Retargeting Tips For Beginners: Avoid these rookie mistakes

opens IMAGE file Retargeting isn’t a new concept in advertising, but we still come across many people who say they’ve tried it and it doesn’t work. But, we know it DOES work. Why? Well, for starters, we’ve seen it work thousands of times. Those who say it doesn’t work often fall prey to common mistakes, which is what we want to prevent!

A Visitor Isn’t Always a Buyer

  • Don’t confuse the two. There will be people that come on your website to browse, and others that have already purchased a product or service. With a visitor who has not previously made purchases it’s important to catch their eye. This can be done with a sale or an offer for first-time customers that gets them to make a purchase. You have to earn this customer’s business. Previous customers might be motivated by other factors. Learn the differences and use them to your advantage!

A Retargeted Ad Shouldn’t Be the Same for Everyone

  • Many successful companies offer multiple products that cater to various types of people; it’s called variety. If reaching a large and varied target market is important, why send the same ads to all the different people that come across your site? Not every visitor is looking at the same thing so be sure to remember that retargeted ads need to cater to each individual.  Retargeted ads that are driven by deterministically established target groups should be versioned appropriately – and across multiple channels. An Identity Graph that entails multiple data points on a consumer “persona” can apply IP address and Device ID targeting to effectively segment retargeting messaging and then serve the ads across mobile, desktop, and social media channels amongst others.

The Purpose of Social Media is to be Social

  • That being said, most people go on social media to be social and engage with their friends or family. They want to check out the latest photos, or see where their friends have checked in. Live stories are popular, as well. Retargeted ads, not so much. The most successful ads are posted in a way that fits in with the look and language of Facebook. The ad must fit the platform’s specifications and purpose. It’s important to make sure that the ads that do appear on this site do not sound like a pitch – this approach to advertising is often referred to as “Native” ads meaning they appear to be part of the regular stream of content on a social media platform or a company’s website. If done properly these retargeting ads have the chance to get more views than ads on any other site. 

Retarget The Right Way

  • One of the biggest mistakes people make today is not using the massive amount of data available to them. Many people focus on the initial first-tier data but, instead, could be working with data from IP addresses and mobile device ID’s, which allow you to get more granular and specific with who you are targeting. 

These are just a few of the lessons that should be noted when conducting a retargeting campaign. There are many other things to consider but these are some of important ideas that will get you thinking about how to run your remarketing in an effective way.