Remarketing, huh yeah. What is it good for? Absolutely nothing…

Well, that’s not true at all, but I didn’t want to change all of the lyrics to Norman Whittfield and Barrett Strong’s famous song “War.”

So remarketing…what exactly is this form of display advertising good for? Simply put, it’s good for branding, keeping a certain product in the consumer’s eye, and then, of course, bringing potential customers back to your website to make a purchase or submit a lead.

The Basics

So what exactly is remarketing? Let’s just stick with Google’s definition since mine would be something along the lines of “it gets people back to the website.”

According to Google, “Remarketing lets you show ads to people who have visited your website or used your mobile app before. When people leave your website without buying anything, for example, remarketing helps you reconnect with them by showing relevant ads as they browse the web, as they use the mobile apps, or as they search on Google.”

How Does It Work?

There are a few ways remarketing works. Simply put, a code is placed on your website and as users visit your site, their browser is cookied. The next step is that these cookied browsers are turned into a list of people that Google (for example) can now serve display ads to. These ads can be set up to show users a branding message, specific products, or services throughout their Internet browsing journey.

Is there more to it than this? Sure, but let’s keep it simple for now.

Why Should I Use Remarketing?

The most basic reason why you should be using remarketing is to bring customers back to your website after they have been browsing around the site, especially if they have been on your competitors’ sites.

In the automotive industry, for example, if I go to your Nissan site and check out a new 370z, leave the site and then browse the Internet a few days later, it’s very possible I will be served an ad from your dealership (assuming you’re running remarketing ads). If I go to multiple Nissan sites to look for this same car, it’s very possible that I will not remember the first dealership and there also might not be a reason to remember them. Imagine you had an ad set up with a message like “$500 Off Your Best Deal.”

Could that make a shopper come back to your site? Absolutely.

How about return business for a second reason? Let’s look at another business, a local pizza joint. There I am, hanging out with my boys on a Saturday night. Guess what’s premiering on HBO this weekend? “Ronin 47” starring yours truly, Keanu Reeves. Everyone’s getting jazzed up, drinking some beers. “Let’s get a pizza!” It’s 2015, so someone is using a mobile device or a laptop to find a pizza place. Order placed. Sausage pizza delivered.

A month goes by, same situation– but this weekend’s premier is “John Wick,” another Keanu Reeves movie begging for a friendly gathering. That pizza place is running a remarketing campaign and I’m on my  laptop checking out the weekend’s weather forecast when I see a banner ad for that pizza place. Guess where we’re ordering from tonight?

Return business. It’s that simple.

Remarketing In Action

Don’t take my word for it. Let’s take a look at some examples.

Example 1: It’s snow season, and I love nothing more than snowboarding and recording it. For the last few weeks, two things I have been looking for have been a case that will hold multiple GoPro cameras and some relatively local resorts. I found these ads on a site I often visit. I visited BH Photo looking for a GoPro case (specific product based ad) and I’ve been to the Whiteface site multiple times.

Example 2: Sticking with the same theme, I’ve also been all over the web looking for a new pair of snowboarding boots and also a down vest from North Face. Again, product ads for both snowboard boots from Dogfunk and a North Face ad from Macy’s. Both of these companies are doing it right.

So there it is, folks. What, why and where your ads have the potential to be seen. Interested in hearing more about remarketing and how we can work together to increase the visibility of your business? Give us a call and we can talk about how this advertising campaign can take your company to the next level!