How to Retarget and Engage your Association’s Online Audience

We all know by now that the online world holds all types of opportunity for any organization out there searching for it. In fact, getting your association on board the online train is something that should always be a focus. With 58% of Americans browsing the web for answers before making any purchasing decisions, it’s essential that you make yourself known for having a strong internet presence.

‍However, even with the most tech-savvy association, your online efforts can become ineffective if you don’t hone in on the right audience. With any association, it’s always important to re-assess and re-target your audience. Over time, your audience can shift and transform, and without you staying focused, you can lose sight of your digital marketing plan without even knowing. So, if you want to get your audience targeting back on track and amp up your online engagement, we’ve got you covered.

‍We’re going to discuss some ways you can hone in on an online audience and hit them with the marketing strategies that work. We’ll also give some great tips and examples that your association can take away and use to further your online marketing efforts. Let’s get started.

Ad retargeting: What is it?

When it comes to retargeting your audience, you always want to make sure your marketing strategy is being used in the right way - and ad retargeting can help you do just that. But what is ad retargeting? Let’s break it down.

‍Ad retargeting, otherwise known as remarketing, is a type of advertising that can help your association win back web visitors who did not convert into a lead from the first visit. With most websites only capturing a mere 2% of web traffic on the very first visit, ad retargeting works to try and capture the remaining 98%. So, what does this mean? Well, from an association perspective, ad retargeting is the difference between engaging with a handful of potential members, and engaging with almost every individual to visit your website. It broadens your audience reach, allowing you to hopefully gain more attention and build up your membership rates. How does it work? The answer is easier than you’d think.

‍Retargeting a website user is a technology that is based off of internet data called cookies. By placing a small piece of web code onto your association’s website, you can anonymously track whoever visits your website and follow them all over the web. By using retargeting technology, the cookie that your website recently collected lets ad services know exactly who, where, and when to retarget your association’s website audience. Retargeting your association’s website visitors is an easy, typically discrete process that can gain you a wider, more engaged audience. But, with ad retargeting, ad space on other websites is necessary.

Online ad space

Retargeting is a great way to keep tabs on your audience, but without space to advertise your association, your retargeting will go to waste. Retargeting is great because it helps your association follow your audience around the web. However, in order to make an impact on your audience, you need to purchase ad space on websites. After all, how can you influence visitors if they have no way to see your association’s advertisements?

‍With online ad space, you can pick and choose exactly how your retargeted audience views your ads. For example, if you’re looking to make a big statement with your audience, it may make sense to purchase more ad space with larger parameters. A half-page ad can do the trick for that. However, if you’re looking for a less intense way to advertise, you can buy smaller ad spaces and try to reach your audiences in a less abrasive manner. While large ads can make an impact, sometimes a small, discrete ad can work wonders. If your association plans on using a retargeting provider or service that places ads for you, worrying about where to purchase ad space may not be much of a problem. However, if you’re looking for some cost-effective options that will still help you retarget an audience, there are some other routes you can take. Let’s take a look at Facebook’s advertising options.

Facebook ads

Advertising on Facebook is a quick and easy process that also happens to be relatively low-cost. If your association already has a Facebook page, it’s a great way to retarget audiences who visit you and keep them in the loop for future engagement. Facebook advertising allows you to choose your ad audience based on a variety of different preferences. You can target people based on a specific demographic, location, or even interests. So, if your association wanted to target a younger audience, a select group located close to your headquarters, or even people who enjoy something as specific as fly fishing, you have the option to do so.

Facebook also gives you other ways to target an audience that your association may find even more helpful. For example, you can customize your audience by manually adding in contacts to target. This is great for any association that collects leads from their website and wants to reach them on Facebook.

‍You can also create a “lookalike” audience that allows you to target brand new individuals. With a lookalike audience, you can use previously existing information about your members to create an audience with similar characteristics. It’s a great way to ensure you’re targeting the right kind of people. So, now that we’ve gone over some retargeting options, let’s go over what this all means for your association.

The bigger picture

While ad retargeting is a great way to reach and engage a new and/or returning audience, it shouldn’t be the only tool your association uses to engage your online audience. Incorporate ad retargeting into your association’s digital marketing/online engagement strategy to create a well-rounded plan of action. If you can use it alongside tools like content marketing, multimedia content like videos, and any other tool your association prefers, you can see serious growth in your engagement rates over time.

It’s always essential to pay attention to details within your ad retargeting as well. For example, is mobile advertising a priority within your online marketing plan? It should be. According to AMR Management Services, 51% of all online time is spent via mobile devices. In that sense, creating ad campaigns that translate well on mobile devices can help your association fill in the gaps when it comes to targeting audiences.

If you can include retargeting ads into the bigger picture that is your association’s digital marketing strategy, you’ll fill in a missing piece that can seriously affect your audience engagement. Don’t let website visitors leave your website and forget your association for good. Re-engage them with ad retargeting, and you can leave a lasting impression that could have the potential to blossom into a new member.