If you have ever seen an advert pop-up for a product that you were browsing or researching online or received an email about a product you have shown an interest in, then you have likely experienced a form of remarketing.

Designed to reignite interest in products that users have actively searched for and researched, and to remind prospective customers about items that they may have left sitting in a basket at checkout, remarketing is a form of digital marketing which uses complex backed data to follow customers and position ads where they are most likely to see and respond to them.

From a user perspective, remarketing can be beneficial when it’s done right. And that’s where this blog post comes in. As digital marketing experts, we’ve created this article to not only communicate what remarketing is and why it’s beneficial, but also to ensure that you can implement a successful remarketing campaign without transitioning into ‘stalker’ territory.

What is remarketing?

Remarketing is, in its simplest form, a branch of digital marketing which retargets existing customers or prospective customers who have shown an active interest in a product or brand.

An effective remarketing campaign presents itself to users as a sales-centric email to the users inbox, or as an ad on one of many online sites and platforms that they visit - occupying advertising space in website banners or appearing as an ad post on Instagram or another social feed.

The expanse of remarketing ad spaces now available to brands means that it’s easier than ever to appear and create ads which pop up in the places where your customers are most likely to spend time online. Similarly, the benefit of a direct email serves as an effective reminder for customers that they can take action on at any time - with many brands offering deals for those who complete a purchase as a result of a remarketing email.

But before you simply start placing ads everywhere and anywhere on the internet, and sending out email discounts with careless abandon, you need to recognise the benefits and the common do’s and don’ts of remarketing.

Why is remarketing important and how should you use it?

Remarketing is important for businesses and brands because it focuses attention on those who have spent time on your website or viewing your products, only to leave the site without completing a purchase.

It creates entire strategies around lost revenue, giving brands and businesses a second chance to entice prospective customers and sell to them. One of the overriding benefits of remarketing is that it only advertises to those who have already shown an interest in your products and/or services. This means that you are not starting from scratch, but rather attempting to convert those who you already know are at least somewhat interested in your brand.

Another benefit worth noting is that versatility through which remarketing can be adopted by brands - whether it’s through a website ad, social ad, dynamic carousel, or a static visual ad. Whatever works for your brand and your audience, remarketing makes it possible.

But as with any form of digital marketing campaign, there are certain do’s and don’ts to be aware of if you want to gain and retain customer’s trust.

DO… consider implementing an offer into any remarketing email that you send, with enough incentive that they are tempted to complete the purchase but without undercutting your profit. Free delivery or a free gift can be good ways to market this and complete a sale.

DON’T… overuse remarketing to such an extent that customers see your brand wherever and whenever they go online. Limit the visibility of your remarketing ads to two or three views per day, to save you money and to save the sanity of your customers.

How to implement a successful remarketing campaign

So, how can you make remarketing work for you?

Firstly, if you’re new to remarketing as a concept then we recommend focussing your attention on users who visit and spend time on a certain page of your website. It could be a spotlight product or a landing page; whatever it is, pick a URL to focus on and build a campaign which is tailored around the experience of a user on that specific page.

Secondly, create a remarketing campaign which reaches out directly to past customers who haven’t been active or purchased from you in a while. Some playful ways of doing this include a “reminder email” telling them that they’re about to run out of their favourite product, or a “checking in email” asking how they are. Anything to remind them about your brand and how much they love what you sell!

Finally, when in doubt, seek the services of a digital marketing agency that can help to inspire your campaigns and manage them on your behalf - accessing important tracking and data and identifying which remarketing campaigns work best for your audience. For more insight into the benefits of working with an agency, and to discuss our services, get in touch with Social Loop today.