Remarketing Strategies: Engaging Your Target Audience For Conversions

Businesses constantly seek effective strategies to engage with their target audience and drive conversions.

Remarketing has emerged as a powerful tool that allows companies to reconnect with potential customers who have previously shown interest in their products or services.

This guide provides a comprehensive overview of remarketing, its importance, critical differences from retargeting, best practices, standard models, and examples of successful remarketing campaigns in the workplace.

Definition and Background

Remarketing, also known as behavioral retargeting, is a digital marketing technique that involves targeting individuals who have interacted with a brand’s website, app, or other online assets but have not completed a desired action, such as making a purchase or filling out a form.

It enables businesses to display tailored ads to these individuals across various platforms, encouraging them to revisit the brand and complete the desired action.

Remarketing is essential because it allows businesses to stay top-of-mind with potential customers, increase brand awareness, and boost conversions.

Remarketing campaigns can be highly effective in driving engagement and encouraging users to take the desired action by targeting individuals who have already shown interest in a product or service.

5 Key Differences Between Remarketing and Retargeting

1. Scope of Targeting: Remarketing typically involves targeting individuals who have interacted with a brand’s owned media, such as website visitors or app users. On the other hand, retargeting focuses on targeting individuals based on their behavior across external platforms, such as displaying ads to users who have visited specific websites.
2. Ad Placement: Remarketing ads are displayed on various platforms, including search engines, social media, and display networks, allowing businesses to reach potential customers across multiple touchpoints. Retargeting ads, however, are primarily shown on external websites that are part of an ad network.
3. Customization: Remarketing allows for highly personalized ad content based on the user’s previous interactions with the brand. While still customizable, retargeting may be limited due to the lack of detailed user data on external platforms.
4. Timing: Remarketing campaigns can be triggered immediately after a user’s interaction with a brand’s owned media, ensuring timely engagement. Retargeting campaigns, on the other hand, may delay displaying ads as they rely on external platforms to track user behavior.
5. Conversion Focus: Remarketing campaigns drive conversions by encouraging users to complete a specific action, such as purchasing or filling out a form. Although retargeting campaigns can also drive conversions, they may have broader objectives, such as increasing brand awareness or engagement.

Why Companies are Interested in Remarketing

Companies are increasingly interested in remarketing due to its potential to significantly improve conversion rates and ROI.

Here are some key reasons why remarketing has gained popularity:

1. Targeted Reach: Remarketing allows businesses to target individuals who have already shown interest in their products or services, increasing the likelihood of conversion.
2. Brand Reinforcement: Remarketing helps reinforce brand awareness by displaying tailored ads to potential customers, keeping the brand top-of-mind.
3. Cost-Effectiveness: Remarketing campaigns can be more cost-effective than traditional advertising methods because they target a specific audience more likely to convert.
4. Increased Conversions: Remarketing campaigns have the potential to drive higher conversion rates by re-engaging users who have already shown interest but have not yet completed the desired action.
5. Improved Customer Lifetime Value: Remarketing can enhance lifetime value by nurturing relationships with potential customers. It can also increase customer loyalty and repeat purchases.

10 Remarketing Best Practices and Their Importance

1. Segmentation: Segmenting your audience based on their behavior and interests allows for more personalized remarketing campaigns. This helps deliver relevant ads and increases the chances of conversion.
2. Dynamic Ad Content: Creating dynamic ads that adapt to the user’s previous interactions with your brand enhances personalization and increases engagement.
3. Frequency Capping: Limiting the number of times an ad is shown to a user prevents ad fatigue and annoyance, ensuring a positive user experience.
4. Cross-Device Remarketing: Cross-device tracking enables consistent remarketing across multiple devices, ensuring a seamless user experience and maximizing reach.
5. A/B Testing: Testing different ad variations, landing pages, and calls-to-action helps optimize remarketing campaigns and improve conversion rates.
6. Ad Placement Selection: Choosing the right platforms and ad placements based on your target audience’s behavior and preferences increases the chances of reaching them effectively.
7. Ad Creative Optimization: Continuously optimizing ad creative, including visuals, copy, and messaging, helps capture users’ attention and encourages them to take action.
8. Ad Frequency Optimization: Monitoring ad frequency and adjusting it based on user behavior helps balance staying top-of-mind and avoiding ad fatigue.
9. Conversion Tracking: Implementing conversion tracking allows you to measure the effectiveness of your remarketing campaigns and make data-driven optimizations.
10. Audience Exclusion: Excluding individuals who have already converted or taken the desired action from your remarketing campaigns prevents unnecessary ad spend and focuses efforts on potential customers.

Each of these best practices is important as it contributes to the overall effectiveness of remarketing campaigns. They ensure that the right message reaches the right audience at the right time, maximizing conversion opportunities.

Standard Model of Remarketing:

One common model of remarketing involves the following steps:

1. Visitor Tracking: Implement tracking mechanisms like cookies or pixels to track user behavior on your website or app.
2. Audience Segmentation: Segment your audience based on their behavior, interests, or other relevant criteria to create targeted remarketing lists.
3. Ad Creation: Develop compelling ad creative that aligns with your audience segments and encourages them to take the desired action.
4. Ad Placement: Select appropriate platforms and ad placements to reach your target audience effectively.
5. Campaign Optimization: Monitor and optimize your remarketing campaigns based on performance data, adjusting targeting, ad creative, and other elements as needed.

5 Examples of Remarketing Campaigns in the Workplace

1. Abandoned Cart Remarketing: Displaying ads to users who have added items to their shopping cart but have not completed the purchase, reminding them to complete the transaction.
2. Lead Nurturing Remarketing involves targeting individuals who have shown interest in a product or service but have not yet provided their contact information, encouraging them to sign up for newsletters or download gated content.
3. Upsell/Cross-sell Remarketing Involves Showing ads to existing customers who have purchased and promoting complementary products or upgrades.
4. Event Registration Remarketing involves targeting individuals who have visited an event registration page but have not registered, reminding them to sign up, and providing additional incentives.
5. Subscription Renewal Remarketing Involves Showing ads to customers whose subscriptions are about to expire, encouraging them to renew, and highlighting the benefits of continued membership.

Maximizing Remarketing Effectiveness

To maximize the effectiveness of remarketing campaigns, consider the following strategies:

1. Audience Segmentation: Segment your audience based on their behavior, demographics, or interests to deliver highly targeted ads.
2. Personalization: Tailor ad content based on the user’s previous interactions to create a personalized experience.
3. Ad Frequency Management: Set frequency caps to avoid overwhelming users with excessive ad impressions.
4. Consistent Messaging: Ensure consistent messaging across all touchpoints to reinforce brand identity and increase recognition.
5. Continuous Optimization: Regularly analyze campaign performance, test different strategies, and make data-driven optimizations to improve results.

Features and Benefits of Remarketing in Corporate Marketing Settings

Remarketing offers several features and benefits that make it valuable in corporate marketing settings:

1. Increased Conversion Rates: Remarketing allows businesses to target individuals who have already shown interest, increasing the likelihood of conversion.
2. Cost-Effectiveness: Remarketing campaigns can be more cost-effective than broader advertising by focusing on a specific audience.
3. Enhanced Brand Awareness: Remarketing keeps the brand top-of-mind, reinforcing brand awareness and increasing recognition.
4. Improved Customer Engagement: By delivering personalized ads, remarketing campaigns encourage users to engage with the brand and take the desired action.
5. Higher ROI: Remarketing’s ability to target a warm audience and drive conversions contributes to a higher return on investment for marketing efforts.

Summary

Remarketing is a powerful digital marketing technique that allows businesses to reconnect with potential customers who have shown interest in their products or services.

Remarketing and direct response marketing campaigns can significantly improve conversion rates, increase brand awareness, and enhance customer engagement by leveraging personalized ads and targeting strategies.

By following best practices, optimizing campaigns, and utilizing remarketing models, businesses can maximize the effectiveness of their remarketing efforts and achieve their marketing goals in corporate settings.

Catherine Fitzgerald B.A. M.A. PGDip( Founder )

With 30+ years of experience, Catherine Fitzgerald, B.A., M.A., PGDip, founded Oak Innovation in 1995. Catherine received her Bachelor’s degree and Master’s from University College Cork. She holds qualifications in Professional Development And Training from University College Galway. She is completing a second Master’s from University College Cork. Since 1995, clients include Apple, Time Warner, and Harvard University.