How can remarketing help my business?

Companies invest huge amounts of time and money in to marketing in the hope of directing new customers to their website. Whether its banner ads, viral marketing or social media, the eventual goal is to convert leads in to sales. However, whilst many forms of marketing will be successful in getting people on to a website- that doesn’t automatically lead to a sale. There’s a whole host of reasons why this may be the case, but the overall outcome is the same. In situations such as these, remarketing may be the ideal solution.

When a customer leaves your site without making a sale, they could potentially never return. In fact, a whopping 96% of visitors will leave without making a purchase and on average, it will take 9.5 visits before a person will actually complete a transaction. Therefore, the time, resources and money that was invested in to attracting the visitor could be potentially wasted. This is where remarketing comes in. It’s a technique in which companies will follow visitors who have left their website, showcasing their own banner ads on other websites and apps that the customer visits. Often the ad will be specific, advertising the individual product that the customer was viewing.

Some of the most popular vehicles for remarketing are Google, Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. Whilst the majority of remarketing is done using cookies, user IDs and mobile advertising IDs, you can also utilise email addresses, phone numbers and physical addresses. It’s also worth noting that many companies are now utilising social media and apps more as they receive so much traffic.

The remarketing process falls in to two different camps, self-service and 3rd party platforms. Self-service tools such as those offered by Google and Facebook, are cheaper and offer more control but require more time, effort and skill. 3rd party platforms are more expensive and offer less control but are easier to use. Both routes offer their own advantages and disadvantages but it’s worth noting that self-service platforms tend to be more popular.

There are many benefits to remarketing with the obvious one being that it can lead to an increase in sales. People get distracted when surfing the web and the gentle reminders provided by banner ads can lead to visitors returning to your site and making a purchase. This is especially likely if the visitor was close to making a sale before leaving the site. Another often overlooked benefit to this type of marketing is the effect it has on overall brand awareness. Building a brand identity using traditional methods can be time consuming and expensive. Remarketing allows companies to push certain products or services, but it also helps in showcasing the business as a whole. With banner ads continually in the periphery of potential customers, it’s a very subtle but effective approach to boosting overall awareness.

When discussing remarketing, the focus tends to be on traditional banner ads but there are other techniques at hand. Another form of remarketing which tends to be particularly successful for generating sales is to remind customers that they have items within their basket and then offer them an incentive in order to complete the sale. This usually comes in the form of a discount offer or free delivery, sent via an email. An offer which has been specifically targeted in such a way can make all the difference for customers who are on the fence.

Clearly, there are many upsides to remarketing but there are some disadvantages to consider. One of the major pitfalls is the “creep factor” – as many customers dislike the idea that brands will follow them to other websites. It’s all part of the growing unease with companies collecting so much of our data, often without us noticing. The best way to combat this idea is through moderation. For example, don’t be too aggressive with remarketing in terms of the frequency of ads. Also, don’t remarket to customers who have already made a purchase, instead aim at potential customers who are close to converting.

It’s also worth noting that many experts believe that the “creep factor” is overblown and the numbers back this up. Remarketing is still a very powerful tool, and this wouldn’t be the case if customers were being alienated by the technique.

As marketing become more sophisticated and companies have even more access to customer data, it’s likely remarketing will evolve further, offering even more benefits in the future.