Author, Alain Parcan, Director of Marketing for Market Hardware, Inc., and NALP consultant, shares his advice on digital advertising.
In the constantly evolving world of Web Marketing, can your business really afford to overspend on an outdated Web Marketing strategy like Pay-Per-Click?
Full disclosure – yes, there are select situations where Pay-Per-Click marketing can be very effective for landscaping professionals. But more often than not, it’s become cost-prohibitive for most businesses in 2017. Instead, savvy business owners are finding far more success implementing a strategy known as Retargeting.
Here’s a primer…
Ever noticed when you surf the Internet and visit a specific site, an ad from that site starts to pop up periodically when you visit other Websites? Chances are it’s happened to you as recently as the past few hours. And, it’s one of the biggest Web Marketing game-changers for 2017 – one that can work to get you more business this year.
Retargeting is 2017’s best Web Marketing strategy for putting your business back in front of consumers who have previously visited your Website or even just searched for your products or services. It combines two specific tools: Site Retargeting and Search Retargeting.
What is Site Retargeting? When someone visits your Website and leaves, they get tagged as “Interested Consumers.” Then, as they visit their favorite News, Weather and Sports Websites on the Web, they see your ad, which in turn reminds them to return to your site and contact you.
What is Search Retargeting? When someone searches for your landscaping products or services, but doesn’t find your business listed, they are identified as an “Interested Prospect.” They are then exposed to your display ad over time as they browse the Web on their favorite media properties.
By combining both tools, you can greatly increase the chances someone interested in your services ends up calling you. Retargeting is a perfect replacement for traditional Pay-Per-Click efforts because it focuses your advertising on people who are familiar with your brand or have already shown interest in landscaping service. The main difference is you’ll pay a fraction of what it costs to show up in Sponsored search results, netting you a much better ROI than Pay-Per-Click in today’s market.
Here’s the catch…
Retargeting isn’t a good enough strategy on its own. It performs best when run in conjunction with other marketing efforts like Search Engine Optimization or even traditional marketing strategies. Those efforts will drive traffic to your site, and retargeting will increase the likelihood that each of those visitors ends up calling to use your services. Without a steady flow of traffic to your site, there won’t be enough people to retarget to.
I’m convinced! How much does it cost?
Not much – as low as a penny per ad view. But, a better way of looking at this topic would be to consider what percentage of your monthly marketing budget should go toward Retargeting. According to a recent study from advertising firm Marin Software, the majority of marketers spend roughly 10% of their budgets on Retargeting. Budgets typically range somewhere between $500 and $1000 per month, which would sufficiently ensure your ad is displayed enough to get a steady flow of leads. Like most Web Marketing strategies, talk to an expert who can work with your budget to maximize your ROI on a Retargeting campaign.
The final word
Retargeting is typically favored by marketers and business owners who have the time to monitor their spending, target data, and ROI – and have the chops to actually design and test ads. If you’re looking for something you can ‘set and forget,’ you probably shouldn’t try to manage a Retargeting campaign on your own. It takes time to keep track of all the data that comes through in order to optimize a campaign, so consider hiring an expert to manage your campaign and help design your ads. It’s a small investment that can pay big dividends by driving stronger results.
Consider Retargeting as another tool in your marketing toolkit to help you take your business to another level this year.
