The Power of Retargeting

Let's talk about retargeting. Even if that word doesn’t automatically ring a bell, I promise you already know exactly what it is.

Remember the last time you searched for a product online, and then all of a sudden for the next week or so every ad on your device is now that product or directly related to it?

That's retargeting. 

It’s unfortunate that this is the most experience people have with retargeting, because when used properly (instead of as spam), it is one of the most powerful tools a business can use to reach a prospect. 

For most products or services, customers don’t just purpose spontaneously, there is a period of decision making they have to go through first.

This is referred to as a “customer journey”.

Similar to the concept of a “hero’s journey” in literature or film, showcasing how the main character goes from who they are, to who they will become,  a customer journey is simply a description of the steps it takes for a prospect/lead to become a client/customer.

It looks something like this:

The prospect is made aware of a problem or need in their life

The prospect decides to take action to remedy said problem

The prospect explores possible options and solutions

The prospect decides on an option and moves on to exploring different suppliers

The prospect buys from a supplier, thus becoming a customer

Easy enough.

So how does this help us?

Well, the sooner in this cycle that you get your message/product in front of the prospect, the higher the chance you have of converting them.

If a prospect is seeing your message for the first time in stage 5, then at this point they're just choosing based on price.

You want to be the first thing they see when they look for solutions in stage 3.

Prospect decides they have a problem and want to solve it? BOOM,  there you are with your message showing what you can do for them. 

Good news is, if you know what you’re doing with your marketing, there is a good chance that you are already getting to potential prospects at stage 3.

The bad news?

Most people have the attention span of a gnat, and won’t remember briefly seeing your message 45 seconds after they’ve scrolled past it. 

This is the power of retargeting.

With retargeting, you capture the prospect at stage 3, and you keep presenting your message in front of said prospects eyes over and over again, until they start to associate YOU with being the solution to their problem.