Retargeting is a desirable approach to bringing visitors back to your site and turning them into future customers. The thing is, the majority of visitors to your website will not convert the first time they visit, which is where retargeting becomes very useful. It uses information gathered from visitors to your site to display ads on other sites they visit to encourage them to return.
As you can see in our detailed retargeting infographic, it’s a straightforward concept.
Here’s how it works:
Someone visits your website and leaves without buying anything. During their visit, information about them is gathered. Based on this information, ads are created and shown on the other sites they visit online. If done correctly, these ads will eventually bring the same visitor back, potentially turning them into a customer.
This happens mainly through one of the following:
- Retargeting pixel – This form of retargeting is the most popular. It is where you redisplay your products and material to any site visitor even if they are anonymous. This “pixel” is a piece of JavaScript that is placed in their browser, otherwise also known as a “cookie.” When they continue to surf the internet once they leave your site, the “cookie” notifies the retargeting platforms to present the visitor specific ads based on the pages they have visited in the past.
- Website code snippet – These are small blocks of reusable code that have many uses such as an event to pass data that shares information about your visitors and their actions on your website to the ads website you are working with. The collected information is then used to retarget the visitors to your website once they’ve left.
Understanding the Five Types of Retargeting
Most marketers only consider search retargeting as their approach, but the truth is there are many ways to apply it to your marketing strategy. Each is efficient in its own way, but a combination of several or all is the best way to go for the ultimate retargeting strategy. Check out the top five retargeting strategies that every marketer should consider.
Search Retargeting
As this is the most popular form of retargeting, we’ll start from here. This retargeting focuses on keywords and phrases that potential customers look up online. Searchers then see the ads based on phrases or keywords related to your website and business. Well-designed and optimized ads are the first means to grab their attention.
SEO/SEM Retargeting
This type of retargeting focuses on what keywords brought a visitor to your website. The information is combined with what the visitor does on your website. This way, you provide them with direct targeting that is focused on their specific search terms and exactly what they need. In the end, you have more insight into their intent and how to bring them back to your website again and understand how to turn them into a customer.
Site Retargeting
Here you focus on visitors already on your website. The goal is to get your message heard. Rather than showing all visitors the same thing, with a strong site retargeting strategy, you will use tools to present them with exactly what they seek based on their actions on your website. Live triggers such as dynamic subscription, product recommender, and upsell options come in handy here. If the users are visiting your website, these tools have already shown them options that fit them and their needs.
Email Retargeting
Email is one of the most reliable drivers of sales. So, understandably, it should be an essential part of your retargeting strategy. Through email retargeting you collect information on the actions visitors have taken on the emails you sent. This information is then used to bring them back to your website. It also allows you to share valuable information with loyal customers who already have a higher chance of returning to your site.
Engagement Retargeting
The last retargeting strategy is certainly not the least. Engagement retargeting is based on the level of engagement and intent by visitors, pinpointing display ads. This is most effective for websites that use rich media, video, and flash. Quality designed ads with call to action are the best way to grab their attention and encourage them to return and make a purchase.
Wrap-up
Naturally, these are only five of the many strategies you can use to apply retargeting to your marketing campaign in order to encourage visitor returns.
Let’s face it:
With only 2% of first-time visitors going through with a purchase, retargeting is a crucial step to bring them back for a second chance to become a customer.
Bottom line
Whether you focus on one retargeting strategy or combine different approaches, your chances of bringing back visitors to your website will increase drastically. What’s more, you can use retargeting for more than just bringing visitors back, as it’s a great tool to boost brand awareness, site engagement, and ultimately sales.
