Retargeting is the practice of serving ads based on prior engagement. While there is more than one form of this technology, the most frequently used is site-based retargeting. (Other forms include search retargeting, email retargeting, facebook retargeting, and CRM retargeting.) Site-based retargeting is the practice of serving ads to people who visit your website after they leave. 

These ads appear on a variety of other sites around the web, keeping your brand in front of your bounced site visitors in an attempt to bring them back. 

How Digital Retarget® Works

Site-based retargeting uses cookies to stay in front of previous site visitors. When someone visits your website, a few lines of code provided by your retargeter will drop an anonymous browser cookie. This cookie is a small file that stores information. The cookie will store the site visit, but does not store any sensitive information, such as the site visitor’s name, address or any other piece of information that might personally identify the visitor. 

When someone comes to your site, a cookie is dropped, and eventually, they leave and visit another site. The cookie lets your retargeting provider know when one of your bounced visitors appears on another site. If there is available ad space, your retargeting provider will bid on that space in real-time, aptly named real-time bidding or RTB, and if they are the highest bidder, will secure the ad space before the page loads. This entire process is automated and occurs within a fraction of a second. By the time the page loads, the ad space will have been purchased and your ad will appear alongside the page content. 

Digital Retarget® for Branding

Digital marketing, and specifically display advertising, can be about more than just generating immediate clicks. Marketers can develop retargeting campaigns for the purpose of branding. Data regarding demographics, search history, and past purchasing information can all be used to craft effective branding campaigns—an opportunity not to be missed. When it comes to retargeting, and display in general, most return visits come through direct visits or through search. 

One comScore study found that brands saw up to a 1046% increase in branded search, or users searching directly for the brand name, during retargeting campaigns. This massive increase in branded search is a clear indicator that retargeting is highly successful in building brand awareness, and isn’t only effective for direct response campaigns.

The Proof is in the results for every business industry: Digital Retarget® works.

About 90% of Americans use the internet to browse search engines and social media, to shop for products, and make purchasing decisions. Are you retargeting those visitors that go to your website? Your competition certainly is…almost 50% of all businesses use retargeting advertising. It’s a simple process. We simply follow customers around the web and Facebook, and place ads that remind them of your business. If you’re not doing this, then your visitors are going to get your competitors’ branding, offers, and messages…instead of yours.

• Website visitors who are retargeted with display ads are more likely to convert by 70%. (Source: criteo.com) 
• Three of five online viewers notice and consider ads showing products they viewed from another page. (Source: emarketer.com)
• The click-through rate (CTR) of a retargeted ad is 10 times higher than the CTR of a typical display ad. (Source: digitalinformationworld.com)
  

98% of Consumers Will Leave a Site Without Ever Converting