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Retargeting 101: Make It Simple, Make It Work

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Guest Post by Warble Media

Retargeting is a marketing strategy which allows you to deliver personalised content to users who have previously visited your website. It offers unparalleled audience targeting and harnesses one of the most valuable marketing assets; buyer intent.

How Does it Work?

Retargeting works by placing a snippet of code - also referred to as a pixel - on your website which collects essential information about your visitors. For instance, which pages they have visited, how long they have spent on your site, where they are in the world and what devices they’re using.

Once a user has visited your website, this pixel places a retargeting cookie in their browser, allowing you to retarget them with personalised display ads once they have left your site and continue to surf online.

 

Why Is it Useful?

It is particularly useful for recapturing a user’s interest when they haven’t completed a desired action. Depending on your type of business, this could include carrying out a purchase, signing up to a service, etc…

By displaying adverts based on their behaviour when they visited your site, you can retarget them across a multitude of websites and devices to convince them to return to your site and complete your desired transaction.

Essentially, you’re turning valuable customer data into an actionable advertising strategy which will allow you to convert casual browsers into loyal buyers.

 

Harnessing Buyer Intent

This marketing strategy is replacing the more traditional form of advertising where marketers would purchase ad space on sites they thought their users frequently visited.

By capturing information about a visitor’s online behaviour, you can use buyer intent to customise the adverts you’re showing users based on the way they interacted with your site.

For instance, if a user places a toy in their shopping cart but navigates away without completing the purchase, you can personalise the ads they will see to include that particular product or your full range of toys, thus keeping them engaged with your brand even as they browse other pages.

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Is Retargeting a Good Strategy for Me?

As retargeting tracks user behaviour on your site, it’s essential you own your own website. If your business only uses social pages then it’s probably not the best fit for you.

It will also work best when you have at least 500 monthly site visitors. You can keep track of this data by using a web traffic monitoring tool.

Finally, to take full advantage of the benefits retargeting has to offer, you should ensure your site is well structured and optimised for navigation. This means having a clear way for your visitors to take actions such as completing a purchase or filling out a form.

 

Types of Retargeting

You can use this strategy across multiple websites, platforms, social media channels and devices, meaning you can retarget your audience as they move around the web:

  • Website Retargeting

This combines customised messaging with targeted ad placement. It provides a strong foundation for any retargeting campaign, and involves the display of adverts bought via ad exchanges which serve news sites, blogs and other online locations.

This is a good approach for practically any brand and encourages the engagement of both current and prospective customers online.

  • Social Retargeting

Social media channels provide a direct line to highly engaged consumers and allow you to take advantage of tools such as likes, shares and comments to expand your brand’s reach.

By interacting with potential customers who discover your business through retargeting adverts on social networks, you can connect with your users and really show what your brand is about.

  • Mobile Retargeting

It’s important to add mobile platforms to your retargeting campaign so that you can retarget desktop users when they switch to a mobile device and vice versa.

Think about how many devices you use on a daily basis; desktops, mobiles, tablets, laptops... Retargeting across all devices is the best way to keep your audience engaged, whether they’re on their daily commute or browsing from home.

 

Keep it Simple

The world of retargeting can get complicated very quickly, so when you’re starting out, it’s best to keep things simple. Think about the goals you want your campaign to achieve and how you can use buyer intent to get there.

When done correctly, retargeting can be used to educate users about your brand, increase conversions, expand your online presence, provide upselling opportunities and retain a loyal customer base.

The key is to engage your users with personalised content based on their interests and behaviour, wherever they browse, on whichever device they’re using.  

 


About The Author: Callum is the head of marketing at the boutique website design and digital marketing agency called Warble Media. They are based in Dubbo, NSW, Australia. In his spare time, he enjoys sharing his knowledge of digital marketing so that newbies can educate themselves. You can find out more about Warble Media by visiting warblemedia.com.au.

 

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