Remarketing and What it Means for Small Businesses

It has happened to all of us. You visit a website to checkout a new video game or the benefits of a new air miles credit card. Then, for the next two weeks no matter how many sites you visit, you see highly targeted ads related to that exact product. The first thing that runs through our mind is, “how do they do that!?”. Well it’s called retargeting and their niche in the digital marketing space just got a little crowded.
Previously if you wanted to run this style marketing campaign you were forced to go with the pricey systems like Retargeter or Ad Roll with the huge minimum ad spends that only big brands could afford. However, it is now in reach for us small businesses thanks to Google’s Remarketing, an extension of Adwords.
Although released in beta in early 2010 it has finally been opened up to all Adwords accounts during the latest UI updates from Google. With this update it allows business that have small budgets but big ideas succeed. Here is an example/campaign that helped a small power supply company make the most of its ad budget.
Case Study:
With a recently launched redesign of their website they had a targeted conversion point for customers which was a request a quote form. Their current paid search conversion on this form was a measly 0.96%. After a little research we found that the majority of the customers were not comfortable with the amount of information that was needed to fill out the form. So in order to educate them more on the products, we re-engaged them:

Not only did this achieve a conversion rate of +6%, it only cost them $0.20 per click and an ad budget of $10/day. It really breaks down to three major pain points that Google solved for small businesses with Remarketing:

1. Price Point: It lowered the price barrier allowing companies with budgets under $10,000 a month to do effective marketing. In fact, the only minimum budget that Google requires is $0.05 per click and a daily budget of $1.00.
2. Ease of Use: They integrated a complex marketing approach in a familiar environment, Adwords. Many online marketers are already aware of this software and are well versed in using it.
3. Reach + Relevance: Unlike traditional or outbound marketing you have the vast reach of the Google Display Network but the highly relevant impressions with customers that are already engaged with your brand.

So my challenge to you is to go out and start playing around with this neat and easy to use tool. The possibilities and layers of engagement are endless. If you have any questions feel free to leave them in the comments below. I also frequent the Adwords/Analytics help forums as well as SEOMoz’s Q&As – so feel free to reach me there as well.
Cheers – Kyle
Kyle is a search engine marketer for a full service design and marketing agency out of Cleveland, Ohio. Throughout his career he has worked with brands including Purell, Cleveland Clinic, Fazolis, American College of Radiology, Cleveland Cavaliers and BMW. You can learn more about Kyle’s work at his personal portfolio, www.kyledchandler.com.