Jurassic World broke box office records but was not very different in plot from Jurassic Park.

Sometimes, people want something they are familiar with. Sometimes, creating familiarity has rewards. There is a value in sequels.

Do you ever wish you got a second chance with visitors to your site? A Sequel? Have you looked at your web analytics and noticed a large difference between total visitors and total sales?

There are obviously a ton of reasons people might visit but not move to conversion behaviors on your site, but, there is a method you can use to get a second chance with those visitors that are the most likely to purchase your products….That method is called retargeting or remarketing.

Retargeting is an easy way of approaching people who have already demonstrated interest in your products or services through the platform that they are most likely to use for search (Google). Since search is where most people start when they are looking to buy, retargeting can be a very effective strategy. Retargeting can be your effective sequel.

How Does Purchasing Behavior Work

Imagine that you were leaving a concert venue where you had heard a new band, and as you passed the merchandise table on the way out, you considered purchasing the band’s latest album. Let’s say that you chose, in the end, to leave the concert without purchasing the album, but you lingered at the merchandise table for several minutes because while you weren’t sure you should drop the extra $15 to purchase the album you really liked the band.

As consumers, we often feel regret when we see things that we want to purchase but choose not to buy. We often struggle over purchases – like in the old movies with the devil on one shoulder and an angel on the other shoulder.

Purchasing behaviors are driven by numerous triggers like desire, connection, and loyalty. Often the distance between purchase and deciding not to purchase something is razor thin but grows wider the longer we are removed from the immediate opportunity….Out of sight, out of mind.

But, what if, on the morning after the concert, you opened your email and there was a special offer to buy that album you passed on the night before?

Many of your feelings about wanting the album would still be there and the special offer might be just the ticket to move you to make the purchase. A smart band, would have a sign-up list (or an electronic opt-in) and would follow up with information and opportunities for anyone who signed up at their concerts.

This kind of advertising is retargeting.

What is Retargeting

The purpose of retargeting is to drive purchasing behaviors after someone has left your website without buying anything (but whose behavior suggested buying intent). A frequent frustration of online businesses is what is called the “abandoned shopping cart” or when someone has followed your sales funnel to the point of purchase and bailed right before buying your products.

The good news is that the customer was obviously interested enough to come close to purchasing but the bad news is that they left your site.

Retargeting is how you get them back.

For any potential purchase, reminding a customer of their interest in a particular product makes good business sense. Creating a connection between their purchase interest and your brand or location also makes good sense. Through retargeting, you basically send them a reminder of the connection between the near purchase, your brand, and any new information you think might nudge them into purchase.

For a major purchase, say buying a new door or replacing windows, some customers might have a longer and more careful process of making a purchase decision. Retargeting works even better in these situations. It is in your interest to keep a customer reminded of your brand and its connection to the product the customer is interested in. Keeping the lead warm, keeps you in the game to get that customers business.

A retargeting ad can act like a virtual follow up sales call or even a virtual salesperson reminding a customer of your offer and of your brand. And, if you sweeten the deal through your retargeting you can change someone’s buying calculous entirely.

How Does Retargeting Work

The internet works a bit like the post office. There is an infrastructure of special computers (called servers) and a massive globe full of wires that connect information seekers with information sites and deliver information to information seekers. Each computer, device, and website has a unique address and the infrastructure delivers information to and from seekers and sites. When you visit a web site, you are actually asking the net to deliver the information from that site (the web page requested – the site address) to the address of your device. In this way, your browser functions as kind of a post office box.

When you ask for information from a site, most of the time, a record is left of the communication between the address of your device/connection and the address of the site in question. For some reason, these records are called “cookies.” Cookies are what allow retargeting.

If I decided to buy something on your business website, and went to the checkout page, a cookie would be left telling your site that there was a connection between my site and your site. In this way, you not only know that I visited, but you know how to communicate with me (you have my unique device address). Once I know how to communicate with you, I can communicate with you through a third party. In other words, If I know your unique device address, I can tell a site like Google to connect my unique ad to you whenever you connect to their search engine from that address.

How Can You Retarget

The science is not complicated, you start by adding a remarketing code to all of the pages on your website (if you have an Adwords account, you can get the code from Adwords). You create a remarketing list (a list of pages or items that AdWords should flag). Then you build campaigns around the concept of remarketing to anyone who visits the pages flagged on your remarketing list.

In essence, the people visiting your site leave a trail of cookie crumbs that analytics algorithms allow you (or your retargeting program) to follow all the way through your sales funnel. By identifying which of your web pages (when they are visited) are the most likely to demonstrate purchasing intent, you become able to effectively retarget your most likely buyers.

Retargeting is also one of the most cost effective ways to get business. You know, because of past behavior, that the customers that you are targeting was very close to purchase before retargeting. In addition, retargeting on Google is pay-per-click. If someone clicks on your ad, they are even more likely to engage in purchasing behaviors. They are choosing to click on ad for something that you already know that they really want to buy.

Retargeting also makes you seem like a major player in your field. To the retargeted customer, it appears like your advertising is ubiquitous. It seems like they see your advertisements all over the place. Customers rarely connect the dots, they are much more likely to think that because your ads are everywhere, that means you are like the Coca- Cola or Pepsi in your industry not like RC Cola.

Be Careful

When you create a Google Ads remarketing campaign, you want to make sure to set what is called a frequency cap. You do not want potential customers to think you are stalking them and a frequency cap helps make your reminders seem more organic and less forced.

You also should remember that the point of retargeting is to drive new sales, not to increase visitors to your website. In fact, since these are people who have already been down your sites sales funnel, getting them to just visit your site again really is not the behavior that you are hoping for. If your retargeting campaign is resulting in visits but not sales, you probably are not targeting the right customers, are not sending the right messaging, or are not making the right offers. Ring Ring Marketing can work with you on all the ways to make sure your campaign is perfectly balanced and designed.