How to Use Retargeting Ads to Re-Engage Website Visitors and Drive Sales
Retargeting ads can be one of the most beneficial marketing campaigns for businesses – this is how to utilise them, writes SIMON DELL.
As a small to medium-sized business owner or marketer, you already know the importance of online advertising to drive website traffic and increase sales. But have you ever considered using retargeting ads to re-engage visitors who have already shown interest in your brand or product? Retargeting ads can be a powerful tool to boost conversions and revenue, and in this blog, we’ll provide practical tips on how to run effective retargeting campaigns.
PPC and Retargeting Ads
Pay-per-click ads (PPC) are a popular online advertising model where businesses pay each time a user clicks on their ad. Retargeting ads are a specific type of PPC advertising that targets users who have already interacted with your brand or website in some way. If for example a, user visits your website but doesn’t make a purchase, retargeting ads can be used to show them ads for the same product or service they viewed to bring them back to your website and potentially make a purchase. By leveraging the power of PPC advertising and retargeting ads, businesses can effectively reach and engage with their target audience, drive repeat visits to their website, and ultimately increase their revenue.
Retargeting vs Remarketing
While “retargeting” and “remarketing” are often used interchangeably, there is a subtle difference between the two. Retargeting typically refers to ads that are displayed based on a user’s previous website behaviour, while remarketing can include email marketing campaigns or other forms of outreach to re-engage users. For this article, we’ll focus our attention on retargeting ads.
Benefits of Retargeting Ads
The benefits of retargeting Facebook and Google ads are numerous and highly effective;
- Targets users who have already shown interest in your brand or product, increasing the likelihood of conversion.
- If no conversion takes place, you are still gaining valuable brand recognition.
- Help to increase brand awareness and recall by showing your ads to users who have already interacted with your website.
- Retargeting ads can be more cost-effective than traditional PPC ads, as you only target users already familiar with your brand.
- Provides valuable consumer metrics to better understand your audience.
Best Practices for Retargeting Ads
To ensure your retargeting ads are effective, there are a few best practices to keep in mind.
- Segmentation is essential – make sure you’re targeting the right audience with your ads based on their previous behaviour. There’s no point in advertising men’s deodorant to a female demographic.
- Ad messaging – these should be tailored to the specific audience segment to maximise relevance and engagement.
- Ad placement – This should be strategic, ensuring your ads are seen by the right people at the right time.
- Ad frequency – This needs to be carefully managed to avoid over-exposure or ad fatigue.
Measuring and Analysing Results
Measuring and analysing the results of your retargeting campaigns can be achieved in a four-step process:
- Setting goals for your campaigns – These goals should be aligned with your overall marketing objectives and should be measurable and time-bound. For example, your goal might be to increase website traffic by 20% within the next three months.
- Track your conversions – Conversion tracking allows you to see how many people who clicked on your ad took a desired action on your website, such as making a purchase or filling out a contact form.
- Analyse your metrics – This follows from tracking your conversions and involves looking at the data to see how your ads are performing in terms of clicks, impressions, click-through rate (CTR), conversion rate optimisation, landing page optimisation, cost per click (CPC), revenue optimisation, and return on ad spend (ROAS).
- Optimise your campaigns – Using your assessed metrics, you can now optimize your retargeting campaigns. This might involve adjusting your ad messaging, targeting specific audience segments, changing your ad placement or frequency, A/B testing with remarketing or adjusting your bid strategy.
Measuring and analysing the results of your retargeting ads can provide several benefits for your business, including improved ROI, a greater understanding of your audience, highlighting opportunities for improvement and increased efficiency.
Final Thoughts
Increasing website traffic with remarketing can certainly increase awareness and sales, but it’s important to keep those foundational aspects in mind to ensure your campaigns remain effective. By segmenting your audience, tailoring ad messaging, and carefully managing ad placement and frequency, you can maximise the impact of your campaigns. And by measuring and analysing results, you can continuously optimise your campaigns for maximum ROI. If you haven’t yet explored the world of retargeting ads, now is the time to start.