11/04/13 // Written by admin

Search Retargeting for Internet Marketing

Search retargeting is the process by which adverts can be geared towards internet users based on information they’ve already entered into search engines. It’s a great tool for marketers, as it means they are able to target consumers who may never have visited their brand’s website before, or even have heard of the brand itself.

How Does Search Retargeting Work?

Essentially, the essence of search retargeting lies somewhere between search and display. Whilst adverts are displayed in a traditional banner-style format, the content of the adverts is more specifically targeted to each individual, based on their search history. In this way, the relevancy of banner ads can be increased.

Back in 2011, Josh Shatkin-Margolis, CEO of Magnetic, said, ‘Display is changing the value of search’. What he meant by this was, retargeting is able to transform search into a useful tool for building effective display campaigns, which in turn redefines the value of search itself. But why is display marketing so important?

 

The Difference Between Push and Pull Marketing

Push and pull marketing are the polar opposites of each other. The former refers to the process by which a product is directly delivered to the customer. The latter refers to the process by which a customer would be encouraged to seek out your product.

Whereas search engine marketing (SEM) is a type of pull marketing, requiring consumers to actively search for your brand, search retargeting utilises components of search to produce banner ads (just one example) which are a form of traditional push advertising. However, unlike traditional push advertising, search retargeting is able to deliver targeted advertising to a consumer anywhere in the world.

Weighing Up the Benefits of Search Retargeting

Jason Tabeling, of Rosetta, described on Search Engine Watch the relationship between SEO and PPC as being like peanut butter and chocolate – great on their own, but outstanding when combined. Certainly, search retargeting seems to encompass the best of both of these worlds, employing a proactive methodology which puts search metrics to good use.

From a marketing standpoint, the benefits of search retargeting should be immediately obvious:

•    It allows you to target specific terms without exponentially increasing your budget, including those already being employed by competitors.
•    Behavioural focussing allows for more targeted advertising.
•    Retargeting integrates multiple channels to provide a more comprehensive search and media advertising strategy.
•    Push-driven advertising of this nature is able to reach consumers when they are not searching.
•    Retargeting classifies intent as a behaviour, and markets to this accordingly.
•    Advancements in geo-targeting mean that this type of push advertising can not only be delivered globally, it can also be geographically relevant.

The Future of Search Retargeting

With the recent news that Facebook’s advertising exchange, FBX, is now offering search retargeting, it seems more likely than ever that search retargeting is here to stay, and will most likely form a vital part of online marketing in years to come. And, as Chris Boggs from Rosetta stated, ‘integration is the way of the successful future’.