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As digital marketing guru Neil Patel says, “Pageviews don’t pay the bills. Purchases do.” If your website has a healthy amount of monthly traffic, but conversions are low, retargeting may be a viable strategy to reel back in some of that lost traffic.
Here’s how it works.
How Does Retargeting Work?
Retargeting tracks visitors to your site and “follows” them around the internet with your ads. You’re no doubt familiar with the popups on most sites today that say something along the lines of “We use cookies to improve your browsing experience.” That is retargeting; a website drops a snippet of code on a person’s browser, called a cookie, which allows retargeting ad platforms like Google, AdRoll, ReTargeter, MailChimp and others to show the visitor targeted ads as they travel the web.
Ads can be shown on third party sites, in search results, videos, email, social media, and more. And the beauty of retargeting is that you can customize the ad to be relevant based on the visitor’s behavior on your website. Consider these uses for retargeting:
- General ad to keep your brand top of mind and increase awareness
- Ad for returning visitors: “Welcome back” or “We missed you”
- Free shipping or discount code to visitors who left your site from their shopping cart
- “Your cart is calling you back” ad
- Ad for a specific product a visitor was viewing on your site – with discount, or not
- Ads for gated content, like guides and ebooks, if the visitor returns to your site and signs up
Why Retargeting Works
Retargeting is so effective because it is leveraging an audience that has had exposure to your brand — visitors that have already been on your website in some capacity or another. In contrast, search ads like those from Google Ads or Bing, show people relevant ads based on their search query (keywords they enter into a search engine). But if a person isn’t familiar with any of the brands shown in the ads, they may be less likely to trust and click them.
According to Marketo, retargeted customers are three times more likely to click on your ad, and 70% more likely to convert. So it’s no surprise that marketers are increasing or dedicating a portion of their ad budget to retargeting.
What About Onsite Retargeting?
When most people think about retargeting, they think about ads that follow them around the internet. But you can also use onsite retargeting to capture visitors while they’re still on your website using conversion marketing software. These solutions allow you to build relevant popup offers that are displayed on your website. Granular targeting options allow you to show the right ad to the right person at the right time. Consider these uses for onsite retargeting:
- When a visitor’s cursor moves to close the tab or leave your site while in their shopping cart (offer discount or free shipping)
- After a visitor has spent X time on your blog (prompt for newsletter signup)
- When they visit a product page (recommend similar products)
- When they visit your pricing or services page (offer a guide or ebook download)
The added advantage of onsite retargeting is that not only are you increasing conversions while visitors are still on your website, you’re also collecting email addresses to build your lists and boost future marketing efforts.
PixelPeople Can Help You Create Winning Retargeting Campaigns
A smart mix of paid strategies will maximize your advertising dollars. At PixelPeople, we love all things Google, and the Google Ads retargeting platform is no exception. Google’s Display Network reaches more than 90% of internet users worldwide and encompasses more than 2 million websites, videos, and apps. That’s a ton of potential exposure for your retargeting ads!
If you’re ready to see how retargeting can help you recapture lost traffic, and increase conversions and sales, let’s chat!
