing the story behind that contact info. Behavioral data is critical. Behavior is king. Understanding what drives purchase decisions is critical for personalized marketing… far more so than just addressing customers by their first name.

It’s not that contact information isn’t helpful — it’s just not enough. Without deeper insights into customer preferences and actions, an email address is like having a car with no fuel. It may look good, but it won’t take you very far.

For too long, marketers have relied on the mistaken belief that knowing how to reach a customer is the most important step in the process. But the real goldmine lies in understanding why a customer acts the way they do and what they need, even before they express it.

The Limitations of Contact Information

Without context into what customers want, emailing or calling them blindly is not that far removed from plain spam. Spam is cheap, easy, and creates the illusion of marketing effort, but how effective is it, really? These types of marketers still operate under the premise that blasting messages to as many people as possible will eventually yield results. This is marketing based on volume, not value.

Spam emails, robocalls, and junk mail all treat customers like faceless names on a list, focusing on quantity rather than quality. It’s a tired, inefficient approach that overlooks the most critical piece of the puzzle: understanding what a customer truly wants.

Why Behavioral Data is a Game-Changer

Behavioral data tells you a customer’s story. It’s not just about knowing who they are, but understanding why they do what they do, what they’re seeking, and how they’re interacting with your brand. This insight allows you to create meaningful interactions that align with their actual needs.

Consider this scenario: you’ve collected a customer’s email address, and they’ve agreed to receive promotional messages. But without behavioral insights, all you can do is guess what they might be interested in. Sending a generic discount offer to everyone on your email list is like throwing darts in the dark. Sure, you might hit the target every once in a while, but you’ll waste a lot of effort—and money—on misses.

Now imagine you have data on this customer’s browsing habits, purchase history, and even their preferences based on prior interactions with your website. You now know they’re particularly interested in eco-friendly products, often purchase on weekends, and have abandoned their cart twice in the last month. Armed with this information, you can send them a personalized offer for an eco-friendly product they’ve already viewed at exactly the time they’re most likely to complete a purchase.

This is the power of behavioral data: it’s not just about reaching your customer—it’s about knowing what will resonate with them when you do.

The Shift from Contacts to Context

In today’s fast-evolving marketing landscape, relying solely on contact information is a missed opportunity. Customers expect brands to know more than just their email address or phone number — expect relevance.

Moreover, with increasing privacy regulations and customers’ growing hesitancy to hand over their personal information, brands must rely more on non-invasive ways of gathering data. This is where behavioral insights come in. By analyzing how customers interact with your brand—through website clicks, product views, and time spent on certain pages—you can create a rich profile of their needs without ever needing to ask for their contact details.

That’s why “behavior” is the key word here. Identity resolution is not a big database of shared contact information that allows any brand to reach customers without their consent. It’s a repository of behavioral data that helps brands activate the contact information they already have, with more context into what the human beings behind that contact information actually want.

Beyond the Inbox: The Future of Customer Engagement

As consumers become more protective of their personal data, the role of behavioral insights will only grow in importance. Brands that invest in understanding the context of customer behavior—not just their contact information—will stand out in an increasingly crowded and competitive market.

The future of marketing isn’t just about reaching customers, but rather creating experiences tailored to their preferences that inspire them to engage with your brand. That means moving beyond static contact lists and embracing a dynamic approach based on real-time, behavior-driven data.

Ultimately, behavioral data allows marketers to stop guessing and start knowing. It enables brands to anticipate needs, personalize experiences, and build stronger, more meaningful relationships with their customers. And that’s what great marketing is all about: understanding, not just contacting.

In the modern era of marketing, it’s not about who you can reach, but what you can offer them when you do.