Retargeter

New Year’s Resolutions for Online Advertisers

The New Year has arrived and with it the onset of resolutions and commitments to make 2014 better than 2013. This is just as true in business as outside of it. A turn of the calendar is an excellent reason to evaluate your current strategies, operations and initiatives, and to make a few changes to move forward and to see more success.  Read on for some New Year’s resolutions for online advertisers.

The number one concern of many business owners – across a variety of industries – for 2014 relates to their ability to continue to reach new customers, according to a recent study. It’s logical because growth is essential for success.

A great place to start? Your online advertising and retargeting efforts. Perhaps you jumped into the retargeting trend in 2013 or before, maybe you have yet to give it a try. Regardless of where you stand, now is a great time to refocus and modify. Following are a few areas to start.

Tune Up Your PPC

Pay-per-click advertising campaigns can be a clear cut, direct method of marketing to specific demographics with a measurable ROI. However, for a PPC campaign to be a success, it must be evaluated on a regular basis. Why not use this New Year as an opportunity to look at what you’ve been doing and to make changes where needed?

Below are a few questions to ask:

• Are your PPC goals clearly defined?
• Is your current campaign attracting qualified customers who convert?
• Do you understand the program you’re using, or, could you learn more?
• Are you cultivating your Quality Score on a regular basis?
• Do you track your progress using benchmarks?
• Are you giving your campaigns enough time to see success?

Just like any other strategy, a PPC campaign can always use a tune up. Whether you run a VPN server or a multi-million dollar retail site, put some time and attention into yours today.

Reach People the Right Way

In some cases, retargeting can be seen as intrusive, as I pointed out in my last post. It doesn’t have to be that way; when done properly, retargeting can be a natural marketing method that attracts the right visitors.

One of the best ways to avoid any negative feedback is to use impression caps to your advantage. A frequency or impression cap limits how many times a given visitor is exposed to your ad on specific sites. It prevents overload and the feeling of negativity that can be associated with retargeting.

Give Your Landing Pages Some Attention

A landing page is the first opportunity many visitors have to interact with your site. It can be the difference between a long visit and eventual conversion or an instant bounce. Take a look at your bounce rate on your most-trafficked landing pages; if it’s high – above the 30% range – evaluating these pages may be the best place to start.

To evaluate your landing pages, consider the following factors:

• Do your landing pages offer a clear call to action?
• Is the content clear and in line with keywords used to draw visitors?
• Is the content clear and engaging without sounding unnatural?
• Do your landing pages offer a special offer or value to attract users?
• Are links easy to find and valid?
• Are all images keyword optimized and logical?

Landing pages should be simple, clear, and easy to navigate. A first-time visitor should know exactly how to proceed with no confusion. Confusion leads to frustration, and frustration is exactly what you want to avoid. Make sure your landing pages work to your advantage.

Optimize for Mobile Marketing

According to a September 2013 Pew Internet study, 63% of adults who own cell phones use their phones to go online, and 34% of these people say that their phone is their primary internet browsing tool. With over half of Americans using mobile devices to browse the web, a site that is not mobile-optimized is inevitably going to miss out on a large audience.

Look at your analytics; how many visitors are coming from a mobile device? If your site is not optimized or runs slowly on these devices, they likely comprise a large percentage of your bounces. To ensure your site works for all users, consider creating a mobile version which mobile users are automatically directed to, or switch to a responsive design. Limit the number of images and their sizes to optimize load times, make sure links are easy to use in the mobile format and that mobile sites are simple to navigate regardless of dimension.

Many marketers encourage focusing first and foremost on mobile users before putting the time into desktop users. To make 2014 more successful than 2013, this shift must be apparent and mobile marketing should become your priority.

The New Year has arrived. Now is the time to consider your current efforts and to commit to making 2014 a year of growth and prosperity. Take the time to evaluate your current strategies, to learn more about retargeting and general online marketing options and to make your website work for you.