As a business, you want to make the most of your website. When you look at the sales funnel, there are a number of reasons why website visitors might walk away from it. This includes a desire to “just browse,” comparison shopping, or maybe just an unwillingness to take the next step at the moment.
Retargeting is a relatively new marketing concept that has proven to be incredibly effective at bringing these visitors back to your site. This technology triggers your ad on other sites that consumers visit only after they’ve been to your site.
They didn’t make a purchase the first go around, and retargeting puts your name back in front of them, reminding them of who you are and what you have to offer.
How does retargeting work?
As with so many internet mysteries, the secret involves pieces of programming code known as cookies. This code, usually JavaScript, is basically a tracking tag. By placing a cookie on your visitors’ computers you leave your mark — letting advertising networks know that you want the owner of your cookie to see your retargeting ads.
Because your brand is always in sight, it’s always kept in mind. And you’re targeting only people whom you know have already looked at your site and who have demonstrated interest in your brand. In short, people who are likely to come back and convert! Look at the statistics.
Research shows that most online banner ads can boast at best a click-through-rate (CTR) of 0.1%. For the record, that’s way less likely than winning the Mega Millions lottery or surviving a plane crash. But because retargeting reaches out to people who’ve already expressed interest in your site, ads are clicked up to 400% more often.
Targeting people who already sought out your services is a more effective use of your advertising budget. Plain and simple.
Top reasons to retarget
You’ve already created products or services and likely spent a lot of effort getting people to visit your site and learn more about them. Retargeting is an extension of those efforts, and it comes with plenty of benefits:
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- A second or third chance to convert a visitor
Retargeting is particularly strong because it only targets the people who have already visited your site. They have been exposed to your brand and visited the site in the first place because they were interested in what you had to offer. These people can be persuaded using ad copy optimized for that specific frame of mind.
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- Promote Popularity
Most consumers don’t know what retargeting is or how it works. As a result, they get the impression that you are wildly popular because they “see your ads everywhere.” People need to see a marketing message or a brand several times before they make the decision to buy. Every time they see a retargeting ad, their notion of the reliability and stability of your business improves.
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- Improve the results of existing marketing efforts
You want to get a high return on investment for your marketing campaigns. When you retarget, you’re adding value to a broad swath of investments that brought visitors in the first time. If you’re already putting effort into SEO, PPC, email marketing, social media or any other marketing channel, retargeting gives you an opportunity to make sure those efforts don’t go to waste.
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- Upsell and cross-sell
You may want to place a retargeting cookie on a conversion or “thank you” page. This allows you to build high-value users in an audience list. If you have a new offer or a new product to sell or an add-on service that is specific to a subset of customers, this tiny little script is all you need to single them out with your marketing campaigns.
Best practices for successful retargeting campaigns
To get the most out of a retargeting campaign, there are six rules you should keep in mind to ensure a greater ROI:
- Know your audience: One of the most important things to know is who your audience is. Understand the demographics to be able to identify with them and create ad copy that is personalized and engaging.
- Segment audiences: What you sell on your site may appeal to different audiences, and putting different cookies on different pages gives you the ability to segment audiences based on their interests and behaviors.
- Provide value: Instead of lazily reminding visitors, “Hey remember us? Come back!” in your retargeting ads, include tangibles like free shipping, product announcements, or discount codes. This is especially useful for comparison shoppers or people who added items to their digital cart but left.
- Adjust ad frequency: Everyone gets ad fatigue. Thankfully, most retargeting platforms allow you to adjust the number of times an ad is shown to someone.
- Use “burn pixels”: Once a potential customer converts, make sure to give them a new cookie so they are removed from your retargeting campaigns.
- Add new channels: You don’t have to display ads solely on websites in order to retarget website visitors. You can also retarget on social media, including Twitter and Facebook.
Great! Where do I start?
For retargeting to really have an impact, you need to first invest in marketing channels that will bring new traffic to your site. It is only when you have a steady stream of visitors that a retargeting campaign becomes a step worth taking.
Pronto’s marketing team recommends signing up for SEOpro programs, Google AdWords, email marketing and even offline marketing to help spread awareness of your brand, and bring people to your site in the first place.
As your site gets more traffic, you can take a closer look at the retargeting tools. Managing a campaign on your own takes a lot of work initially: You need to segment your visitors, decide what kind of message they want, and eventually design visually-appealing ads.
Of course, you could skip all of that and go right to the experts. Pronto’s team has designed, created, and optimized hundreds of retargeting campaigns, and we can manage yours for just $50 per month.
Final thoughts
You’ve already spent the money to market your business, and even when customers like what they see, there are plenty of reasons to leave your website. Retargeting campaigns are the easiest, most straightforward way for prospects to learn who you are, and why you’re the best.
Need some help?
If you feel confused or overwhelmed, don’t be. Pronto has you covered. With over 1500+ WordPress websites under our belt, we can help you with all your WordPress needs and more. From retargeting all the way to integrating platforms.
Schedule a call with one of our Pronto Experts and learn how we can secure your website and marketing so you can focus on your business.