Why you should be retargeting users with ads
There’s good news and there’s bad news. The bad news? Across industries, the average landing page conversion rate is 2.35%.[i] The good news? There are strategies to increase that rate. Enter, retargeting.
Wait, what is a conversion?
A conversion is when a user visits your website and takes an action. This could be following you on Instagram, signing up for your newsletter, or—the crème de la crème—buying from you.
OK, and so what is retargeting?
Retargeting is online marketing speak for keeping your brand in front of users who have visited your site… then left (also known as bounced traffic). Because only 2-ish per cent of users to your website convert on the first visit, you’ve got a whopping 98% who are aware of your brand but, sadly, unconverted.
By way of retargeting magic, you can anonymously follow your audience all over these here Interwebs, not unlike a stalker. But while stalking is never recommended, retargeting is a strategic business move; it optimizes conversions that could otherwise be lost.
How does it work?
You got us, it’s not magic, it’s cookie-based technology. Thanks to an invisible piece of code on your website, an anonymous browser cookie drops every time a new user visits your site. So, when said user is browsing the Web, that sneaky cookie tracks them and gives your retargeting provider a heads up to serve your ads.
So, stage 5 clinger?
We get why retargeting can feel icky. But it’s not creepy if you’re not, well, being a creep about it. Here’s how you can keep things classy:
Use frequency capping
Users are going to get freaked out faster than you can say “Stranger danger!” if they’re seeing your ads non-stop. Be a lady or gentleman about it and put a cap on how often they’ll see your ads.
Don’t be everywhere
Nothing like “bumping into” your ex everywhere. At what point does it stop being random and start being annoying? So, be selective about where you’re placing your retargeting ads, so you don’t annoy users out of buying from you.
Do be relevant
If you’re an MMA fighter and I’m a wedding planner, we’re probably not Romeo and Juliet. Likewise, your retargeting ads need to be relevant to your users, so don’t serve up your UFC ad on the Martha Stewart Weddings website.
When you’re paying for ads online, you want to get the most for every dollar you spend because profitability is kind of the whole point. Because the majority of users don’t convert the first time they visit your site, retargeting can close the gap between intent (visiting your site) and actually acting. So, long story short, budget for a retargeting campaign and don’t be a creep about it.
[i] https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2014/03/17/what-is-a-good-conversion-rate
