Optimize your retargeting: keys to conversion

Do you want to maximize your online advertising campaign effectiveness? Are you wondering how you can turn more visitors into loyal customers? 

If truth be told, around 97% of recent visitors leave your site without making a purchase, so this is a challenge to take on. How can you make these visitors, who weren’t converted first time round on your site, come back? Well, that’s where retargeting comes into play.

Overview of this tried-and-tested marketing technique to give you the keys to conversion.

Retargeting: overview

Retargeting, aka advertising retargeting, allows you to reach people who have visited your website, by displaying targeted ads to them (visual and textual), whenever they browse through a third-party site. Where everything is based on the behavioral data in their browsing history.

Retargeting campaigns can be run on various platforms, in particular via Google Ads, Facebook or Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, as well as other retargeting advertising platforms:

• SEA: Google Adwords’ retargeting search displays results from targeted searches and on brand-relevant keywords; 
• Google display: displays advertising campaigns as banners on sites linked to your company’s business sector;
• Social media also offer fine-tuned targeting as they boasts a host of data about their users. This retargeting can be rolled out as posts or videos, based on the media selected;
• Email can also be used for retargeting provided you have the user’s consent to communicate to them;
• Web Push Notification, a newcomer in the AdTech landscape, is also used to retarget users.

These different levers ensure your brand remains the focus of attention and regenerate qualified traffic to your site. What’s more, conversion rates are much higher than with traditional socio-demographic targeting. In a nutshell, it’s an effective way to re-engage an audience that has already interacted with your brand.

How does retargeting work?

Advertising retargeting is cookie-based technology that uses a simple JavaScript code to anonymously “monitor” a user on Internet.🕵️

• Website visit: whenever a user visits your site, the JavaScript code placed on your website is used to track this visitor via cookies that retrieve and store data;
• Setting cookies: whenever a new visitor visits your site, a cookie is loaded on their browser;
• Browsing other websites: a visitor browses another website where there are ads;
• Displaying targeted ads: the cookies set on their browser are analyzed. And, where applicable, ads tailored to the visitor are displayed;
• Back to the original site: this ensures the user makes a return visit to the brand’s site a second (third, fourth, etc.) time.

The entire process is automated as soon as the page is loaded; the ad space will be purchased and the ad will appear next to the page content.

Advantages of retargeting

Retargeting, aka advertising retargeting, has a number of goals and focuses on prospects who have already shown interest in your brand.

1. Boosts brand recognition

Launching a retargeting campaign can boost your brand’s recognition.

Re-showing your site to these users who have already shown interest in your products and/or services, will boost your chances of converting them into customers.

Retargeting ads display your company to customers by reminding them of your brand’s value and/or the attractiveness of specific products and/or services.

2. An effective way to turn interest into conversion

Retargeting triggers return visits to your website as it targets consumers at the right time with the right product.

For example, you can retarget visitors who have spent a certain amount of time on a specific product page. A visitor who’s interested will tend to spend more time on the webpage, because they read it in detail instead of just skimming over it.

3. Nurtures and qualifies your prospects

Retargeting people who consume your content by delivering new resources to them can boost their interest in your product and/or service.

With retargeting, you can, for example, retarget readers of your blog or your info pages by inviting them to download a restricted-access white paper or resource.

Thanks to its relevant, interesting content, this nurturing lead strategy ensures you’re positioned as a benchmark company in your field. Every return visit is a new opportunity to sell and generate revenue.

4. Reduces cart abandonment

Retargeting helps you retarget customers who have abandoned their cart to encourage them to finalize their order. If visitors have placed items in their cart but haven’t completed the order, they’ll be able to purchase in one click. Displaying ads to these users boosts your chances of turning them into active customers.

5. Encourages repurchase

Retargeting former customers who have already purchased on your site and encouraging them to make new purchases is an excellent way of generating new sales and increasing their lifetime value.

By using retargeting, you can also roll out a cross-selling strategy, by offering accessories and/or additional products to customers who have already placed orders.

The different retargeting channels

The advertising retargeting strategy can be rolled out on different retargeting channels. To do this, you need to take several elements into account:

• Your budget: Some channels may be more expensive than others, so you should plan accordingly;
• Your goals: you may have many. Traffic, recognition, conversion, etc.
• Customer journey: if a lot of visitors abandon their carts, email or web push retargeting could be a smart way to win them back.

3. Display banner retargeting

Display ad retargeting refers to the banners displayed on many sites and blogs that have decided to monetize ad inserts. This is the most popular channel.

For this type of retargeting, you need to go through marketing & advertising networks like AdRoll, which manage site ads and advertiser bids. The most relevant ads are displayed based on the user’s profiles and their cookies.

4. Retargeting on social media

The main social media, such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Snapchat, YouTube, TikTok, allow the display of sponsored publications on their platform and through a network of partners.

You can launch a Facebook retargeting campaign directly and, as such, take advantage of this social media which offers the most retargeting options and is the most used today.

The key is to choose the one your target audience uses to ensure the best possible conversion rate.

 5. Email retargeting

Email retargeting only works if your website visitors have agreed to provide you with their email address, pursuant to the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

Users who have given their prior consent receive an email directly in their email in-box, to encourage them to visit your website again.

You can also use emailing to push premium content (as part of a content marketing strategy) or promotional offers, based on the type of product or service offered.

6. Push notification retargeting

Web Push Notification is a powerful communication channel for sending short messages directly to users via their browser or smartphone. This compact format comprises a title, a description of max. 145 characters, a logo, and a CTA (call to action) with a redirection link. 

How can you integrate Web Push in your retargeting campaigns?

• Instant re-engagement
  Web Push Notifications let you instantly re-engage visitors who have left your site, by attracting them back with special offers and/or customized reminders.
• Promotions and offers
  Advertise special promotions via Web Push Notifications to encourage visitors to come back and make a purchase.
• New products
  Inform visitors about the launch of new products and major updates with targeted notifications.

Web Push Notification subscribers for the site can be contacted directly by the brand, even if they’re not actually browsing the web.  

Unlike other retargeting levers, Web Push lets you retarget users directly on their computer or smartphone screen. In a nutshell, it’s a real digital marketing innovation that lets brands connect with their audience on-site to retarget on-device.

This format is a surefire lever for brands as it doesn’t require any distribution medium. What’s more, the solution also gets around adblockers. This is no mean feat when you know that nearly 47% of users use adblockers.

The end of third-party cookies: Web Push Notifications, THE cookieless solution?

In 2024, it will no longer be possible to collect personal data on users’ interests and purchasing intentions via cookies.

After Firefox, Explorer and Safari, Chrome has announced the phasing out of third-party cookies from its browser, which will impact advertisers and users. Yet, there are major risks such as reduced revenue from site monetization and a drop in the effectiveness of Internet ads.

In light of this change of course, the AdTech sector has seen new solutions come to the fore, such as Web Push Notifications.

RDV here👇to find out more about Web Push Notifications.

What is a cookie?

Cookies are small files automatically stored by the browser on the computer hard drive whenever a visitor visits a website.

Cookies enable recognition of a user when they return to a website. Cookies have become a pillar of digital marketing, as they were developed to offer better, more personalized user experience, and to enable websites to remember a user’s visit. 

Cookies contain personal data about users. Since the GDPR came into effect and, pursuant to French Data Protection Authority (CNIL) recommendations, websites have obligations regarding cookies so as to protect users personal data.

As such, a visible banner must inform users of the purpose of cookies; users can then consent to them, or change their settings to reject them.

 The difference between proprietary cookies and third-party cookies

Proprietary cookies and third-party cookies are mainly identified by their origin. Here’s an overview table of the main differences between proprietary cookies and third-party cookies:

Key points to remember👌

• Retargeting can be carried out via different channels, in particular social media, email, search engines, mobile apps and Web Push Notifications.
• The channel you choose depends on your budget, your marketing goals, and your customers’ browsing journey.
• Retargeting advantages include boosting brand recognition, turning interest into conversion, qualifying prospects, reducing cart abandonment and encouraging repurchase.
• Web Push Notifications is an effective cookieless solution given the phasing out of third-party cookies. It offers other advantages, in particular makes unsubscribing easy for users, is able to get around adblockers, and lets you stay in touch with subscribers.
• It’s important to understand the difference between proprietary cookies and third-party cookies when retargeting.

To sum up, retargeting is still essential for digital marketing, as it boosts your audience conversion and loyalty rates. Solutions like Web Push Notifications boast powerful assets even in an environment that’s forever changing and where third-party cookies are being phased out. Never underestimate the potential retargeting can have to boost your online presence and develop your customer loyalty.