We have all been victims of retargeting ads!

With Facebook facing backlash regarding their new policy on data protection and customer privacy on Whatsapp, a lot of people have started to wonder if their online privacy was ever respected.

I was recently talking with a friend of mine and she was complaining about this policy. For her, it was already enough to be overwhelmed with Facebook and IG ads every time she would do some research online and she didn't want the same thing to happen on her whatsapp since the main purpose for her using this app was to keep contact with her family and close friends. She deemed Whatsapp to be a very intimate tool, a way for her to escape the craziness of Facebook and she had no desire whatsoever to be harassed by companies and brands on this app.

Just like her, people have been wondering why and how come after visiting a website and leaving without buying anything you get ads from this specific website, brands, stores across all of your social media channels ??? Youtube, Facebook and Instagram and even on Amazon. I am writing not to justify Facebook actions but to put some light into what people believe to be internet spying.

Not to sound too dramatic, but you were victim of A RETARGETING AD!

Well there is nothing to be scared of. With the advance of technology and the evolution of marketing AKA Digital Marketing as we know it today companies and brands are trying their best to reach out and appeal to their target audience without them having to make too much effort and male your life easier. Even though it can drive unwanted attention to you and annoy you.

SO WHAT IS RETARGETING?

Retargeting campaigns remind website visitors of products and services after they left without taking an action or buying anything. It allows companies to retarget those visitors and show them relevant visual or text ads when they visit other websites or platforms.

WHY IS RETARGETING CAMPAIGN IMPORTANT

The Internet is a fierce place where everybody is offering something and wants to place the highest value for their customers whether it is about price, quality or customer experience. Therefore, users have plenty of brands to choose from, meaning that they have the opportunity to visit hundreds of online stores, compare prices, products before deciding if they want to buy or not. Just like speed dating, we have entered an era of speed shopping where customers dedicate little time to making decisions when they are on a website and tend to leave as soon as the offerings are satisfying. Leading companies to use retargeting to attract these customers.

THE ADVANTAGES FOR CUSTOMERS

Those ads are more cartered to customers needs and preferences
Their can get good deals and more value than what they were expecting. For example, if you were to buy a new pair of footwear and googled shoes on sale, visited a couple of websites and left with nothing because the offers were above your budget. You might end up with a lot of ads regarding shoes on sales in your Facebook field. These offers can even go down to 60% depending on your price sensitivity.
They get more information and often can check reviews from customers who have already tried the brand

THE ADVANTAGES OF RETARGETING FOR COMPANIES

They can be seen in more places, increasing their brand awareness and online engagement
They can recover a good amount of sales that might have been lost. That is the case for Payton Jewelry an online jewelry store which reached a milestone last year with 650% increase in revenue thanks to retargeting strategy with Adroll.
Introduce new products and even get rid of inventory.

With that being said, one should not be scared, annoyed towards online ads, because it was mainly designed to help you as a customer to find the right product/ service for you. Clean your browser more often, block cookies or even shop online using incognito mode.

IIf you are a business owner, you have to know that retargeting ads are good for increasing conversion, but they can not be used to drive traffic on your website. It only comes after you are able to implement an effective SEO strategy, using Google adwords and other Digital marketing techniques.

Learn more about retargeting here

Next, we are going to learn how to drive more traffic on your website using Keywords!