The Power of Effective Retargeting
Potential buyers have different needs and expectations at each stage of the customer journey. It takes a comprehensive strategy to connect with them along the way and move them closer to the sale. So what happens when they suddenly leave your site without making a purchase?
This is where retargeting comes into play. Effective retargeting is a way to reconnect with people who have previously interacted with your brand online but didn’t convert into customers. By focusing your advertising efforts on the people who are already familiar with your brand, and have recently demonstrated interest, you’re more likely to get a response — and a second chance at making the sale.
Which of the following statements is true of retargeting?
- Fifty percent of marketers said their retargeting budget will increase in the next six months.
- Three out of four consumers notice retargeting ads.
- Twenty-six percent of customers will return to a site through effective retargeting ads.
They all are! That’s why retargeting is such a powerful marketing tactic.
Retargeting works by showing prospects tailored ads based on their prior engagement with your brand. And it’s not just limited to just website visitors. You can retarget prospects who’ve engaged with emails, social media posts or even mobile apps. By retargeting prospects at various touch points along their customer journey, you can also:
- Re-engage interested buyers. Retargeting helps you stay top of mind with these potential customers. By displaying ads for your products or services, or sending a direct mail postcard featuring a product they recently viewed online, you’re gently reminding them of their initial curiosity with your brand. This can increase the likelihood of them returning to your site to complete the purchase.
- Increase conversion rates and return on investment. Retargeting is not just about reminding your customers about their abandoned carts. It’s a strategy that can significantly boost your conversion rates and ROI. By focusing your efforts on individuals who have already shown interest in your products or services, you’re investing in an audience that’s more likely to convert. And according to 74% of marketers, direct mail delivers the best ROI, response rate and conversion rates of all channels.
- Improve your brand’s visibility. Retargeting fosters familiarity. The more familiar customers are with your brand, the more likely they are to choose you over your competitors. For small businesses, this is particularly beneficial in leveling the playing field and allowing them to compete with larger businesses by remaining in the forefront of potential customers’ minds.
- Build a loyal customer base. By consistently staying in the line of sight of your potential customers, you’re cultivating a sense of trust. This creates brand loyalty with customers choosing your brand over others due to the relationship you’ve spent time to build and nurture. Not only does it lead to repeat business, but it also encourages word-of-mouth marketing, as satisfied customers are more likely to recommend your brand to others.
Going postal with direct mail retargeting
Retargeting can take many forms, but the most common are website retargeting. This is by displaying ads to people who have visited your site. Search retargeting displays ads to people who have searched for your product or service online via search engines (i.e. Google and Bing).
Beyond digital retargeting, direct mail retargeting also moves the dial on conversions and increases brand awareness. Direct mail retargeting is a marketing tactic that involves sending physical mail to individuals who have previously interacted with a brand but haven’t yet converted. Also referred to as programmatic direct mail, this approach combines the power of data-driven automation with the tangibility of hand-held printed materials.
By leveraging software and algorithms to automate the buying, placement and optimization of direct mail campaigns, you can create personalized and highly targeted mailings that are more likely to resonate with your recipients.
Retargeting with direct mail reminds prospects of their interest—whether they visited your site, clicked an ad, or abandoned a cart—and encourages them to complete the purchase. Additionally, 25% of consumers appreciate retargeting as it reminds them of their prior searches.
How to effectively retarget website visitors with direct mail
With today’s printing technology, a direct mail retargeting piece can be sent within 12-24 hours of a digital interaction, but it involves a few key steps to ensure its success.
Segment your audience. Before sending any direct mail, segment your audience based on their behavior and interests. For example, you can segment your prospects based on their browsing history, previous purchases or engagement with your brand. Instead of sending out mass mailings to a broad audience, target specific individuals based on their online behavior and interests. With direct mail retargeting, you can send direct mail only to those who are highly likely to convert.
Personalize. By dividing your audience into different groups, you can create personalized campaigns that resonate with each segment. This allows you to tailor your direct mail content to address their specific needs and preferences. Personalization is key. Show your audience that you understand their unique challenges and can offer solutions that meet their needs.
Create a compelling campaign. Consider using eye-catching designs and exclusive offers to entice your audience to engage with your direct mail. You can also incorporate interactive elements such as QR codes or personalized URLs (PURL) to make it easy for recipients to learn more about your products or services. Include a concise call-to-action that clearly communicates the next step they should take.
Instill a sense of urgency. You want them to act fast. So increase the chances of an immediate response by including phrases like limited-time offer, almost sold-out or last chanceto motivate them.
Test and optimize. Effective retargeting using direct mail is a continuous process that requires dedication and creativity. By analyzing the performance of your retargeting postcards, for example, you can refine your targeting and messaging to maximize results. A/B testing different ad creatives, offers and call-to-actions can help you identify what resonates best with your audience and drive better outcomes. Use tracking tools such as unique promo codes to further monitor the success of your direct mail campaigns and identify areas for optimization.
>> Related: Using Direct Mail Marketing Programs to Convert Prospects <<
Retargeting vs. Remarketing: A blurry line
Are retargeting and remarketing synonymous? No, but they’re similar.
Retargeting is the process of moving prospective customers down the path to a purchase. As mentioned above, retargeting typically is directed to prospects based on their online behavior, such as the number of website visits, their time spent online, pages viewed or products clicked on — without ever hitting the checkout button in their shopping cart.
Retargeting aims to bring back these lost opportunities and encourage users to revisit your site and complete the desired action. By serving targeted ads and direct mail to users who have shown interest in your products or services, you can remind them of the value you offer and incentivize them to take action fast, driving higher ROI for your retargeting efforts. Retargeting can be particularly effective for e-commerce businesses looking to recover abandoned carts or for service-based businesses looking to generate leads.
Remarketing, on the other hand, focuses on re-engaging existing customers. Remarketing is all about reconnecting with users who have already shown interest in your brand. They’ve visited your website, engaged with your content and/or signed up for your email list. These users are familiar with your brand and have already taken some form of action to indicate their interest. Remarketing allows you to stay fresh on their minds, and encourage them to take the next step in their customer journey.
While different strategies, retargeting and remarketing share the same end goal of achieving a conversion from the people who are mostly likely to buy from your brand. Ultimately, whether you choose to focus on retargeting or remarketing will depend on your specific business goals and target audience. Experimenting with different strategies and measuring the results will help you determine the most effective approach for your marketing campaigns.
Need a hand? Retargeting experts can help
When it comes to building your direct mail retargeting strategy, you don’t have to go at it alone. Marketing agencies that specialize in direct mail retargeting can help you achieve your marketing goals — from setting up effective retargeting campaigns to managing ad creative and optimizing performance. And by partnering with a retargeting company, you can tap into their expertise and technology to enhance your retargeting efforts.
LS Direct offers omnichannel retargeting solutions like Boomerang direct®. This is our intent-based postal retargeting solution, providing personalized, hyper-recent retargeting to engage and re-engage your most valuable customers.