What is ??retargeting
Retargeting, also called remarketing, is a type of digital marketing that enables you to display advertisements to individuals who have previously visited your website. With this approach, you can subsequently reach out to these individuals by showcasing relevant ads on different websites and applications, thus enticing them to return to your site.
Retargeting allows ecommerce business owners to remain on shoppers’ minds while they are browsing other websites and apps, thereby enhancing the likelihood of future purchases.
How does retargeting work
The main types of retargeting, which involves displaying ads to users, are pixel-based retargeting and list-based retargeting. It focuses on users’ past actions such as visiting a product page or making a purchase.
Pixel-based retargeting
To achieve success in retargeting, it is crucial to identify appropriate audiences and display suitable advertisements to them, depending on their behavior. A commonly used method for accomplishing this is through the placement of a retargeting pixel on your website.
By using a retargeting pixel, you can easily recognize and target visitors with relevant ads on other websites or mobile apps. The most convenient way to incorporate this code into your website is through Google Tag Manager, as it enables simple implementation without the need for technical expertise, allowing any member of your team to set it up.
Users are becoming increasingly cautious about sharing their data online with companies for marketing purposes due to a growing awareness of tracking and privacy concerns.
In order to run a successful retargeting campaign, it is important to gather a comprehensive customer database. Thus, establishing trust with your customers becomes essential as they need assurance that their data is safe and that you are only collecting the essential information to enhance their overall customer experience.
By using a retargeting pixel, you can create customized advertisements that are specifically designed for a particular audience segment, resulting in increased conversions through precise targeting.
List-based retargeting
Remarketing lists for search ads also enable retargeting. This feature permits the creation of distinct audiences that will view your ads when they search for relevant terms on Google and other sites in the Display Network.
With AdWords, you have the ability to upload customer email addresses from your CRM so that you can display ads in Gmail, YouTube videos, and other platforms. Retargeting allows you to present individuals with appropriate messaging along their buyer’s journey when it is most opportune.
Retargeting best practices for ecommerce
Retargeting is highly effective in reconnecting with your customers and providing them with the information they are seeking. This is especially beneficial if your ecommerce site has a large number of products and experiences a high rate of shopping cart abandonment.
With a global rate of nearly 70%, the online shopping cart abandonment results in a significant amount of money being missed out on. Therefore, you can apply these ecommerce retargeting best practices immediately.
1. Optimize your landing page for conversions
Once users click on your retargeting ad, they will arrive at the landing page. It is crucial for this page to be related to the ad in order to prevent immediate bouncing. Determine the desired actions you want your customers to take when they visit your site.
- Buy something?
- Sign up for a newsletter?
- Learn about new product features?
To maintain the same meaning, rephrase the text below step by step: 1. The call-to-action (CTA) should directly relate to the retargeting ad’s promise. 2. Ensure that the CTA is placed prominently on a relevant page. 3. Take inspiration from this example of a 7-day free trial of Wordtracker Keywords Tool. Rephrased with maintaining the same meaning: 1. Make sure the call-to-action (CTA) aligns with the promise made in the retargeting ad. 2. The CTA should be prominently positioned on a relevant page. 3. Take this 7-day free trial of Wordtracker Keywords Tool as an example for inspiration. Target CTA: “Start your 7-day free trial now!”
To attract more of your target niche and demographic, you can consider utilizing educational marketing on your landing pages. Providing relevant articles with useful information for your target audience will help establish trust and credibility.
2. Don’t spam your audience
To ensure optimal results, it is recommended to restrict the frequency at which a display ad is shown to a potential customer when employing retargeting techniques. Overexposure to an ad can lead to adverse consequences, such as diminished campaign effectiveness and the formation of negative impressions about your website, as users may become fatigued by repetitive ads.
When it comes to the frequency of retargeting ads, there isn’t a strict guideline. It is recommended that you work together with your retargeting provider to decide on the most suitable approach for your campaign. Considering that your visitors are at varying stages in their purchasing journey, it is essential to plan strategically when and how frequently your ads are displayed.
3. Exclude users who have already converted
To avoid annoyance, ensure that your audience segmentation excludes users who have already made a purchase, as nothing is more frustrating than seeing an advertisement for something you’ve already bought. However, you can still retarget these users with additional products or upsell opportunities, making sure they are not exposed to ads for items they have already purchased.
4. Match the message to user intent
In order to achieve success in targeting, it is essential to ensure a proper alignment between the messaging and the appropriate stage of the buying funnel. It is important to consider whether your user is engaged in general product research, displaying readiness to make a purchase, or somewhere in between.
There are four primary user intent categories.
- Informational – researching a product
- Navigational – seeing what you offer and whether it’s right for them
- Commercial – comparing features, prices
- Transactional – ready to buy
By placing different retargeting pixels on various pages of your website, you can create personalized messages that align with the level of interest your users have in your product.
To enhance brand awareness for visitors on your main page, display a creative that captures their attention. However, when it comes to detailed product specifications or abandoned carts, consider offering something more specific, like free shipping. The crucial aspect is ensuring that your messaging aligns with the user’s intent and level of engagement with your brand, increasing the likelihood of success.
5. Show ads by customer segmentation
It would not be advisable to display a car advertisement to a visitor of a website who has successfully finished placing an order for a burger.
In order to retain the same meaning, the given text can be rephrased as follows: It is crucial to monitor the products that visitors view, add to cart, or purchase on your website, as they generally come with a specific product or a few products in mind rather than intending to buy everything in your store.
If you analyze this data, you will be able to divide your audience into segments. Afterward, you can conveniently focus on the lost customers by displaying the products they left behind during their checkout.
6. Use your ad copy to address pain points
Crafting your retargeting ad copies solely with the plain tag line of your company or utilizing the brand image is not advisable. The reason behind this is that your audience has already visited your website and thoroughly examined your landing pages. Consequently, it is more effective to focus on addressing their pain points in the copy.
7. Use copy to reflect sales objections
By effectively addressing sales objections through retargeting ads, you can maximize your ROI. Your sales team can play a crucial role in this process since they understand the reasons behind customers abandoning the checkout process.
By breaking it down into steps, you can also carry out a survey among those who did not convert by using a form to obtain the reasons behind their decision to not make a purchase. The only task left is to incorporate these objections into your retargeting ad copy. It’s as easy as that!
8. Push them to take the plunge using urgency
To make the most of your retargeting ads, you can utilize a countdown or display the offer’s deadline in the ad copy to generate FOMO.
Fear of Missing Out, or FOMO, is a traditional notion in digital marketing that functions effectively in generating a feeling of urgency among the intended audience, similar to other forms of email or regular ad copy.
9. Offer discount codes and coupons
Despite being an old method, it can still prove to be highly effective. In fact, discounts and coupon codes have become a crucial component of advertisements, leaving marketers unable to conceive any ads without them. When extending discounts to our customers, we typically adhere to the practices followed by industry leaders. A prime illustration of this can be seen in Udemy’s retargeting ad, which showcases enticing discounts for customers.
10. Check typography and color contrast
To effectively catch your intended audience’s attention, carefully consider the font family and font size when creating your retargeting ad copy. This will help distinguish your ad copy from other competitors, as your audience is unlikely to read every character.
Please rephrase the text below while keeping the same meaning, without adding or removing information. Additionally, ensure that you use the appropriate color contrast for each element of the advertising copy. Remember to think step by step! — Please rephrase the given text while preserving its meaning without any additions or deletions. Also, make sure to utilize proper color contrast for each element in the ad copy.
11. Show cross-selling and up-selling ads
Just because someone purchases a product does not mean your interaction with that customer is complete. However, displaying retargeting ads for the same product is entirely ineffective since it is highly unlikely that the customer will make another bike purchase in the near future.
If someone buys a motorcycle, it is redundant to repeatedly display identical motorcycle purchasing advertisements to them. However, there is a considerably strong likelihood that they will purchase fuel or other supplementary kits for the motorcycle. Consequently, you have the opportunity to display cross-selling or even up-selling advertisements to them.
12. Use eye-catching images
After completing your segmentation and frequency analysis, as well as optimizing your landing pages, it remains crucial to ensure that your users click on your advertisement. Therefore, it is vital to utilize captivating and superior images that catch their attention and compel them to click.
Ensuring you allocate enough resources to your creatives is crucial, as it can greatly impact the success or failure of your campaign.
It is worth conducting research and trying out several online tools, both free and paid, for creating or editing images and video. This will help you determine the most suitable option that offers the necessary features.
