Search engine advertising is an online marketing superhero thanks to its ability to quickly and cost-effectively get your business discovered by consumers online.  Every superhero needs a true sidekick, and when it comes to finding the perfect companion for your search engine advertising, retargeting is ready for action. Here are some of retargeting’s greatest super powers for helping you drive more revenue from your online marketing.

Super Power: Tracking

Retargeting’s powerful tracking ability helps you correlate brand awareness with tangible results because it can help drive action from people who have previously searched for your business. Retargeting is a form of display advertising that works by showing your ads specifically to people interested in your products and services. Retargeting’s powerful tracking ability has the potential to drive valuable visits to your website because it identifies the right people for your campaign: consumers who have demonstrated a real interest in your business or business type by searching for your business. And the greatest part is that this online marketing technique pinpoints these interested consumers in two ways:

  • Search Retargeting: Shows your display ads to people who have recently searched for your target business keywords, including your business name or specific products or services
  • Site Retargeting: Shows your display ads to people who have recently visited your website (often by clicking a search ad)

Super Power: Speed 

Not only is retargeting a way to target highly-interested consumers, but it also goes to work almost immediately once it’s initiated – just like traditional search advertising. Because a single keyword search or click on a search ad can trigger retargeting, your ads will start being shown consumers who have not only expressed interest in your products or services, but who have done so recently. This means by showing these prospects an ad with a specific message, special promotion, or direct call-to-action while your business is still fresh in their minds, retargeting can result in an instant boost to your search advertising efforts. In fact, when you combine search advertising with retargeting, consumers may:

  • Repeat searches for your business name, then click on your search ad or organic link
  • Click on your retargeted display ad
  • Directly visit your website
  • Follow through with a conversion or other CTA, such as a call or email

Super Power: Repetition

Retargeting campaigns are also a great companion to search advertising because their impact is repeated over time. That means consumers who have searched for your business are not just exposed to your display ads once but numerous times as they surf their favorite sites across the Web. In other words, consumers may start their purchase path using search engines for discovery, but may not be ready to buy. By complementing your search campaign with retargeting, you activate the power of repetition of your brand over time, keeping your business top of mind. That way, consumers are more likely to remember your business when they are ready to buy.

Super Power: Merging

According to Wikipedia, merging is the ability to combine two entities into a single, stronger entity. And, in the case of online advertising, merging search advertising and retargeting is more powerful than using search alone. Research shows that 31% of users click display ads, while 27% conduct a search after seeing a display ad. And, because retargeting ads are shown to prospects quickly after conducting a search, retargeting allows a display ad to work further down the marketing funnel—at the acquisition or consideration stage vs. the awareness stage—which can result in considerably more site visits, conversions, and leads than just running a search advertising campaign.

Have you added retargeting advertising to your marketing mix? How can search retargeting and site retargeting compliment your search advertising campaign? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!