What's in this article?
Paid social media and paid search (PPC) can do wonders for your business’s marketing. Add retargeting to the mix and you’ll take your online marketing to the next level. That’s because almost none of us have a 100% conversion rate. For most websites, a 5% visitor conversion on the first visit is the norm. So there’s plenty of room for conversion improvement — and more sales.
Retargeting 101
Seeing a message across multiple channels is one way to up a conversion rate. Retargeting, or remarketing, is that system by which an ad appears to your customer as they surf the web. In other words, it’s not your imagination — that artisanal coffee grinder really is following you around the web!
Here’s where the marketing tech comes in. When a prospect visits a website, they are tagged for retargeting, oftentimes through “cookies”. That code placed on your site triggers a particular ad to follow that user around the web, showing up on other channels. Those channels could be other websites that are part of the same display ad network or social media platforms.
PPC Retargeting
PPC retargeting lets you serve ads to potential customers who’ve visited your website. As noted, 95% of the average website’s traffic doesn’t convert on the first visit. And that huge cohort is who your PPC retargeting will engage.
It works like this. Say you use Google AdWords. You could retarget all website visitors, visitors to a certain web page, or visitors who completed a specific action, like filling out your signup form. Your identified target will then be shown your ads on various websites across the Google Display Network.
Facebook Remarketing
Facebook marketing continues to advance, giving Google a run for its money, and retargeting is no exception. On Facebook, it’s called remarketing, though it works similarly to PPC retargeting. After visiting your website, wherein a tracking code is activated, a potential customer moves on to their Facebook feed. There, they’ll see your Facebook ad either as a sponsored post as they’re scrolling through or in the sidebar.
Like Google AdWords retargeting, Facebook lets you retarget visitors in several ways. When you set up a Facebook ad, you’ll be asked if you want to choose a “Custom Audience”. You could choose to target all your website traffic or only those visitors who view specific web pages. But you could also target a customer list or app user. Customer list remarketing lets you target Facebook users by cross-referencing your email list or phone list. App activity lets your remarket to Facebook users who’ve completed a set action on your mobile app.
Other Pieces of the Puzzle
We still haven’t talked about two important factors to being successful with your retargeting efforts: landing page design and SEO.
Let’s take landing pages first. As any marketer will tell you, consistency is key to messaging success. Not only should your ads display a consistent offer and call to action across your retargeting campaign, your landing page should continue that same messaging.
You wouldn’t want to build a campaign for a specific artisanal coffee grinder that follows your lead around the web, only to drop your lead off on the kitchen appliance section of your website when they click on the ad. The user wants to be taken right to the right spot. So, make sure you design a landing page that fits perfectly with your retargeting ad. If you are retargeting multiple products, you need a landing page for each one.
As for where SEO, your paid search campaigns will need to work in tandem with your retargeting efforts for the best results. The payoff can be huge. In one study, retargeting represented a 1,046% increase in trademark search behavior!
Wrapping Up
Lastly, a post on retargeting wouldn’t be complete without addressing the controversy around the practice. Some critics have suggested that retargeting may be too aggressive or invasive to consumer privacy, but many marketers and consumers would disagree.
Bounced traffic consists of people who expressed an interest in your product or services. These are leads, and they may require more information, more touches, and more nurturing to convert, but a number of retargeted leads will convert. By some estimates, up to 50–60% more visitors convert when retargeted. Furthermore, most consumers don’t have a problem with retargeted ads, and 25% appreciate that retargeting reminds them of the product or service.
If you’re looking for a strategy to help your conversions, paid search, or social media marketing efforts, retargeting offers great bang for the buck. Putting together a comprehensive retargeting campaign can help you bring more qualified prospects to your site — and get them back after they’ve left.