This post was authored by Alain Parcan
Editor's Note: This article was authored by TCIA Affinity Partner Market Hardware. TCIA disclaims any warranties, either expressed or implied, for Affinity Partner products or services.
Ever noticed when you surf the Internet and visit a specific site, an ad from that site starts to pop up periodically when you visit your local weather, news and sports Websites? If you answered yes, then you’re ahead of the curve. If you answered no, then get ready to learn about one of the biggest Web Marketing game-changers for 2016 – retargeting.
Retargeting allows you to target prospective customers who have previously visited your Website, or searched for your products or services. This strategy promotes top-of-mind awareness, and combines two specific tools: Site Retargeting and Search Retargeting.
What is Site Retargeting? When someone visits your Website and leaves, they get tagged as “Interested Consumers.” Then, as they visit their favorite News, Entertainment and Sports sites on the Web, they see your ad(s). This reminds them to return to your site and contact you.
What is Search Retargeting? When someone searches for your products or services, but doesn’t find your business listed, they are identified as an “Interested Prospect.” They are then exposed to your display ad over time as they browse the Web on their favorite media properties.
By combining both tools, you can effectively target prospects who are already interested in your products/services, and who are already predisposed to purchase from you.. Retargeting is also a perfect complement to traditional Pay-Per-Click efforts, and combining the two can lead to a higher ROI than other marketing strategies.
Here’s the catch…
Retargeting isn’t a good enough strategy on its own. It performs best when it’s run in conjunction with other marketing efforts such as Search Engine Optimization (SEO). Good SEO and content marketing will get more traffic to your site, and retargeting will increase the likelihood that each of those visitors ends up calling to use your services. Without a steady flow of traffic to your site, there won’t be enough people to retarget to.
I’m convinced! How much does it cost?
Not much – as low as a penny per lead. But to better grasp the potential costs, first consider what percentage of your monthly marketing budget should go toward retargeting. According to a recent study from Marin Software, the majority of marketers spend under 10% of their budgets on retargeting. Chances are that will end up being somewhere between $500 and $1000 per month, which is plenty of spend in order to make sure your ad is displayed sufficiently enough to get leads. It’ll only cost you a few cents every time the ad is displayed, which allows for a good amount of flexibility. Talk to an expert who can work with your budget to maximize your ROI on a retargeting campaign.
The Final Word
Retargeting is typically favored by marketers and business owners who have the time to monitor their spending, target data, and ROI – and have the chops to actually design and test ads. If you’re looking for something you can ‘set and forget,’ you probably shouldn’t try to manage a retargeting campaign on your own. It takes time to keep track of all the data that comes through in order to optimize a campaign, so consider hiring an expert to manage your campaign and help design your ads. It’s a small investment in addition to a monthly click budget, and can pay much bigger dividends by driving stronger results.
This post was authored by Alain Parcan
Alain Parcan is the Marketing Manager for Market Hardware, Inc., which helps tree care professionals compete on the Internet and offers special discounts to TCIA members. For more information, visit markethardware.com, email Alain at aparcan@markethardware.com or call 888-381-6925.