Ever wondered how advertisers seem to know exactly what you want to buy? You could be browsing the web, minding your own business, and you’ll notice ads for that green tee you had been musing over earlier that day.
And look – it’s available in pink, too. And look – those jeans would match perfectly. Oh, and look – you’ll get free shipping if you order them within 24 hours.
Before you know it, your credit card details have been entered and you’re waiting excitedly for the local delivery service.
Remarketing has done it again.
While the strategy is frequently tarnished with the “creepy” brush, the fact is that remarketing campaigns work, when properly executed.
46% of PPC professionals believe that retargeting is the most underused advertising strategy. The Google Display Network currently reaches around 90% of global internet users, and conversions have been proven to increase as ad impressions do.
Harness the power of remarketing in your own digital advertising and bring back those customers that drifted away.
CATAPULT YOUR CAMPAIGNS WITH REMARKETING LISTS
Remarketing lists for search ads (RLSA) is that discrete little tool that takes your remarketing efforts from good to great.
They allow you to customize your search ads campaign using lists, so you can separate your audience into the desirables and the undesirables. Imagine you manage the VIP section of a nightclub – those are the lists that tell you who to let in.
RLSA allow you to:
- Tailor your bids to make them higher for warmer prospects, so you don’t waste money on those unlikely to be interested.
- Choose to only show ads to users that have searched for specific keywords or visited certain pages.
The nifty feature has been around since 2013 but is still vastly underutilized.
How to Use Remarketing Lists
In the same way you would for your Google Display Network, add the remarketing tag to your website. This gives you your remarketing audience, which you can then apply to a search campaign.
Enter your preferred settings and you’re all set.
Running a branded campaign is a good way to reach out to warm leads but can also exclude those users that have shown interest in your competitors’ products. Test out competitor name bidding, to make sure you remind users about your brand while they’re looking at your competition.
You can choose to exclude those customers that have already converted, because it makes sense that they won’t want to buy two of the same thing. That said, they may want to buy something that goes well with their previous purchase, so this rule changes depending on your industry. If someone bought an Xbox from you, for example, they’ll probably want to know about the games you sell, too.
The more tailored your ads, the better qualified your leads will be. As well as directing campaigns at users that have visited a certain page, you can also bid by demographics.
Maximize Your Campaign with Images
Remarketing on Google Ads is well-matched with its fair share of A/B testing.
If you’re having no luck with your remarketing campaign, you might not be using the best images you could be. And, according to Consumer Acquisition, 75% to 90% of ad conversions are down to images.
The selection of ad images should be strategic, and every choice needs to be made with a particular purpose in mind. You can optimise your ad with clever images in a few different ways.
Match Images with Specific Audiences
If you have a brick-and-mortar business, geo-targeting can attract people in your local area, and can be useful if you’re looking to expand to a new region.
Engage locals using images of popular landmarks, because people like to know about things going on in their city that could benefit them. If it’s relevant, use the same image for multiple regions and test different versions of the text, to see which is most effective.
Include a CTA within the Image
The Internet is usually too busy to read the text in ads. With remarketing, the people seeing your ad have probably already considered buying from you or a competitor of yours.
When you include a CTA in the copy, they might miss it. Instead, include it directly in the ad’s image to give viewers that extra nudge in your direction. To make this work, your image and small amount of text has to be compelling enough to tell the story; What are you selling, and why do people need it?
Use Color to Grab Attention
Ads with contrasting color schemes get more clicks than those with subtler shades.
Marketers everywhere have conducted studies to discover the perfect color for that CTA button. The results: There isn’t one.
What does matter is that your CTA stands out against the background or image, so do whatever you can to draw the eye where you want it to go.
Show, don’t Tell
Those potential customers on your remarketing lists are being targeted for a reason. They already know a little about your brand and its products. So, use images to show the value proposition to finally sway your audience to convert.
Use high-quality imagery to present your brand in its best light. If you’re a sushi restaurant, your photos have to present your mouth-watering sushi, so users feel like they have to make a booking at your restaurant. Feel free to include a limited time offer within the image, that is too hard to ignore.
While you’re focusing on images, make sure they show your customers how your product will improve their lives.
Including before-and-after shots, for example, proves the effectiveness of your service. Customer testimonials or reviews are social proof for your brand, too, so try an actual customer quote within your image to give your audience more confidence.
UP THE ANTE
When you remarket on Google Ads, your targets are those people that considered making a purchase with you but were deterred for one reason or another.
The purpose of a remarketing campaign is to offer that final clincher that entices them to complete a sale. There are a few ways to make this happen.
Offer them an Exclusive Deal
Your audience is already primed, which is why remarketing ads are 76% more likely to be clicked on than other types of display ads. Because they’re generally superior to regular ads, you should give them some extra love and attention.
Don’t just re-purpose your tired old ads, give them something extra. Go the extra mile and offer your audience an exclusive deal to close that conversion.
Showcase products you know they’re already interested in but offer them something they didn’t have before. Offer a discount with a special code, free shipping or faster shipping and watch them return to your site to complete a sale.
Build the Urgency
You can push someone to take the plunge by making them believe something won’t be around forever.
Create copy that incites FOMO so your audience doesn’t want to miss out. We already know they’re interested in your brand, so use that to your advantage. Use the copy to outline how long the deal will last for (TODAY ONLY!) to encourage snap decisions.
Go a step further and accompany this with an image of a clock or hourglass to instil a little more urgency into your prospects.
Get Specific
Simply targeting people that have stopped by at your website isn’t enough. Maybe they just wanted to find your blog for some information, they didn’t actually want to purchase your SEO eBook.
Instead, target people based on the specific URLs that they visited. Those that actually landed on your pricing page should be marketed to differently than those that appeared on your homepage and bounced.
Get deep with your targeting and make use of the customization options available to you.
As it stands, only 2% of online shoppers convert during their first visit. It’s your job to bring the other 98% back to your store and convince them to complete a sale.
Have a chat with Impressive to find out more.