Remarketing as a marketing tactic is equal parts sophisticated and effective if executed properly. The problem with many remarketing campaigns is in the execution.
If you have a pulse and an internet connection, you have undoubtedly been a member of a retargeting audience. Advertisements have been served to your browser on the websites you visit because of other websites you visited previously. Products you considered purchasing, service offerings you shopped, and other opportunities you mulled have made their way back into your view for another shot at your attention, your precious time, and ultimately, your wallet.
I take issue with many remarketing campaigns, not due to their targeting tactics, but because of their unfair expectations on a prospect. Some of us are just doing it wrong. Imagine this scenario:
- Wally is a dutiful marketer. He spends time and money to configure a remarketing campaign through the proper channels and with the right creative and appropriate budget.
- Over time, as visitors to Wally’s website or app come and go without buying, requesting information, signing up, or committing to some other action he had planned for them, his pool of retargeting prospects widens.
- When given the opportunity to drive potential customers back to his brand’s site or content, what does Wally do? He delivers the same…exact…experience that his prospects saw previously – the same product/service, the same landing page, the same price, the same everything.
Opportunity squandered. C’mon, Wally. You’re better than that!
Too many marketers fall into this trap. Just because time has lapsed does not mean motivation among your prospects has grown. We can’t expect them to act just because we extended another invitation. Remarketing campaigns must take a proactive stance to conversion.
“Just because time has lapsed does not mean motivation among your prospects has grown.” Tweet This
In life, in relationships, and in marketing, we get what we give. If you feel your retargeting campaigns could do better, expend some effort to allow your retargeting campaigns to give more. Here are some strategies to employ with your retargeting creative and landing page experiences.
Sweeten the Pot
- Reasonable Discounts
- Shipping Deals
- Free Upgrades
- Product Bundle Opportunities
Extinguish Dissonance
Since your retargeting audience already knows your name and brand, attention and awareness are not the issues. Most prospects in a retargeting pool lie squarely in the consideration phase. It’s our job to nudge them toward conversion. This challenge is often accompanied by a few hurdles. Identify and clear those hurdles. This is your chance to prove to your customer their initial instinct to buy from you was correct. All you need to do is provide them with some education. Here are some examples.
- Free Trial Offers
- Relevant Testimonials & Stats
- Educational Content (Webinars, Guides, Graphics, etc.)
- (Favorable) Competitive Comparisons
Indicate Scarcity
If you can’t necessarily increase demand among prospects, just shorten the supply — or at least communicate that supply is waning. The following messages can be utilized when it is necessary to communicate a sense of urgency to those considering your offer.
- “Only X Remaining”
- “Sales Ends Tomorrow”
- “Don’t Miss Early Bird Pricing”
- “This Month Only”
Make you remarketing campaigns more effective by making them more proactive. Lead your prospects closer to conversion by selling harder and smarter.