If you’ve visited at least two pages on this website, you’ve probably seen an ad that looks something like this:
That’s a retargeting ad. It has one purpose: to remind you about Now Media Group. Maybe you’ve read some of our blogs and we want you to come back to read more of them, so we have an ad to remind you that we exist. Or, maybe you found our site, read a page about a service, but didn’t make a decision about it just yet — hopefully our ad has you come back. We want you to keep us in mind, and that’s why, if you’ve shown an interest in our content, we use pay-per-click to retarget you.
If you’re a business owner with a website, you should be retargeting your customer base too.
Why Retarget?
The internet-wide average for customers who convert on the first visit to your website is two percent. In other words, 98 percent of the people who go to your website for the first time will leave without interacting with your business in some way. That’s a lot of lost business, some of which you could get back if there was a way to reach out to those people. Well, there is a way, and that way is called retargeting.
There are a number reasons you want to retarget:
- Brand awareness. People like what they’re familiar with, and retargeting helps your customers familiarize and identify themselves with your brand. That way, when they make their final purchasing decision, it’s more likely that it’ll be your brand that they choose. If they are already customers of yours, improving brand awareness will also help to instill brand loyalty, making your customers more likely to return.
- To remind them of their intent to purchase your product or service. A large fraction of your website visitors will be people researching before making a final purchasing decision. They probably won’t make that decision right away. You want them to think of you when it does come time to make that final decision, and your retargeting ads will serve this purpose. In fact, you can make your retargeting ads product-specific, so that you address exactly what the customer is looking for.
- To remind them that your website always has something to offer them. Maybe you have a blog on your website. Someone reads a blog, likes it, but forgets about your site after she leaves. A retargeting ad serves as a good reminder and it will bring that person back to your site, exposing them to what you can offer.
Some people might be under the impression that these kinds of ads are there to annoy them. This is absolutely untrue, and in fact if I’m displaying an ad to someone who doesn’t want to see them, then I am wasting my money. That’s why, in the case of Now Media Group and our pay-per-click clients, we only display ads to people who show true interest in the business. We want people who have clearly taken time to explore the website, with the intention of showing the ads to only those who are likely to respond positively to them.
And, statistically, the fact is that retargeting ads are more effective than simple display ads by an order of a magnitude of a percentage point (0.7 percent for retargeting ads v. 0.07 percent for standard display ads). Not only do customers respond well to them, but retargeting ads earn higher conversion rates, on average. And it makes sense, since they target people who are already familiar with what you offer and were at some point considering purchasing it.
How does retargeting work?
A website that retargets its visitor has a piece of JavaScript code embedded on the site which tracks the visitor’s IP address and places a “cookie” on their browser. It then checks this IP against whatever rules the advertiser has set. For example, Now Media Group only retargets to those who have visited two or more pages on the site, so any IP that does not meet those requirements gets filtered out. We also filter out our own IP address, so we don’t see our own ads. Once the IP meets these rules, the “cookie” is downloaded.
Those visitors who meet the cut for retargeting are then shown these ads when they visit other websites. To know whether these ads are being clicked and whether they are leading to sales, we add a series of scripts to your website that allows us to track conversions. These are actions visitors take that add value to your business, like a phone call or a contact form fill out, or even a purchase if you’re an e-commerce site. We can track that, and even attribute it to the specific ad they saw.
Retargeting is pay-per-click, so you pay if and only if your ad is clicked on. You don’t have to pay for the ineffective ads.
Start Reaching Out to Your Patients and Customers
Retargeting is effective and relatively inexpensive. If you’re not using it to reach out to potential patients and visitors who did not make a first-time purchasing decision on your website, you’re losing business. We are more than happy to offer you more information on the service, simply contact us by email or call us at 858-617-8964.