These days, through ever-expanding technology, marketers have access to a menagerie of data and tools to advertise to their customers. As consumers use the web, they can leave digital footprints from site to site for marketers to follow. Marketers have embraced programs such as retargeting that capitalize on these footprints, but should realize that customer data needs to be handled akin to a delicate flower, or they risk finding some thorns.
Simply collecting information isn’t the answer to understanding your customer and building a lasting relationship. Marketers need to use this data wisely and keep their customers needs and desires at the center of the business.
This is especially important with digital campaigns because they are some of the most intimate—the customer is experiencing your message on their device in their home.
I’m sure marketers are asking what could possibly go wrong with digital tools such as retargeting. So you know a user’s last visited site and are using it to retarget them to buy your product. What’s the harm in that? I’ll tell you: It can mean the loss of a potential lifetime customer, and all of her purchases.
Consider engagement announcements, which are becoming increasingly elaborate. When I proposed to my wife almost 30 years ago, there was no band, no elaborate YouTube video in the making, no dance team. Nowadays, Google search for “proposal video” and you’ll see a multitude of options, each one seemingly more complicated than the last. Keeping a secret from your significant other is hard enough, but pulling something akin to these off? That takes some serious planning.
Now, how would you feel if after all that work and all that investment for that single, unforgettable moment of surprise, someone took your beloved aside and tipped him or her off about your plans?
Deflated, at best. Frustrated, for sure. And probably really, really angry with that person who spilled the beans.
And what about a surprise gift? Let’s say you’ve been researching a Valentine’s gift for a special someone and have gone to great lengths to keep the secret, but he or she found out anyway?
Marketers don’t be the creep that ruins the surprise. When considering how to advertise to customers, think about their potential purchases as more than just numbers in the bank. Each interaction is a chance to build—or botch—that relationship. Here are some best practices to follow when building digital ad campaigns.
- Use retargeting wisely. Consider the option of retargeting on mobile devices only, which are less likely to be shared. Think about how members of the target audience use technology in their everyday lives. Your advertisement should integrate seamlessly with that and be a useful reminder—not an intrusion. Also try retargeting via email, which is generally a more private form of communication.
- Provide choice. Make sure your customers are aware of your participation in programs like AdChoices, which allow users to choose the types of ads they are shown. These programs exist for the mutual benefit of both consumer and advertiser, so take full advantage of them. The retargeting service from Criteo, for example, runs a banner at the bottom of its ads that users can click and choose to opt out of. These options are worth examining.
- Consider what you’re selling. Is it a sensitive item? A dieting service? A prescription drug? Customers may not want to have your advertisements following them around the web. Your retargeting efforts may very well have the opposite effect, and instead of conversion, send customers away.
- Track conversions. If a customer purchases a marketed item, take them off your retargeting list immediately. This decreases the likelihood that a surprise could be spoiled, and also eliminates the possibility of an advertisement “pestering” a customer that has already made a purchase.
- Segment the audience when it comes to retargeting. A 35-year-old man who has clicked a link to a dress his wife is considering buying or that she wants for her birthday shouldn’t be followed around by ads from your site.
Our power as marketers continues to expand into new territories, and there’s no denying retargeting is an effective marketing tool. Just remember: With great power comes great responsibility. All your marketing efforts and collected data will not count if you ruin the consumer relationship—whether it’s with your brand or with their sweethearts.
Bryan Pearson is president of LoyaltyOne.
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