Retargeting: What It Is and How to Use It

Retargeting is a cookie based form of
advertising that uses simple code to allow you to anonymously follow your audience online and get in front of them strategically. You know those people who came to your website and then left without doing anything? Retargeting keeps you from losing them completely.  It allows you to get in front of them again!

Retargeting is an advertising strategy that directs your message at people who have already expressed an interest in your brand, thus increasing the effectiveness of your ads.

Imagine this scenario…

Susan is considering a landscaping project and spends an evening perusing the websites of a few different companies, including yours.  However, the project is really just an idea at this point, and within a few days, she has forgotten which companies she looked at.

With retargeting, you can keep your brand on Susan’s mind after she leaves your site, so that she will keep thinking about that landscaping project.  When she is ready to proceed with her project, she is likely to choose your brand.

How does this work?

When potential customers like Susan browse your website, they acquire a simple browser cookie that follows them as they surf the internet, including social networking sites like Facebook.  Over the next month or so (depending on the time range you choose), your retargeting campaign automatically places targeted ads in front of these potential customers, regularly reminding of them of your brand.

You can also employ retargeting campaigns on Facebook directed at people who like your company’s Facebook Page or at people who already subscribe to your mailing list.  With this feature, you not only snag new customers, but also maintain loyal customers and potentially increase sales from people who already like your product.

Tips for effective retargeting

• Give paying customers a break – One thing you never want to do is annoy paying customers; continually seeing ads for a product you have already purchased is irritating.  To avoid this, simply have your retargeter add a burn pixel to your code.  Once your customer has completed the desired call-to-action (such as purchasing something from your website), the burn pixel removes them from the retargeting list for a particular campaign.
• Do not oversell your brand – People also experience brand fatigue when they see the same ad too many times.  It is important to set a frequency cap on your advertisements, ensuring that potential customers see them often enough to keep your company in mind, but not so often that they find your brand irritating.
• Create attractive ads – Attractive visuals enhance any marketing campaign, but too often, businesses do not give enough thought to the graphic presentation of their advertisements.  If you have a product to showcase, include professional-looking photographs.  If your service does not contain a tangible product, it is still critical to create visually appealing ads that draw the eye of potential customers.

Retargeting helps you create a strategic campaign that puts advertisements in front of the people most likely to purchase your products and services, thus putting your advertising budget to more effective use.

Do you need assistance with your next retargeting campaign? Contact us and tell us more about your goals.  We'd love to help!