Best Practices for Retargeting

This article was written by Ted Dhanik

Retargeting is a powerful new tool that can help with branding or direct marketing. It uses tracking to identify users who have already viewed your ad, and then gives you the opportunity to show them something more. Learning to use retargeting can shrink your budget and increase your conversion rate.

Frequency Caps

The most powerful aspect of retargeting is the ability to reach customers that have already seen your ads at a lower cost than newcomers. As a result, there is a tendency to show as many ads as possible. This can be more of a nuisance than a help, so frequency caps help you reach your target audience without harassing them. Start by showing retargeted ads to users between 15-20 times per month, but you can adjust these numbers to fit the display advertising campaign you want to run.

Special Offers

Retargeting is an effective strategy for converting users that may have otherwise passed on your previous ads. Using retargeting, you can show different banner advertising to repeat viewers that offers them something special. For example, highlighting a free shipping benefit can help entice users that may have been on the fence before.

Audience Segmentation

Instead of segmenting by users who have and have not seen your ad, you can use a retargeting pixel to record different customers throughout your sales funnel. This way, a customer near the shopping cart can get a special coupon or some last minute promotion to get them to make the purchase. Similar to a special offer, audience segmentation is an important tool to maximize the effectiveness of your campaign.

Bio: Ted Dhanik is the president and co-founder of engage:BDR. With over fifteen years of sales and direct marketing experience, Ted Dhanik is very active in the online space. For tips on optimizing your banner campaigns, visit Ted Dhanik online.