2017 Remarketing Strategies – Avoid Being Left Out in the Cold!
When the holiday rush is over, will your business be prepared for the quieter months?
For the majority of us the holidays are a great time of year, but for ecommerce retailers, the Christmas rush is even more exciting; a welcomed influx of new and exciting business, and a time of the time of year where all of our hard work really starts to pay off. From the endless hours of data mining and reviewing customer trends, to the numerous promotions, sales and specials, you’d be forgiven for thinking it’s time to switch off, relax and enjoy the sales perks. After all, surely your advertising will be fine until next year, right?
Wrong!
While it might be busy now, the truth is that once the Boxing Day sales have finished and everyone has returned to work, things will inevitably slow down again.
You need to take advantage of the increased digital and in-store foot traffic while it’s still available; setting your business up with all the trend data and customer information possible! But what else can you be doing to maximise your sales in 2017? Let me walk you through my top tips.
Capturing Lost Sales through Remarketing
You may have heard the phrase ‘it’s the thought that counts,’ but the reality is, that special someone in your life is probably dreaming of something a little more exciting than another pair of ‘socks n jocks’… Yes, despite the wonder of Christmas, it’s common to see people searching for the things they ‘actually wanted’ to receive, after Christmas. And this is where remarketing can help!
For example, let’s imagine that ‘Grant’ is really hoping for a surfboard for Christmas and has spent weeks researching on your website – but he’s failed to purchase just yet. Who knows, maybe he’s holding off for hope that his dream present turns up under the Christmas tree? But, just because a customer hasn’t yet purchased, doesn’t mean you’ve necessarily lost the sale. You simply need to use ‘remarketing’ to follow up on those customers who failed to purchase prior to Christmas.
If you’re not familiar with the term, remarketing is essentially a method of capturing lists of customers who have visited your website, and then ‘re-targeting’ them later on with tailored image advertising. For example, have you ever browsed the internet and noticed an ad somewhere on the page with the exact product you were previously looking at? No, it’s not magic – that’s remarketing!
Personally, I like to cover all bases as soon as possible; creating a range of audiences from a month to a year long. Now, you can also get as technical as you like, but think about the sorts of users you would want to advertise to later on and ask yourself, is it customers who have spent at least two minutes on your website, or those who have added something to their cart without checking out? Brainstorm and talk to your digital strategist about all the different options available to you, as well as the sorts of clients you want to keep in touch with.
HOT TIP: With tools like Google Analytics you can keep user lists for as long as you like, and make them as tailored as you like. Just be aware, if you want information from your users to utilise in six month’s time, you need to start building your audience campaign now!
Dynamic Remarketing
While being significantly more difficult to set up, dynamic remarketing goes a step further: capturing information about which products users are engaging with. For example, if utilising the Google Shopping platform you could create a series of ads which dynamically update themselves with the same – or similar – products as those a specific user was looking at! This is fantastic, as it creates a truly customised remarketing experience to every user. For example, imagine looking at that new piece of smart tech you wanted but never purchased, only to see an ad from the same retailer for the new, shinier model six months later when your tax return has come through!
Capturing Data Through Email and Newsletter Sign-up’s
Have you ever browsed a website only to have a box ‘pop up’ asking you to subscribe and enter your details? Unsurprisingly, many find these types of ads intrusive, and above all, a real turn off. But that doesn’t mean all pop-ups are evil; it’s all about knowing when to use them.
For example, while it’s not a great idea to bombard a user with a pop-up the moment they arrive on your website, there’s no harm in displaying one as they are about to leave your site is there? These ‘exit pop-ups’ are far less-intrusive and can help to convert a customer before they disappear forever. My top tips? Just make sure it doesn’t appear more than once, and that you are clear with what you are offering. For example, an exit pop-up that offers a user something in exchange for their information (such as, “Leave your details to stay up to date with new products and exclusive discounts”) will also help to improve subscription rates.
Other options you can play with include adding a ‘Subscribe Box’ at the end of popular content – such as after each product page. After all, if someone gets that far down the page it’s typically because they couldn’t get enough of your product and were looking for more; so it’s the perfect place to add a subscription option!
Finally, when a user makes the decision to purchase and check-out, ensure you have an ‘opt in’ newsletter option! After all, the most engaged user you can find is one who is purchasing your products correct? A hot tip is to ensure your ‘opt-in’ box is automatically ‘ticked’ by default; in case your customer skips over without looking.
At the end of the day, most retailers know that on average, it costs five times as much to acquire a customer as it does to retain one (eMarketer, 2002) – so keeping your customers up-to-date each month with a quick newsletter is really a no brainer. Even if you need to utilise a premium mailing system to do so, it’s a small price to pay compared to the potential advertising costs of winning over a new customer.
GET IN TOUCH
Regardless of whether you utilise all of these options, just one, or something entirely different, the holidays are not a time let your game plan slip! Contact SponsoredLinX on 1300 859 600 to ensure your digital marketing success now and in the future!