The concept behind remarketing is based on the idea that as a digital marketer, you understand that things don’t always go as planned initially. It often requires trial and error, altering the approach, and taking a different path until you achieve success or obtain your desired outcome.
When executed properly, remarketing can be a highly valuable advertising strategy, as it involves serving specifically targeted ads to individuals who have previously visited or interacted with your website. However, it is important to exercise caution when employing this technique, as it has the potential to escalate advertising expenses before generating a return on investment. To illustrate this point, consider the following statistics:
- Remarketing can increase branded search results by at least 500%.
- Retargeting can deliver a 700% increase in overall site visitors due to improved ad exposure.
- Previous site visitors are 70% more likely to convert when exposed to retargeting ads.
The abundant value and possibilities of remarketing ads are present, but the execution of this advertising strategy differs significantly from that of traditional digital advertising.
To start, you are focusing on a particular group of individuals who are already acquainted with your company. Therefore, you will have to employ different methods and strategies in order to effectively engage with your target audience. The following guidelines are crucial for a successful implementation of your remarketing plan.
1. Tackling cart abandonment
If you’re a newcomer to online retail, you will quickly discover that cart abandonment poses a significant issue. It is astonishing to see the high number of individuals who abandon their virtual shopping carts without completing a transaction. Based on one survey, the average rate of cart abandonment is slightly below 70%.
By utilizing remarketing, you can effectively decrease the rates at which customers abandon their carts. Employ Google Analytics to monitor the number of visits to your pages.
By going through the process step by step, you can gain a better understanding of the number of users who make it to the checkout but do not reach the purchase completion page. Furthermore, this information can be used to track the products that shoppers have added to their carts, enabling you to create remarketing campaigns specifically targeting these items.
One possible rephrasing could be: In order to motivate them to finalize their purchase, a possible approach could involve providing them with a slight discount, or alternatively, gently reminding them about the availability of their product, emphasizing its readiness for purchase.
2. Audience segmentation
When working in retail, it is crucial to have a comprehensive understanding of the various elements that make up your customer base.
Customer segmentation is particularly useful in this scenario. Every customer is unique, so it is crucial to have a detailed approach in targeting. It is important to make sure that ads are relevant to customers to serve a meaningful purpose.
Users vary in their level of purchase intent. Some users may leave your website immediately, while others may navigate through multiple pages. Certain potential customers may only view a single product page, whereas others may go to the extent of adding items to their cart before ultimately abandoning them.
Knowing this information will help you identify which sections of your website to focus on and how to approach them. It is not necessary to prioritize those who leave your site immediately, but it is important to pay attention to those who start a purchase but do not finish it.
3. Target existing customers
As previously mentioned, in order for your business to thrive in the long run, it is crucial to have customers coming back frequently. Therefore, it is necessary to consider how to convert first-time customers into loyal ones. While acquiring new customers is important, it can be costly as it requires more resources compared to retaining existing customers.
There are several methods to encourage returning customers in the future. These methods may include:
- Rebuying – encouraging customers to buy products they’ve bought in the past,
- Reinviting – enticing past customers back to your business,
- or cross-selling – inviting customers to buy products related to other purchases,
- Loyalty campaigns offering unique discounts and offers can also be very effective.
4. Use remarketing traffic to drive email signups
We have already mentioned the significance of post-purchase emails in effectively interacting with customers.
Email marketing has been proven to be effective in producing outcomes. It is important, however, not to excessively inundate consumers with emails. Yet, as long as there are attractive incentives for subscribing (exclusive offers, details about new product releases, or valuable content), individuals will generally consider it a valuable use of their time.
By utilizing your remarketing traffic, you have the opportunity to increase the number of individuals who subscribe to your email list. Through the use of appropriate keywords, Google Ads can be employed to publicize your email content and motivate individuals to enroll. Subsequently, you can develop more targeted lists that promote content customized to meet their specific requirements, thereby yielding a greater number of conversions and overall value.
5. Target visitors to your shipping and returns policy page
When people visit your website’s shipping and returns page, they seek various types of information, such as the applicable shipping tax based on their state. However, if someone takes the effort to read through your shipping and returns policies, it indicates their high level of commitment towards making a purchase, regardless of what that purchase may be.
It is logical to focus on these individuals for a few reasons. They may seek assurance regarding the dependability of your shipping services and the estimated arrival time for their items. Additionally, they might be curious about the availability of free shipping. Consider targeting this audience with an advertisement that highlights your dedication to shipping reliability, potentially incorporating any guarantees you provide in this aspect. You can also emphasize the option of free shipping, if applicable.
6. Broaden your keyword lists
When remarketing for search ads, numerous advertisers tend to replicate their existing keyword lists, which is a mistake. Even though your website visitors may return to Google to further research a topic and use many of the same keywords, their intent may differ. However, this does not imply that you should not broaden your keyword lists.
When using lists for search ads (RLSA), you are focusing on a small group of people, which are your previous site visitors. Because of this, it is important to use as many relevant keywords as possible to make sure your ads are shown to this audience. Therefore, expand your keyword lists to include other relevant terms that you may have excluded in your PPC ad campaigns for various reasons.
Most PPC advertisers do not target broad keywords because they bring in a large amount of traffic that may or may not be relevant to their business, which is why they avoid them.
Broad keywords are very important for remarketing campaigns because they target people who have already shown interest in your business, giving you some knowledge of their search intent.
7. Target previous customers
Many marketers who utilize remarketing ads primarily concentrate on generating initial conversions, but they fail to recognize the immense potential for upselling and cross-selling to their current customer base via remarketing.
Targeting previous customers can bring significant success to your remarketing campaigns because those who have already made a purchase from your business are more inclined to make a repeat purchase compared to individuals who have never become customers. Consequently, focusing on this customer segment is an easily achievable tactic that can yield favorable outcomes.
By specifically targeting previous customers, you can utilize the extra information you possess regarding them to generate more pertinent and personalized advertisements. This presents a chance for you to remind them of the aspects of your business that you are aware they already appreciate. To target previous customers:
- Promoting sales on products similar to their previous purchases
- Announcing new inventory arrivals
- Reminding them to schedule future appointments (for service-based businesses)
By thinking systematically, you have the ability to establish distinctive campaigns tailored for your most valuable customers. Elaborate unique incentives and promotions exclusively intended for individuals who have already made a specific monetary investment in your business. This way, you can further enhance their customer lifetime value through the use of remarketing advertisements.
8. Bid based on audience behavior
If you start your remarketing efforts, your main focus should be on creating remarketing campaigns for the site pages that align with your main marketing objectives.
As remarketing continues to demonstrate its return on investment, you have the opportunity to broaden your strategy by tagging numerous pages on your site. However, you can still tactically allocate your remarketing budget to guarantee that you are optimizing its effect on your overall financial outcome. The most effective approach to achieve this is by bidding according to audience behavior.
When analyzing the actions of visitors on your website, their behavior on-site is a useful indicator of their likelihood to convert. Consider the difference between someone who reached the checkout page and someone who only spent five minutes on your home page. Which of these two leads would have a higher probability of converting through remarketing?
It is still recommended to remarket to the person who only visited your homepage, but you should lower your bid because this lead is less likely to convert. Allocate the majority of your remarketing budget towards targeting leads at the bottom of your sales funnel, as this will likely result in many quick sales.
When considering remarketing investments, it is important to remember that not all site visitors are worth it. One significant factor to take into account is the amount of time visitors spend on the page, as the majority of them leave within 15 seconds.
Save your remarketing budget for leads who have demonstrated genuine interest in your business by engaging with your content, browsing other pages, and completing lead forms. This is because the limited time they spend on your website is insufficient for them to develop an interest in your product or service, and even to comprehend what it entails.
