Digital marketing really boils down to the process of driving traffic to your website and then converting that traffic into customers. Completing the transaction which is the ultimate goal of digital marketing is what the entire process is all about. We tend to focus on the features of digital marketing that generate interest and traffic to websites and in-store businesses. But it is much simpler to generate conversion from people who have already visited your site. What is retargeting if not the process of using an existing customer base to generate conversions/
What is retargeting and what are the goals of retargeting? Working with the interest and customers you already have is the goal of retargeting. By generating strategies that are aimed at people who are already on your email list or who have already visited your business website, you can generate a significant conversion percentage.
When you consider all your digital marketing strategies, it simply makes sense to think about beginning with your existing customer base. What is retargeting? How does retargeting work? And what are the benefits of retargeting? This guide will give the basic information on retargeting.
What Is Retargeting?
Retargeting is the digital strategy by which you can identify users who have already visited your store or website and specifically aim your digital marketing toward them. Once a user has visited your website, they will begin to see targeted ads on different media platforms like social media and websites. This encourages users to visit your store again.
The mere fact that a user has already shown interest on at least one occasion is enough to retarget them in more focused digital targeting ads. These retargeting strategies can, and frequently do pay off in the form of conversions.
People who benefit from retargeting strategies include:
Business owners
Retargeting means you are spending your marketing money on potential customers who have already expressed interest in your brand. This is sometimes referred to as a warm lead.
Websites that host your ad: the way websites make money is on a pay-per-click basis. When people click on your targeted ad, they make money. This provides incentives and payoffs for everyone involved.
Users
Users benefit by having options presented to them when they are ready to follow up on them. If they have already expressed interest in your brand, they may act on that interest when they see that the product or service they are looking for is still available.
The digital market is a rapid-paced environment. Users need to get a sense of your brand before they will buy into it. Retargeting gives people the chance to revisit something they have already become interested in and consider your brand more carefully.
How Does Retargeting Work?
Retargeting works when your website registers a visit and then begins to display targeted ads on the website and on channels like social media, banner ads on other websites, and ads on search engine results pages (SERPs). There are two primary ways retargeting works:
Pixel-Based Retargeting
Pixel-based retargeting works by tracking a single pixel. Specifically, this is called a tracking pixel or 1×1 pixel. This type of pixel is so small it is virtually undetectable when someone visits a website. The 1×1 pixel collects information such as IP addresses and sends this information back to the business that is tracking visitors to its website.
The 1×1 pixel does not record names or anything more specific than an IP address so that a website can then generate a portfolio of targeted ads that will be associated with that IP address. Some software can record if any conversions or transactions took place. This can help with further marketing strategies and advertising campaigns.
List-Based Retargeting
List-based retargeting strategies collect the contact details of customers. This includes email addresses and can even include cell phone numbers. A business can then use the information on this list to send targeted ads to people who have visited your website. These ads will usually include announcements about deals, new stock, and special offers.
List-based retargeting can be tricky since you are most often sending these ads directly to a customer. If customers receive too many ads or if ads become repetitive, they will get annoyed and unsubscribe from or even block your email list.
Benefits From Retargeting
As we noted above, one of the best ways to generate conversations with your digital marketing is by working with customers who have already expressed interest in your brand. This is where retargeting comes in. Some of the benefits of retargeting include:
Re-engage customers
Obviously, someone who has bought from you previously is a great bet for more business. People who have not only engaged in your brand but have also become convinced and bought your products or services are likely to become repeat customers. The best way to reach these people is through retargeting. Making sure this type of advertising addresses the fact the customers have already bought from you tends to make this more personal and more convincing. By tailoring your retargeting to previous customers, you invite them to become part of what you do.
Increase Customer Lifetime Value
The best type of customer is one who becomes invested in your brand. The lifetime customer is a rare and almost priceless find, and this is the kind of relationship you can foster with retargeting. With the kinds of tracking available, you can determine precisely what customers like about your brand and tailor your retargeting ads accordingly. As if to draw out the benefit of re-engaging customers, retargeting can help you convert customers into those who develop a lifetime loyalty to your brand.
Drive Conversions
One of your primary goals is to get people to click on your ad and take further steps. Conversions are what this is all about. One of the best advantages of retargeting campaigns is that they can initiate the whole process of conversions. Pixel-ads, for example, can generate leads and this will direct people to landing pages where they can enter their information. With this information, you can begin list-based retargeting strategies.
Complete buyer’s journey
In essence, retargeting helps customers complete the journey from initial interest to sales. When someone first expresses interest in your brand, they have begun a process that is ultimately completed through retargeting campaigns. From the tracking you get from pixel ads to personally targeted ads in list-based retargeting, you can gently nudge customers along the journey from casual interest to paying customers.
Promote new products
Customers who have already visited your website, made a purchase, or otherwise demonstrated interest in your product constitute an ideal audience for new products. Retargeting these people is a great way to launch new products and services and lead these people back into the sales funnel.
It is important to make sure the creative end of this follows through from retargeted advertising to the landing page, and to make sure there are ways for customers to request information.
Reduce Cart Abandonment
Abandoned carts are what you are left with when a customer begins the process of making a purchase online but never completes the transaction. Retargeting is an ideal way to recover these customers and encourage them to complete their purchases. Retargeting ads serve as reminders to customers of why they decided to initiate the process in the first place. It helps them remember what was interesting about your product or service and reminds them that it is still available.
Types of Retargeting Campaigns
As with most other modes of digital marketing, there are several ways of approaching retargeting campaigns. Some of the most effective retargeting campaigns include:
Site retargeting
Site retargeting is the most common mode of retargeting. This is the general process of leveraging the data collected through your website. Pixel-based retargeting is the most common form of site retargeting in which you track visitors to your site and build targeted ads toward their online activity.
Search retargeting
This form of retargeting uses search engine data and browsing history. This allows you to advertise to users who are already in the market for your product or service. You can use the data to track user behaviors to further refine your retargeting strategies.
CTV/Cross-channel retargeting
This type of retargeting campaign utilizes data from connected TV, desktop, and mobile campaigns to refine and pinpoint your ideal audience. With this method, it is possible to layer retargeting tactics toward users who have previously engaged with your brand.
Creative asset retargeting
Creative asset retargeting allows you to target people who have already interacted with one of your ads within the last 60 days. This is an ideal way to provide supplemental ads for content that users have previously engaged with your brand. A good example is clickable display ads shown to users who know your product or service, allowing them to follow up on their own interests.
Social retargeting
This involves coordinating your marketing efforts across all social media channels. It is possible to formulate these ads to reach both open and closed social platforms. Social retargeting is a great way to build relationships with your customer base even after they have left your website.
Difference between Remarketing and Retargeting?
Remarketing and retargeting are often taken to be the same thing. Some even use the terms interchangeably. However, they are not exactly the same things.
Retargeting is primarily focused on using paid ads to re-engage users who have visited your website or engaged your social media profile. Retargeting is concerned with bringing visitors back to your website to create conversions.
Remarketing is mostly about using email to re-engage customers who have previously done business with your company.
Retargeting and Hey Day Marketing
HeyDay Marketing service can create retargeting strategies that are organically drawn from your business. Our marketing professionals know how to use the data and online traffic your website has in place to begin generating retargeting campaigns that drive conversions. We understand that retargeting strategies need to be tailored to the needs of specific businesses, and HeyDay Marketing can provide you with the services that prove to be an investment rather than an expense.
The marketing professionals at HeyDay Marketing will utilize the most effective methods to generate data that will allow you to track visitors to your website and pinpoint them through the most effective retargeting campaigns for your business needs.
We are a full-service marketing agency based in Miami, and it is our business to get your business the best return on investment from a professional marketing agency. This means we know how to place your business at the top of local searches in Florida and link these searches through retargeting strategies. When potential customers search for local businesses, HeyDay Marketing Services knows how to position your business so that yours is among the businesses with the highest rankings.
Wrapping things up
The users most likely to become customers are those who have already shown an interest in your brand. When an online shopper lands on your webpage or engages in one of your online ads, that means you have piqued their curiosity. The next step is retargeting for these potential customers.
When online users visit your website or engage in your online ads, this becomes vital information that can be used for retargeting these users and drawing them closer to being customers. Retargeting involves making the most out of the data generated from online traffic to your website.
As you can see from this guide, there are some complexities to retargeting. While it is possible to use some basic analytics to follow users online, retargeting campaigns require a balance of technical expertise and creativity. To reach potential customers and create conversions, your retargeting strategies need to follow some carefully crafted pathways.
To make the most of the possibilities for retargeting strategies and to being creating conversions, you are best served by turning this end of your digital marketing over to professionals. HeyDay Marketing Services can create retargeting campaigns that lead to sales.