Sponsored by Total Merchant Services
By Rieva Lesonsky
The holiday shopping season is drawing to an end—but that doesn’t mean your sales have to slow down. Whether you own an e-commerce business or a brick-and-mortar business, online retargeting ads can help you boost your sales well into the New Year.
What Is Retargeting?
Retargeting, also called remarketing, is a way to show online ads to people who visited your website but didn’t convert. In other words, they didn’t take the action you wanted them to, such as signing up for your emails or buying the items they put in their shopping carts. You’ve undoubtedly seen retargeting ads for products you’ve browsed if you’ve shopped online
There are two types of online retargeting ads. The most common are “pixel-based” ads. These use Javascript code to track people who have visited your website, place “cookies” in their browsers and serve up relevant ads to them later on. Pixel-based ads can target users solely based on their online behaviors—you don’t need to collect any other information such as name or email address.
A less common, but often more effective, kind of online retargeting is “list-based” advertising. This uses email addresses you’ve gathered from people who opt into your email lists or join your customer loyalty program. The retargeting campaign finds people with the email addresses who use social media platforms like Facebook or Twitter and shows them ads relevant to their past behavior with your business.
Since list-based retargeting focuses on customers who already have a relationship with your business, it’s more tailored to their interests and shopping habits than pixel-based retargeting, which makes it even more effective.
How to Use Retargeting
Pixel-based retargeting is a great way to target shoppers who browse your site but don’t place products in their carts, or shoppers who abandon their carts without making a purchase. Often, this type of shopper is searching for similar products at a lower price elsewhere. A retargeting ad that offers them a discount or alerts them of a sale can be all it takes to convince them to buy from you.
Use list-based retargeting to build relationships with people who already have an interest in your business. With this type of retargeting, you can segment your audience based on their characteristics and past behaviors. For example, if someone buys a pair of hiking boots from you, you can retarget them with ads for related camping and hiking products, such as socks, sun hats or backpacks.
Tips for Retargeting
Here are some keys to successful retargeting campaigns:
- Don’t retarget too often. If shoppers see your retargeted ads on every website they visit, it could backfire. Set limits on how often the same user sees your ads.
- Use geotargeting. Do you sell to a local customer base? Then geotargeted remarketing ads are the perfect way to reach the customers you want without spending money on those you don’t. For example, the Message Manager feature of Groovv’s PassMarket tool uses geo-fenced beacons to push relevant messages and offers to nearby customers.
- Retarget through multiple channels. Don’t just retarget customers on their laptops or desktops—for the best results, reach out to them with retargeted ads on mobile devices and social media, too. Groovv Offers is a mobile and social marketing tool that makes it easy to create, send and track promotional offers to retarget customers.
- Save time. Don’t create your remarketing campaign from scratch. When you use Groovv Offers’ web-based interface, you can select from a gallery of hundreds of proven offers and themes. Customize your offer in moments and send it to your customers on Facebook, Twitter, email, text message and even your own website with just one click.
- Track your results. Like all online marketing, online retargeting enables you to immediately see results. With Groovv Offers, you can track and monitor your campaigns and adjust your retargeting efforts as needed.
- Get professional help. If retargeting still sounds overwhelming, consult online resources such as those offered by Google AdWords, or seek professional help to make your campaign the best it can be.
Used properly, remarketing can be the secret to getting shoppers back to your store or site in 2018 and beyond.
For more information on Total Merchant Services’ product family and/or to see if you qualify for free placement of payment processing equipment, call (888) 610-1025.
