Ever visit a website and then start seeing ads for that brand appear on other websites you visit? Probably so, and if you shop online you’ve likely also received an email from a  store after shopping without buying anything. These are examples of remarketing and retargeting, a clever form of online marketing and a great way to boost conversions.

Here’s how it works: let’s say you click on a link in Google’s search results which takes you to an online store for cosmetics. A little piece of code on that site makes a note of your visit and sets a cookie in your browser. You shop around, look at some things, but in the end leave without buying anything. Later that day, or the following week or whenever, you visit another website which also has a piece a little piece of code on it, only this one reads that cookie instead. Having identified you as that person who shopped for cosmetics the other day without buying any, it shows you an ad for–you guessed it–the products or website you were looking at. It keeps doing this until you go back and buy something, or until the impressions limit of the retargeting ends, whichever comes first.

Now, if you’re anything like me, the idea of having a website follow you around online is a little creepy, sort of like having the Zara clerk invite herself to join you at Starbucks. However, as a marketing tool it’s very effective. Remarketing and retargeting–when done well and (ideally) in conjunction with one another–can increase conversion rates to as much as 40-50%. That’s a lot of bang for your marketing buck.

How can you put remarketing to work for you?

Remarketing is available from Google and a handful of other firms such as Adroll and ReTargeter. Google only supports graphical (banner) ads at the moment, but will be adding support for text ads as well soon.

For companies interested in trying remarketing, Netwise provides campaign creation and management in a addition to a full range of digital marketing services. Please contact us for full details or to request a no cost, no obligation digital marketing consultation.