The most efficient and successful forms of marketing tend to target interested parties. That, in a nutshell, is the promise of remarketing.

TARGET PREVIOUS VISITORS: Remarketing allows you to show targeted ads specifically to those who are interested – people who have visited your site or searched for your products before. You ads will pop up on news sites, within mobile apps and before YouTube videos, getting your products and services in front of people who have already entered the sales funnel, and enticing them back to your website to make a purchase.

RE-ENGAGE AND CONVERT: The internet is a noncommittal place. We spend hours at a time browsing products and comparing prices, and only 2% of us buy something on our first visit to a site. It can take the other 98% a few visits and views before they decide on a purchase. Remarketing is a means to re-engage casual customers who would otherwise fall through the cracks.

How exactly do you identify and target previous visitors to your site? The Google Display Network reaches 92% of all internet users, so let’s take a look at their system.

INSTALL A PIXEL: If you currently use Google to advertise, the first step is to add a simple piece of code to your website, called a tag or pixel. This uses cookies to record unique website visitors and place them within remarketing categories that reflect the types of products that they might be interested in.

FOCUS YOUR EFFORTS: You might begin your first remarketing campaign by targeting all users who visit your homepage. Trial and error and A/B testing will allow you to slowly focus in on more specific audiences with highly customised marketing materials, increasing the effectiveness and lowering the cost per click of the campaign!

The reasons to remarket are many and varied. The numbers perhaps tell the story best.

CUSTOMERS WANT IT: It’s odd to think that a customer would enjoy being advertised to, but that’s overwhelmingly the case with remarketing. 30% of consumers say that they have a ‘positive’ or ‘very positive’ view of remarketed ads, while only 11% say they feel negatively about them. When it shows you more of what you want, what’s not to like?

IT WORKS: Retargeted website visitors are 43% more likely to convert. The click through rate (CTR) of a remarketed ad is 10x higher than that of a standard display ad. But despite these numbers, 46% of search engine marketing professionals believe remarketing is the most underutilised digital marketing tool. The opportunity is there for the taking.

The cost of remarketing can vary, so understanding the factors at play is important in order to verify whether it’s the right strategy for you.

COST PER CLICK: Like other forms of online advertising, remarketing uses a cost per click system – you are only charged when someone clicks through your ad. The price range is commonly in the area of NZD $0.50 – $5, but can vary greatly. Remarketing ads generally cost more than traditional display and search ads, although not always, particularly in competitive industries.

RETURN ON INVESTMENT: While the cost per click can be higher, understanding that the CTR of remarketed ads can be 10x greater than standard ads means that the ROI of remarketing can be incredible. It’s the result of advertising directly to knowledgeable customers, about a product or service they want, and in a way that talks to them.