Retargeting refers to a marketing strategy that allows for the delivery of personalized ads to users that have visited your website previously. If you show them relevant content as they keep moving around the web, you can engage with such users in the hope of recapturing their interest.
Retargeting ads can be a highly effective component of your inbound marketing strategy, but only if you execute it properly. The end game of retargeting is to convert casual browsers into loyal customers, but you should first have the right strategy in place to do this successfully.
The following is a beginner’s guide to retargeting ads, and how you can make use of them to unlock your ability to draw visitors back to your website once you know that they are closer to making a purchase decision.
How Do Retargeting Ads Work?
You are probably wondering how retargeting ads work. While the approach may vary slightly depending on how you set your ads up, here is how they work:
– A visitor lands on your website and browses through several pages.
– A small piece of code known as a cookie is placed on the visitor’s browser while they are still on your website.
– The visitor leaves your website and either leaves their computer completely or starts browsing other websites.
– The visitor eventually lands on a webpage that serves whether it is minutes, hours, days, or weeks later.
– The cookie that you stored in the visitor’s browser will let you display a personalized ad to them at a moment when they are not thinking about your product.
People are often afraid to use retargeting since they don’t want to seem to be encroaching on the privacy of their visitors. However, statistics show that 30 percent of consumers have either a positive or very positive reaction to retargeting with only 11 percent feeling negatively about them. The secret to using retargeting effectively is moderation and balance.
Types of Retargeting Ads
You can use different routes when implementing a retargeting strategy. The one you choose ultimately depends on the specific goals, objectives, and budget of your company. Here are the main types of retargeting ads:
Website Retargeting
Website retargeting focuses on placing ads in front of the eyes of people that have already visited your website. It is, however, important to be mindful of the pages you use to initiate tracking since not everybody that visits your website is a qualified lead or is even interested in your product.
Dynamic Retargeting
Dynamic retargeting is used for showing personalized ads to visitors based on the pages that they visit, the content they engage with, or the behavior they exhibit on your website. The ads are very effective since you can adapt your message to each individual that views your ad.
Facebook Retargeting
Facebook retargeting allows you to position your product in front of those that have already engaged with your website by serving them ads on a channel where they might not expect to find you, which is Facebook. It is a very powerful strategy that makes sure that your brand stays at the top of their minds irrespective of what they are doing throughout the day.
CRM Retargeting
CRM retargeting targets lists in your CRM based on a specified set of criteria. The key challenge here is that your lists should be clean and properly segmented for you to notice any tangible results. It is not impossible, but rather takes just a bit of work. Fortunately, most retargeting platforms allow you to effortlessly implement this strategy.
Why Use Retargeting Ads?
If you are still not convinced of the benefit of using retargeting ads, here are more stats that will probably sway your thinking:
– If you use retargeting ads you will be 70 percent more likely to convert previous customers into paying customers.
– 0.07 percent is the average click-through-rate for a typical display ad while 0.7 percent is the average click-through-rate for a retargeted ad, which is 10 times higher.
– Retargeting ads generate a 1,046 percent increase in branded search traffic compared to other ad placement strategies.
– Implementing retargeting can result in a 147 percent increase in the average conversion rates if you set it up correctly.
People often assume that retargeting ads only work when used in a B2C market. However, B2B companies too can capitalize on the benefits of retargeting, particularly companies with a lengthy sales cycle. Keep in mind that the more you are able to get yourself in front of the target audience, the higher your chances of converting visitors into leads.
Why Are Retargeting Ads Popular?
Retargeting ads are replacing the more traditional forms of buying ad space across various websites. The reason for its surge in popularity is its ability to provide unmatched audience targeting. Retargeting allows you to customize ads based on how users interact with your site, which makes it possible to continue engaging with them once they leave your site.
Are Retargeting Ads the Right Option for You?
Retargeting is a good marketing option if your have your own website that you use to market your products and services since you will be tracking user behavior to your website. It won’t be a good fit if you only market yourself on social media platforms.
You are also more likely to get better results from your retargeting efforts once you reach over 500 visitors a month and your website is optimized and structured for easier navigation, which does take some limited technical skill to set up correctly.
Final Thoughts
Retargeting ads are a great way to keep prospects engaged and interact with people that have previously shown interest in your company. The concept of retargeting might sound simple enough in theory, but you need to work out many aspects of your retargeting campaign before making the ad copy and creative.
All you have to do is follow the information provided in this guide and ensure that you give enough time to set goals and campaign types, determine the most suitable platforms for running your ads, and tie the entire conversion path together. If you do that, you will experience success with your retargeting efforts.