In the B2B space, capturing a prospect’s attention is just the beginning. What follows is a series of targeted actions designed to keep that prospect engaged, pushing them further along their buying journey. One powerful approach to enhance this process is combining retargeting with display advertising.
Let’s explore how this combination can work effectively to drive engagement without diving into case studies or specific examples. We’ll focus on strategy, timing, and messaging to craft a powerful, high-engagement campaign.
The Power of Retargeting in B2B
B2B retargeting, at its core, is about keeping your brand in front of prospects who have shown interest but aren’t ready to convert yet. Retargeting keeps your message active, targeting prospects as they consider their options and move through the buying process.
This method capitalizes on the fact that B2B decisions are rarely impulsive. The decision-making process is usually lengthy and involves multiple touchpoints, making repeated exposure vital. Retargeting plays a critical role in ensuring your brand stays top-of-mind during this phase of consideration.
Why Pair Retargeting with Display Ads?
Display ads offer broad visibility across various platforms, creating a versatile opportunity for outreach. However, when paired with retargeting, they become hyper-focused and more relevant. By showing your display ads specifically to people who have already visited your site, downloaded content, or shown other signs of interest, you’re creating a strategy that directly targets warm leads.
Here’s why the combination works:
- Precision targeting: Display ads by themselves often cast a wide net, but retargeting adds precision by narrowing the audience down to those who are already engaged.
- Personalized messaging: Combining the two allows for customized messaging based on the prospect's behavior.
- Increased engagement: When people see relevant ads, especially from brands they’ve already interacted with, they’re more likely to click and engage.
Together, retargeting and display ads ensure you’re not wasting resources on cold outreach but are instead focusing your efforts on nurturing leads with whom you already have a connection.
Steps to Successfully Combine Retargeting and Display Ads
1. Segment Your Audience Strategically
Not all leads are at the same stage in their journey. Some are just browsing, while others are closer to making a decision. By segmenting your audience, you can ensure that your retargeting ads deliver messages that are relevant to each stage of the funnel.
- New visitors: These might be people who have visited your blog or landing pages. You could retarget them with ads offering more in-depth content or product demos.
- Returning visitors: If someone has visited multiple times but hasn’t converted, it’s a good time to increase the urgency, perhaps by showcasing product benefits or limited-time offers.
- Warm leads: These individuals have interacted with more valuable content like webinars or whitepapers. Retarget them with ads focused on case studies or testimonials to build trust.
2. Timing Is Everything
The timing of your retargeting ads is crucial. You want to strike a balance between staying visible and being intrusive. Frequency capping can help you manage this, ensuring that your audience doesn’t feel overwhelmed by seeing your ad too often.
It’s essential to have a structured timeline that considers the prospect’s level of engagement. For instance:
- Immediately after interaction: Retarget users who have recently engaged with your site, keeping your brand fresh in their minds.
- One week later: Follow up with more personalized ads that reference their specific interaction.
- After a month: Re-engage dormant leads who haven’t interacted in a while, giving them a reason to return with new offers or insights.
Spacing out your ads prevents fatigue while maintaining engagement, and it ensures your brand doesn’t get lost in the shuffle.
3. Craft Dynamic and Personalized Messaging
Retargeting is most effective when paired with display ads that speak directly to the user’s needs. To achieve this, use dynamic ad content that adjusts based on the individual’s previous behavior. For example, if a prospect visited your pricing page, the retargeting ad could highlight a special discount or demo offer.
Personalization is key here. Tailor your message to address specific pain points or interests based on the pages they visited or the content they engaged with. This makes your display ads feel less like generic marketing and more like a conversation.
- Ad messaging that resonates: Use copy that aligns with where the prospect is in their buyer journey. Keep the language concise, and focus on a clear call to action (CTA).
- Consistent branding: Ensure that your ads visually and tonally match the rest of your brand identity, reinforcing familiarity and trust.
4. Align Your Landing Pages with Ad Content
The experience doesn’t end when the prospect clicks on your ad. A well-optimized landing page is essential to continue the conversation. This page should not only match the promise made in the ad but also guide the prospect to the next step in the funnel, such as filling out a form or booking a demo.
Your landing page should:
- Mirror the ad’s message: Ensure the offer or product mentioned in the display ad is the focus of the landing page.
- Be clear and actionable: Remove distractions and provide a clear, singular CTA.
- Maintain continuity: Use the same design elements from your ads to create a seamless experience from the first click to the final conversion.
Misalignment between your ad and landing page can disrupt the customer journey and hurt your conversion rates.
5. Use Data to Continuously Refine Your Strategy
Optimization doesn’t end when the campaign is live. It’s essential to monitor your results and use that data to refine your targeting, messaging, and ad creative.
Some metrics to track include:
- Click-through rate (CTR): A low CTR might indicate that your ads aren’t grabbing attention, or your messaging isn’t resonating.
- Conversion rate: If people are clicking but not converting, you might need to reevaluate your landing page or offer.
- Bounce rate: High bounce rates can suggest a disconnect between your ad and the landing page content.
By continuously testing and analyzing these metrics, you can adjust your approach to improve engagement and optimize for the highest possible return on investment (ROI).
Final Thoughts
Combining retargeting with display advertising is an essential strategy for driving engagement in B2B marketing. It transforms broad display ad outreach into a laser-focused approach that directly targets warm leads, keeping them engaged through the buyer’s journey.
By segmenting your audience, timing your ads strategically, crafting personalized messaging, ensuring landing page alignment, and continuously optimizing based on data, you can maximize the effectiveness of your campaigns. Remember, it’s not just about being seen; it’s about being relevant at the right time, with the right message.
