If you’re just dipping your toe into the ocean of digital marketing, you may come across the term ‘remarketing’, or ‘retargeting’. But what exactly is remarketing, does it work, and how can you use it for your business? We’re going to walk you through the basics of what remarketing is, what channels you can do it through, and whether it is the right choice for your business and customer base.
WHAT IS REMARKETING?
Remarketing is simply showing an ad to a person who has previously interacted with your business online. Whether they have been on your website, signed up to your email list or liked one of your social media profiles.
One common way of creating a remarketing audience would be to target users who have viewed a product on your website in the last 30 days but have not yet made a purchase. Have you ever looked at a pair of shoes online and then been ‘followed’ by those shoes for the next three weeks on every website you visit, until you gave in and bought them? Congratulations! You have been successfully remarketed to.
As you might have noted from the example above, remarketing can sometimes feel intrusive to your audience. By considering your strategy, ad creative and campaign settings carefully, you can avoid that and reap the rewards.
DOES REMARKETING WORK?
Consider this: on average, if you’re selling something online, 98% of website visitors will leave without making a purchase. Remarketing means that you keep your chance to turn those visitors into purchasers – without relying on someone’s memory or random chance.
According to Criteo, remarketing to your website visitors makes them 43% more likely to convert. That’s a huge opportunity.
Your remarketing audiences are much more qualified, (much more ready to buy), than your average user who is not familiar with your brand. These people know you and have at least looked at your products. This interest is reflected in the numbers. The average clickthrough rate (CTR) of a retargeted ad vs a regular display ad is 10x higher!
These are some compelling numbers, and we see them reflected in the campaigns we run: remarketing works, and it usually works very well. But how do you get started?
GETTING STARTED WITH REMARKETING
Now that you’ve decided to give remarketing a try, here are three essential factors to consider as you get set up and create your campaigns:
Pick a Message
When you’re creating your remarketing ads, keep in mind that you’re not talking to a new audience, or one unfamiliar with your product – you’re talking to people who at least know who you are, and may be seriously considering making a purchase. Strategize accordingly.
Do you want to draw them over the finish line with an irresistible, exclusive discount or add-on? Consider creating a special discount code just for these ads.
You may simply want to highlight the benefits of purchasing or booking from your site directly, rather than a third-party seller you must pay a commission. Consider what those benefits are to the purchaser and highlight them in the ad (a direct line to your customer service? gift, or best price guaranteed?).
Whatever your message is, try to make it different from your prospecting or awareness ads for new customers. This is a different audience, and you will get better results with a different message.
Pick a Channel
Where does your audience live online, and what is their mindset while they’re there? If you have a highly visual product, one designed to be shown off or to brighten up a home, a channel like Instagram might be your best bet. People scrolling Instagram are seeing the best of other people’s wardrobes, accessories, homes, and scenery, and they are in the mindset to improve their own.
However, if your offer is software for hoteliers, you might need a user with a different mindset; maybe someone browsing video reviews of similar software on YouTube is the correct audience for you?
Don’t neglect search engine remarketing, either. If someone on Google has put a lawnmower from your site in the checkout cart in the last 7 days, but hasn’t bought it, there is a good chance that if they’re googling ‘buy a lawnmower’ again, they might be ready to purchase!
Finally, don’t limit yourself. If you think most or all of these might work, try each channel, and see what results you get.
Remarket… But Not Too Often
Remember the shoes that were following us around the internet earlier? We don’t want to be those shoes! To avoid your potential customers feeling ‘stalked’ by your brand, set a frequency cap on your ads.
Most ad platforms offer a frequency cap, or a limit on how often ads show. We recommend a cap of five to eight impressions per user per day.
You may think eight times a day to see the same ad still seems like a lot. However, consider this shocking figure: our best estimates say the average adult sees 10,000 ads per day. Eight ads don’t even scratch the surface! Don’t be afraid to try and cut through the clutter.
That’s a short and sweet summary of what your business needs to get started with remarketing!
