Online advertising is a large part of online marketing strategies. Whether a marketer is using Google Adwords, Pay-Per-Click or other resources, it is a great way to market services and products to a large audience.
On average, only 2% of visitors convert to buyers after one visit to your website. An online ad that is effective for the other 98% is called retargeting advertising. With retargeting, your ad dollars are being focused on potential clientele with a genuine interest in your company (they found you first after all!).
If you’re unfamiliar with these ads, here’s a brief overview: Retargeting is a cookie-based strategy. When someone visits your website, a cookie is dropped to their browser. Once that person is browsing elsewhere, that cookie lets your retargeting ads know when its time to show the ads! The latest adaptation of retargeting advertising is its availability on social platforms.
Facebook Exchange
Facebook Exchange (FBX) is retargeting advertising, utilizing Facebook’s real-time bidding platform. However, FBX isn’t offered directly through Facebook. Several partners are currently running the FBX program through their platforms for advertisers.
How it will work for you:
In my February post, The Newest Social Media Features for Brands, I touched briefly on the functionalities of FBX. After the cookie is placed on a visitor’s browser that information is transfered to the FBX partner. Once that same consumer goes to Facebook, because of the partner and Facebook’s data, the consumer will see your brand’s Facebook ads.
The ads will look like regular Facebook ads. Most recently, Facebook confirmed that some FBX ads will even show up in news feeds. Either way, viewers won’t be able to tell the difference between a FBX and a regular Facebook ad.
Get the most out of FBX by:
It’s no secret, testing is a huge part of finding out what is successful online. Start by running a few ads through a FBX partner using different images and copy. After some time, see what is working best. If you notice some ads working poorly, rework them accordingly.
Another way to target potential clientele better is to use dynamic ads instead of static. Dynamic ads show a specific product or service a visitor saw at your website. Dynamic ads have a higher efficiency for a click through rate and conversion.
Where to start:
Find the right FBX partner platform for you to use. No matter which you choose, each will guide you on how to use their platform. A few FBX partners to consider include Triggit, Simpli.fi, AdRoll and more.
Twitter’s Almost There
It is estimated that Twitter is currently seeing ad revenue beyond $528million in one year! However, Twitter has yet to release a retargeting advertising platform. But rumors are circulating – it’s no secret that FBX is competition for Twitter’s advertising platform.
With social advertising booming and Twitter’s over 200million active users, retargeting is something marketers would really be able to benefit from. Dive in a little deeper into this prediction with AdAge.com here.
What other social media sites would you like to see retargeting advertising? I’m sure it wouldn’t be easy, but it would sure be interesting to see regular and regargeting advertising on Pinterest!
Have you used FBX? Will you use Twitter’s retargeting ads if they release them? I’d love to hear about your experience – leave a note or tweet me @JesKorn!
Photo credit: Flickr user mafphoto
