Your business is always in high demand, whether you're in a booming economy or the midst of a global pandemic. 😷
But that doesn't mean that good marketing should fall by the wayside. Marketing isn't just about getting leads; it also allows you to build your brand, grow your connections, and show why you're the best choice in town.
Marketing now takes a mostly digital approach, particularly when it comes to building your presence. Websites, online business listings, reviews, social media, and email all play a role in expanding your reach online. Once you have these basics, though, you need to go the extra mile to stay top of mind with the people in your service area and encourage them to book you.
Retargeting can boost conversion rates up to 26%
Our favorite (and highly effective) method of staying top of mind is multi-channel retargeting.
What is Multi-Channel Retargeting?
You put a lot of work into designing and maintaining your website, but what happens when a person leaves your site without booking a service? That's where retargeting comes in handy.
Retargeting refers to ads that appear on third-party websites for your business. These ads serve as a reminder to someone who interacted with your product or website but didn't turn into a customer.
You've probably seen retargeted ads in your own online experience but might not have known the technical name for them. Let's say you visit a clothing website, add an item to the shopping cart, and then get distracted and don't complete your purchase. Now, let's say you start browsing another website and start seeing ads for the item you were about to buy, but didn't.
That's retargeting.
How Retargeting Campaigns Work
Retargeted ads use cookies and a tracking pixel embedded into the website's code that monitors what the website visitor is doing. The cookie is a small bit of data from your website stored on the user's computer and basically discovers where your user "travels" online. When used for retargeted advertising, these elements allow you to display your ads on other websites to stay top of mind with your website visitors and encourage them to return and complete a booking or purchase.
Retargeting ads have a 10x higher click-through rate compared to non-targeted digital display ads
Keep in mind that these ads only appear to people who have already expressed interest in your company. The advertiser also can't actually see who these users are as these details are kept completely anonymous. When they leave your website without converting into a customer, you can use retargeting to continue making impressions until they're ready to buy.
Retargeting is an essential part of digital marketing, as most people aren't ready to convert the first time they visit your website. Research suggests that people need at least seven brand impressions before they even remember who you are, and even more impressions before they're ready to commit!
So, think of retargeted ads as friendly reminders about your company that can help you stay top of mind.
Why Retargeting Works for Any Business
If someone needs a product or service, they usually have a specific problem to solve and will want to get it taken care of as soon as possible. We'd like to think that it's as easy as noticing a problem and purchasing from the first company they find, but if you've been in business long enough, you know that's not always the case.
Many people still need a few reminders to make the call and or the purchase. They're busy just like the rest of us, and no matter how badly they want to get rid of a problem, they still might forget to call for help.
Sometimes we're all a little forgetful, that's why adding retargeting to your marketing strategy is so effective. Retargeting keeps their initial problem on their mind as they're exploring other websites. Even if they meant to call you but got distracted, your ads give them the perfect reminder that their problem still exists, and you can solve it for them.
If you're wondering how well retargeted ads work, here's some food for thought:
Retargeting can boost conversion rates up to 26%
They have a 10x higher click-through rate compared to non-targeted digital display ads
60% of online buyers notice retargeted ads for products or services they've recently shopped for
It's a pretty powerful, yet massively underutilized, form of marketing worth exploring if you want to recapture your audience's attention. You've already gone through the work of getting them to your website; you might as well make a second effort to get them back to your website and convert to a lead.
How to Execute a Retargeting Campaign
You can set up different types of retargeted ad campaigns, depending on where you want to display your ads and who you want to target.
First, you'll want to consider who to retarget. Retargeting people based on their initial website behavior is a sound choice. You don't want to waste ads on visitors who bounced within a few seconds, as they likely aren't as interested as someone who spent several minutes on your website.
Also, you should consider the time factor for your ads which takes three things into account:
The time between the visit to your website and the time they see the first ad
The frequency of which you show them your ads
The time between their visit to your website and the time they stop seeing ads
You should also set goals for your campaigns. For many companies, they're more focused on conversions than brand awareness.
You may also choose to retarget customers who have already purchased from you. This can be a helpful way to drive repeat business, promote new services, or encourage annual service packages.
From there, you can use your Google AdWords account to set up a remarketing campaign. This support guide from Google walks you through the steps.
Enlist the Help of Marketing Experts
Though the mechanics of marketing through retargeting might seem straightforward, you can get the most from each campaign with the help of an expert. Contact our team today to learn how we can help you improve your marketing and maximize your ROI.