What is Remarketing & How Does it Work

Have you ever visited a website, left without making a purchase, and then noticed ads for that same website following you around the internet? That’s the power of remarketing at work.

Remarketing is a digital marketing strategy that allows businesses to target their advertising to users who have previously visited their website or engaged with their brand in some way. It’s an effective way to stay top-of-mind with potential customers and bring them back to the website to complete their purchase or take some other desired action.

But how does it actually work? In this post, we’ll take a deep dive into the world of remarketing and explain how it works, the benefits and drawbacks, and how you can use it to grow your business.

What is Remarketing

At its core, remarketing is a way for businesses to show ads to users who have previously visited their website. It works by installing a piece of code called a “remarketing tag” on the

website. This tag is a small snippet of JavaScript that tracks website visitors and adds them to a remarketing “list.”
When a user visits the website and the remarketing tag is triggered, their browser cookie is added to the remarketing list. Later, when that user visits other websites that are part of the same advertising network (such as Google AdSense), they will see ads from the business that they previously visited. These ads are served by the advertising network and are targeted specifically to users on the remarketing list.

For example, let’s say you run an online store that sells hiking gear. Someone comes to your website and looks at a few different backpacks, but doesn’t end up making a purchase. Later, when that person is browsing the internet, they might see an ad for your store with a special offer on backpacks. That’s an example of remarketing in action.

How Does Remarketing Work

Here are the steps to setting up a remarketing campaign:

1. Install the remarketing tag on your website

This involves copying and pasting a piece of code into the HTML of your website. This tag will track visitors and add them to your remarketing list.

2. Create a remarketing campaign in an advertising platform such as Google Ads

Set up your ad groups, targeting, and budget for the campaign. Choose which lists of visitors you want to target with your ads.

3. Create ads for your campaign

These could be text ads, display ads, or video ads, depending on the platform you are using. Make sure to create compelling and relevant ads that will appeal to your target audience.

4. Set up conversion tracking

This will allow you to measure the effectiveness of your remarketing campaign and see how well it is converting visitors into customers.

5. Launch your campaign and start serving ads to your remarketing lists

Monitor the performance of your campaign and make adjustments as needed to optimize its effectiveness.

6. Consider using retargeting software to automate and streamline the process

This can help you create and manage your remarketing campaigns more efficiently.

Some potential pros and cons of remarketing

Pros

1. Remarketing allows you to stay top-of-mind with potential customers and bring them back to your website.
2. It allows you to target specific groups of users, such as those who abandoned their shopping cart or visited specific pages on your website.
3. Remarketing can be highly customized, allowing you to create different lists for different types of visitors and serve them with relevant ads.
4. It can be an effective way to increase conversions and drive sales.

Cons

1. Some users may find remarketing to be intrusive or even creepy, as it involves tracking their online behavior and serving them targeted ads.
2. There is a risk of overloading users with too many ads, which can be annoying and lead to a negative perception of your brand.
3. Remarketing requires a significant investment in time and resources, including setting up the remarketing tag on your website, creating and managing campaigns, and tracking and analyzing results.
4. It may not be as effective for businesses in certain industries or with certain products or services, depending on the nature of the business and the target audience.

In conclusion

Remarketing is a powerful digital marketing strategy that allows businesses to target their advertising to users who have previously visited their website or engaged with their brand in some way.

By staying top-of-mind with potential customers and serving them with relevant ads, businesses can increase conversions and drive sales. While remarketing can be highly effective, it’s important to use it judiciously and be transparent about your tracking efforts to

avoid annoying or alienating users. By carefully planning and executing your remarketing campaigns, you can effectively reach and engage your target audience and grow your business.