At Digital Willow, retargeting is one of our favourite superpowers because it is consistently a top-performing format. Sometimes referred to as ‘remarketing’, retargeting is a form of online advertising where users who have previously visited a website/app are targeted with ads on other sites across the web. The goal is to re-engage these users and encourage them to return to the original site, possibly to complete a conversion (e.g., a purchase, sign-up, etc.).
Trends in Retargeting
Link-Based Retargeting
Link-based retargeting typically involves using tracking pixels or cookies to follow users who have interacted with a specific link or webpage. Let’s say someone clicks on a link in an email or visits a particular page on a website. The tracking mechanism then collects data about their behaviour and allows us to target them with relevant ads later on. It’s like leaving a digital breadcrumb trail that we can use to retarget individuals who have shown interest.
Using platforms like Rebrandly, you can place a pixel within a shortened link. Anyone who clicks on this link can be retargeted, even if they’re taken to a site you don’t own.
Contextual Retargeting
This method targets users based on the content they view on the web, ensuring that the ads served are relevant to the content surrounding them. This has seen a resurgence as cookies continue to disappear.
Cross-Device Retargeting
As users switch between devices (from desktop to mobile, for example), cross-device retargeting ensures that they are consistently targeted regardless of the device they’re using.
Some Common Methods of Retargeting
Pixel-Based Retargeting
This is the most common type of retargeting. When a user visits a website, an unobtrusive piece of JavaScript (often called a pixel) places a cookie in the user’s browser. This cookie informs retargeting platforms to serve specific ads based on the pages the user visited.
List-Based Retargeting
This involves retargeting users from a list of emails you already have. For instance, you can upload this list to platforms like Facebook to show your ads to that audience.
Search Retargeting
Unlike pixel-based retargeting which targets users based on their behaviour on your site, search retargeting focuses on users based on the search terms they’ve entered into search engines. These users haven’t visited your site yet, but they’ve shown interest in related keywords.
Social Media Retargeting
Platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn offer retargeting options. Users can be retargeted within the platform itself based on their interactions with your content or by using external website data.
Email Retargeting
This method involves serving ads to users based on their interaction with your emails. For example, if a user opens an email but doesn’t make a purchase, they can be retargeted with relevant ads.
Engagement Retargeting
On platforms like YouTube, you can retarget users based on their interactions with your videos, such as likes, shares, or even how long they watched.
CRM Retargeting
Similar to list-based retargeting but more comprehensive, CRM retargeting involves using your customer relationship management data to retarget past customers or leads.
Get in Touch
If you would like to help ensure those potential customers get the little extra push they need to make a conversion, our retargeting superpower might just make the winning difference for your business. Don’t let the opportunity pass you by; get in touch with the Digital Willow team today!