| Story Views | |
| Now: | |
| Last Hour: | |
| Last 24 Hours: | |
| Total: | |
Retargeting Doesn’t Necessarily Imply Advertising: Four Ways to Retarget Without Paying For Ads
When you think of the term “retargeting,” you’re probably thinking of an article I wrote earlier on getting your customers back into your site through retargeted advertisements. This is not the only way to do it, though. There are many ways to make them think twice, or at least introduce themselves to your business, without having to see your ads show up everywhere they go.
I was browsing the Web earlier this week and found an ad for an email marketing company I browsed earlier inside of my own site. Every page on my site was loading with that advertisement. That was annoying! Even worse, I went to a completely unrelated website (mine’s a comic technology site) with recipes for cookies, and there it was! My screen just got invaded! It can get very annoying and irritating to the point that I don’t even want to visit the site advertised anymore. It’s like they’re pushing everything in my face.
Is there a way to do this so it’s less annoying to your site’s visitors? Sure, there is! Here are a few ideas:
- Sponsor a website frequented by people who visit your site regularly. In other words, buy ad space from them. Offer them an annual or monthly payment so that the ad’s displayed on their site as long as you pay, and watch visitors creep in. You don’t have to rely on the big names. This way, you gain a highly-targeted audience. When they leave your site and visit their little gold mine, they will see your ad all the time and just click on it at their own whims. It’s a win-win situation, and they won’t see your ad when looking up the recipe for marzipan.
- Newsletters are cool! They’re in style today, and if you’re not running one, you’re missing out on a ton. People who subscribe to your newsletter but don’t buy a product don’t necessarily hate your company. They probably aren’t educated fully on what you have to offer and hope that you can offer some reinforcement. Do so discretely, and they’ll probably buy what you have to offer. Also, don’t forget to post something instructional once in a while. People like it when the companies they trust do more than just shove products and services in their faces all week long.
- If you’re offering something big and original, pitch it to a publication. Some people get answers two percent of the time, while others might get an answer every other time they pitch. It depends on the “wow” factor of your product and how you present yourself. As you get further along, you’ll get better at pitching. Hire someone to do the PR for you if you’re not comfortable. Getting your firm some PR can help draw very attached customers who are more responsive to retargeting methods mentioned above.
- Write guest posts in blogs. This one’s really hot and many people are doing it nowadays to try and get their name plastered on the Internet somewhere. The more exposure you get yourself, the more loyal customers will come. Loyalty is just as important as profit. Contact a blog owner and ask him if you can publish a guest post. An ink manufacturer and distributor has done that with me a few months ago. I was more than happy to publish their piece on my blog. This is how you build relationships with good publishers and hopefully retarget people who frequent the blog as you write more guest posts.
When customers see a lot of external activity related to your business, the Ohms drop and current flows. They feel more comfortable with businesses that are talked about. Don’t think too much about these methods and just put them into practice. Most of them don’t cost you anything compared to what you’ll be shoveling in if you get some good practice.
Ramon Ray, Editor & Technology Evangelist, Smallbiztechnology.com
http://www.twitter.com/ramonray | http://www.facebook.com/smallbiztechnology
[email protected]
Small Business Technology Tour (Fall 2011)
http://www.smallbiztechtour.com
* Mountain View * Salt Lake City * Boston * Chicago * Atlanta
2012-09-06 08:21:57
Source:
