Before we examine the title of our post, we should first establish some understanding around the area of display advertising.
Display advertising refers to those ads that appear on website and social media across desktop and mobile devices. Programmatic advertising compliments display advertising by using algorithms to service your ads to the right target customer at the right time.
This is based on an algorithm making the purchasing decision for an ad space. RTB publish offers for available ad space to Ad Exchanges. These exchanges allow Demand Slide Platforms (DSP) to bid on a space for their clients. DSPs bid on how likely it is that one of their clients customers will purchase a product offering. They will chose the best fit for that opportunity and a winning bid is chosen - and their ad is displayed. This all happens in micro seconds. An additional benefit is marketers can track where their budget is being spent and divert spend towards better performing options thereby increasing their campaign traction and ROI.
Is a specific online advertising or promoting to targets, based on their previous internet behaviours. It is very successful as it ensures you are communicating with people who have shown a specific interest in the type of product you might be offering.
There are a number of different forms of re-targeting: It can be:
Why use re-targeting?
Across all Ad formats and placements CTR is 0.05%
Rich media CTR rate is 0.1%
Less than 2% of web users that click on display adverts convert into customers
Prospects are only ready to consider a purchase after an average of 7 interactions.
Retargeting looks to target bounced traffic (visitors who have been to your website but did not convert on any of your goals) and looks to entice them to click through to your site again.
Retargeting is very successful at building brand awareness and increasing conversions. The principle is to get visitors to re-engage with your business by reminding them of your service/offer as well as offering further incentive to get them to click through (a discount or other promotional offer for example)
Website visitors who are retargeted with ads are 70% more likely to convert
The average click through rate for ads is .05% while the average click through rate for retargeted ads is 10x that or 0.5%
It also allows marketers to reach targets at different points along the sales funnel. Hence re-targeting can be used during an awareness phase or moving through consideration and decision phases right up to purchasing phases of the funnel activity.
Retargeting can be used as an ongoing integrated tool for marketing purposes or as a stand alone sales awareness campaign. You should remember a successful conversion may not necessarily be a sale, it could be getting someone to fill out a form that can be followed up as a lead.
Awareness:
Retargeting delivers greater awareness by reminding web users of your offer repeatedly. This kind of marketing helps brand recall considerably
Customer LTV:
Because your level of awareness has increased, the potential LTV of your customer will improve
Conversion rate:
If you consider that <2% of clicked adverts convert, the majority of web visitors are not ready to purchase most times they visit your site. They need further reminding and encouragement. Retargeting increases this likelihood to purchase because it reminds them of your offer. But if your retargeting has been properly planned and delivered, you will not just be able to give them the same reminder, you will be able to offer them additional information which will help their understanding of your offer and increase the likelihood of moving them along the funnel. If you understand your customer journeys and the touch points they interact with and how that is mirrored in your sales funnel – you can deliver highly relevant messaging to your targets during these interactions.
Cost effective:
Retargeting succeeds because it targets people who have already shown a likelihood to purchase by visiting your site. Hence it is much more accurate that an Adwords PPC campaign. It narrows the audience base considerably based on their demonstrated behavior.
Creativity:
You can be more creative and direct with retargeting because the target has prior knowledge of you. Unlike a generic display ad where you have to treat every viewer as a stranger.
Long term:
Data suggests that retargeting is most effective after it has run over several months. In addition as your website traffic increases, your re-targeting audience will be increasing.
Precise:
You are communicating with an engaged audience – all of whom have proven evidence of a level of interest in your product or offering.
Differentiation:
If you can demonstrate to your targets that you are aware of them and can prove to offer them solutions to problems they are encountering – that is a very powerful thing. Retargeting enables this sort of marketing activity. You can really stand out from your competitors and connect really well with your potential customer audience.
Less intrusive:
You feel less bombarded by unwanted content because it is coming from a site you are familiar with. Yes they are aware that you are tracking them – but this also shows that you are a pro-active business serious about winning their business.
Google Analytics can track how many returning visitors you are getting to your site as well as how loyal they are. Retargeting helps these figures because you can be very specific with your messaging when in campaign.
Even marketers who are well acquainted with SEO, content & email marketing, organic social media can benefit from adding display and programmatic advertising as part of their marketing mix
As we have described, retargeting works by delivering personalised content to users who have previously visited your site. For example if a visitor places one of your products in a cart and then abandons your site without making a purchase – retargeting allows you to re-serve this product as the user moves across web and social media. For inbound marketers, retargeting can also be integrated into your email marketing campaigns. If a visitor leaves your site without giving their email details for example, retargeting is a good way of re-showing them this content.
Prospecting:
Where marketers are able to target new audiences and drive them to a website. The more prospects you drive to your site the more data you are gathering for your sales funnel nurturing but also for future retargeting activities.
Social Media:
A display vendor can run retargeting and prospecting ads across social media. They are important as they allow marketers to engage with audiences in apps and devices where their prospects are hanging out.
CRM:
Analyses your prospects email addresses to serve them with relevant ads direct to their in-box. Retargeting works well here by serving them content follow-ups based on what they have already viewed online.
What are the metrics for success you should be looking for from your integrated IM and Retargeting campaigns? Lets look at it through your sales funnel and how you nurture through the funnel.
Inbound Marketing and Retargeting can co-exist very effectively. Used together they are an excellent way of nurturing prospects in the funnel. Your IM brings visitors to your site. If they leave without converting or providing any email details, retargeting is a very effective way of getting in front of them again and looking to bring them back to your site with a new take on your original offering.