Retargeting Ads

What are Retargeting Ads and how do they work?

Retargeting ads, also known as remarketing ads are an invention of programmatic display marketing and come about when you’ve shopped or browsed a certain brand or product online without converting—whatever that means for the specific thing you were looking at (signing up, purchasing, etc). Retargeting ads serve people who have abandoned their carts on a website, shown an interest in a certain category of goods, or searched for a particular brand. Studies have shown that only about 2% of users convert on their first visit to a site or when looking at a certain item, so what about the other 98% of users? They usually need a bit more time, nudging, or information—all of which comes from your retargeting ads!

How do Retargeting Ads Work?

Retargeting ads are based on implanted bits of web code called pixels that drop anonymous browser cookies every time a new user visits your site. Pixels don’t collect personal information and they don’t slow down your site or affect your rankings; they simply aid in making sure your retargeting efforts land with the appropriate audience and serve ads that are interesting and relevant to the user. As users continue on in their digital journeys, these cookies send signals that alert ad servers to send the proper retargeting ads only to the people who have previously visited your site.

Since most HTML5 banners are served programmatically, you can take advantage of retargeting for any digital campaign you produce. Check out some different kinds of banner ads to get inspired.

Should I be using Retargeting Ads? 

There is a multitude of good reasons why you may include these in your marketing plan. The main, maybe most obvious reason is what drives the internet’s advertising more and more: personalization. Customers are exponentially more likely to convert or purchase when they feel that a brand knows them, their needs, and is readily offering a product to fill that need. Retargeting ads fulfill two main purposes: maintaining awareness and driving conversions. What better way to do this than with other, extra, added information about that certain product that a cspecific user was looking at!?

In fact, if you ask Single Grain,  71% of consumers prefer ads that speak to their individual interests and are twice as likely to click on an ad, even from an unknown brand, if it’s personalized. That’s a pretty undeniable stat, right?

It used to be that clients would have to search your brand out to interact, which took place mainly in a store. Then came the internet with its multitude of information and it became easier than ever for people to interact with many brands at one time, and for those brands to talk back. Retargeting ads take that conversation one step further, by allowing the company to continue the conversation with the user and know to which type of person they are speaking to.

Because of all of this, retargeting ads and campaigns are highly-targeted, extremely efficient, and can be relied on to speak to the perfect audience virtually every time.

But as with everything else, there’s a right way and wrong way to do it and retargeting ads are no exception.

Some of our Retargeting Ads

Retargeting: A Cautionary Tale

Obviously, because retargeting is expected to fulfill such lofty marketing goals, everyone (and we do mean everyone) is using them; which is starting to become a classic case of “too much of a good thing” as far as internet users are concerned.  Most people want to find out about whatever they’re looking at, mull it over, compare other options, and then make their decision. And though people do want to see ads that are personalized and in line with their own tastes and preferences, studies have shown that when users were shown the same ad four to five times, their feeling could best be described as “annoyed” and when they saw the same ad ten times over, their feeling was one thing overwhelmingly—”angry”. These are not emotions you want your brand to stir in anyone who sees your ad, let alone your target market of potential customers.

Creativity > Retargeting

Of course, we have a suggestion for making sure that your retargeting banners titillate, not aggravate: creative creatives! (Genius, right!?) Focusing on quality creatives that showcase various aspects and facets of your product that are trafficked at various times, in appropriate settings with a myriad of images and CTAs will always be a good campaign decision. Rather than beating your potential or current customers over the head with the same information, the same image, and the same ad, (or worse, a static retargeting ad!) stun and wow them with your understanding of their needs by offering them beautifully animated ads that give them different, useful information and eye-catching visuals.  Then, when they are ready to make a purchase, they’ll know exactly where to go.

Why Choose The Bannermen

we’re open 24 hours
no consultation fees
our experience delivers
we offer fixed prices
we focus on banners
we train your team

See some of our work

Get in touch

Need a new remarketing strategy? We can help!

Contact Us

Get in touch

Need a new remarketing strategy? We can help!

Contact Us