Those who click on behaviorally targeted ads are more likely to respond to a call to action, according to a new study from AOL's Advertising.com, which found that although behavioral targeting produces lower click-through rates than run-of-network placements, those who do click on such ads are more likely to open accounts or complete registration forms, reports AdWeek. Targeted auto ads, for example, had a 64 percent lower click rate - but 323 percent higher conversion rate.

In the personal finance category, behaviorally targeted ads had a click-through rate that was 56 percent below that of untargeted ads, yet they had a 90 percent higher conversion rate.

Advertising.com based its findings on campaigns using its Audience LeadBack technology: for example, a user who visited a car-comparison site might have been targeted with auto ads when visiting non-auto sites in the Advertising.com network.