The Basics of Retargeting

This article was written by Ted Dhanik

Retargeting is a new method marketers use to reach their core audience for a second sales attempt. Targeting users who have already seen your advertisements helps brand exposure, and could close deals through multiple instances of banner advertising. Though retargeting feels similar to display media buys, the logistics are actually quite different.

Retargeting Defined

Retargeting uses a pixel placed on your page to keep track of who has visited your website. This pixel sends information about those users to your display advertising network, where the network places your ads on pages these users are likely to frequent. The result is an ad that seems to follow the user around the Web. It means more impressions for you, and a renewed opportunity to close the deal.

Measuring Effectiveness

Once the audience has received the tracking cookie, the ads will show up on sites that they visit within your network. If a visitor converts to a sale, a pixel fires that “burns” them from your retargeting list. Of course, retargeting effectively relies on a large audience, so it’s helpful to integrate retargeting pixels into your existing campaigns before you plan to run one.

Tips

How do you know whether your retargeting actually led to a sale? You could check your stats incessantly, or you could encode a tracking ID into your URL. Retargeting isn’t always used to close a deal. It can bring brand awareness and influence your audience with new ideas. Proper adjustment of a campaign for retargeting can have huge impacts on your brand. Be clear about what you want, then make moves toward accomplishing those goals.

Bio: Ted Dhanik is a thought leader in the direct marketing space. As the president and co-founder of engage:BDR, Ted Dhanik is an expert in helping businesses grow their leads through display advertising. To learn more about the art of media buying, visit Ted Dhanik online.