Why is behavior-based retargeting more effective than targeting all visitors?

Behavior-based retargeting prioritizes contacts who have shown meaningful intent, such as visiting pricing or key solution pages, while excluding low-intent or already-converted contacts. This usually improves click-through rate, conversion rate, and cost per acquisition.

How do we connect HubSpot behavior to ad audiences?

You connect HubSpot behavior to ad audiences by creating active lists based on engagement and lifecycle criteria, connecting ad accounts to HubSpot, and selecting those lists as targeting or exclusion audiences in your retargeting campaigns across networks like Google, LinkedIn, and Meta.

Which behaviors are best for building retargeting audiences?

The most useful behaviors for building retargeting audiences include visits to high-intent pages such as pricing and solution pages, engagement with comparison or ROI content, completion of key forms, and in-product actions that signal interest or expansion potential.

How do we manage consent and exclusions for retargeting?

Manage consent and exclusions by storing subscription and consent preferences as contact properties in HubSpot, using them to build suppression lists, and applying those lists across all retargeting campaigns so only eligible contacts are targeted.

Can HubSpot show revenue generated by behavior-based retargeting?

Yes. When retargeting audiences are driven by HubSpot lists, you can use HubSpot campaign and attribution reporting to see which audiences and ads influence contacts, deals, and closed-won revenue, giving you full-funnel visibility into performance.

Why connect contact behavior to retargeting audiences?

You connect contact behavior to retargeting audiences in HubSpot so your ads follow what people actually do—not just who they are. By syncing site activity, email engagement, and lifecycle changes into dynamic audiences, you can prioritize high-intent visitors, exclude poor-fit or closed deals, and align ad messaging with where a contact really is in the journey. The payoff is higher relevance, lower waste, and cleaner reporting from impression to revenue.

What Changes When You Connect Behavior to Retargeting?

Intent-based audiences — Build audiences from real actions: high-value page views, pricing visits, content downloads, and product activity instead of generic “all site visitors.”

Continuous syncing — Keep HubSpot lists and ad audiences in sync so contacts move in and out automatically as they engage, convert, or become customers.

Smarter exclusions — Suppress existing customers, lost deals, and low-intent visitors by default so your budget stays focused on people who can actually buy or expand.

Aligned messaging — Match ad creative and offers to behaviors: research-focused visitors see education, pricing visitors see ROI proof, and trial users see activation tips.

Full-funnel visibility — Tie ad audiences to contacts, deals, and revenue inside HubSpot so you can finally answer “which behaviors and audiences drive pipeline?”

Privacy-aware targeting — Centralize consent and subscription preferences in HubSpot and use them to control who is eligible for retargeting across networks.

The Behavior-Driven Retargeting Playbook

Use this sequence to turn contact behavior in HubSpot into precise retargeting audiences across Google, LinkedIn, Meta, and other paid channels.

Track → Define → Build → Sync → Launch → Measure → Optimize

Track key behaviors: Make sure HubSpot tracking code and ad pixels are implemented properly. Decide which behaviors matter most—pricing visits, product pages, demo requests, logins, and critical feature usage.
Define behavior-based segments: Create active lists that combine behavior with firmographic and lifecycle data (for example, ICP accounts that viewed pricing but didn’t convert).
Build retargeting audiences: Use those HubSpot lists to build retargeting audiences inside your connected ad networks. Keep naming consistent so teams see the journey clearly.
Sync and govern exclusions: Create global suppression lists for customers, non-opted-in contacts, and disqualified leads. Apply them to every retargeting campaign automatically.
Launch tailored creative: Design ad sets for each behavior pattern: education for early research, comparison assets for mid-funnel, and urgency or proof for late-stage visitors.
Measure funnel impact: In HubSpot, track how each audience influences form fills, meetings, opportunities, and closed-won revenue—not just clicks and impressions.
Optimize and expand: Double down on behaviors that correlate with high conversion. Clone top-performing audiences into new channels and refine underperformers with tighter rules.

Behavior-Driven Retargeting Maturity Matrix

Capability	From (Basic)	To (Behavior-Driven)	Owner	Primary KPI
Audience Strategy	Single “all visitors” retargeting pool	Multiple audiences based on behavior, fit, and lifecycle stage	Demand Gen / Paid Media	CTR & conversion rate by audience
Data Integration	Pixels and HubSpot lists managed separately	HubSpot lists synced directly to each ad network	Marketing Ops	Audience match rate
Exclusions & Consent	Manual exclusion updates and one-off checks	Centralized suppression lists based on consent and lifecycle	Marketing Ops / Legal	Compliance incidents & wasted spend
Creative Alignment	Same ads for all retargeting visitors	Creative and offers tailored to behavior and journey stage	Demand Gen / Creative	Audience-level engagement & CAC
Attribution & Reporting	Channel-level metrics only	HubSpot reports showing deals and revenue by audience	RevOps / Analytics	Pipeline & revenue influenced by retargeting
Cross-Channel Orchestration	Isolated retargeting per network	Shared audience definitions across paid, email, and sales	RevOps / Marketing Ops	Consistency of targeting & messaging

Client Snapshot: Behavior-Based Retargeting Lifts Demo Volume

A B2B financial services provider used HubSpot to sync behavior-based lists—pricing views, calculator users, and repeat visitors—into LinkedIn and Google retargeting. They excluded current customers and low-intent visitors, then aligned creative to each behavior. Result: a 34% increase in demo form fills from paid, with 22% lower cost per opportunity. See how we help teams connect HubSpot, ads, and revenue: Improve Your Financial Services · Elevate Your HubSpot Performance

Treat behavior-connected retargeting as a core GTM capability: standardize how you define audiences, govern exclusions and consent in HubSpot, and measure performance at the audience and revenue level.

Frequently Asked Questions about Connecting Contact Behavior to Retargeting Audiences

What does it mean to connect contact behavior to retargeting audiences in HubSpot?

It means using HubSpot tracking and properties (like page views, form submissions, email engagement, and lifecycle stage) to build lists that sync directly to ad networks as retargeting audiences, instead of relying only on generic pixel-based visitors.

Why is behavior-based retargeting better than “all visitors” audiences?

Behavior-based retargeting focuses spend on people who have shown clear interest—such as visiting pricing or downloading key assets—while excluding low-intent or already-converted contacts, which usually improves conversion rate and reduces cost per acquisition.

How do we set this up in HubSpot?

First, confirm HubSpot tracking is installed. Then create active lists based on behaviors and lifecycle data, connect your ad accounts to HubSpot, and use those lists as audiences or exclusions in your retargeting campaigns across each network.

Which behaviors should we use to build audiences?

Focus on behaviors that correlate with intent: pricing and plan pages, key solution pages, comparison or ROI content, high-value downloads, and trial or portal activity. Layer firmographics and lifecycle stage on top whenever possible.

How does this impact privacy and consent?

HubSpot can store subscription and consent preferences. Use those properties to control which contacts are eligible for retargeting audiences and suppression lists, and keep your cookie and privacy banners aligned with your targeting strategy.

Can we see revenue from behavior-based retargeting in HubSpot?

Yes. Because audiences come from HubSpot lists, you can attribute influenced contacts, deals, and revenue back to campaigns and audiences using HubSpot reports and dashboards—giving you full-funnel visibility.

Make Behavior-Connected Retargeting a HubSpot Superpower

We’ll help you design behavior-based audiences, connect them to paid channels, and prove which retargeting drives real revenue in HubSpot.

Elevate Your HubSpot Performance Upgrade Your HubSpot Processes

Explore More HubSpot Resources

Elevate Your HubSpot Performance Upgrade Your HubSpot Processes Improve Your Financial Services Transform your CRM

Why Connect Contact Behavior to Retargeting Audiences in HubSpot?

What Changes When You Connect Behavior to Retargeting?

The Behavior-Driven Retargeting Playbook

Track → Define → Build → Sync → Launch → Measure → Optimize

Behavior-Driven Retargeting Maturity Matrix

Client Snapshot: Behavior-Based Retargeting Lifts Demo Volume

Frequently Asked Questions about Connecting Contact Behavior to Retargeting Audiences

Make Behavior-Connected Retargeting a HubSpot Superpower

Get in touch with a revenue marketing expert.

Send Us an Email

Schedule a Call

Solutions

Resources

About TPG