4 Fantastic Ways to Avoid Annoying Retargeting

Retargeting is an awesome way to make sure that visitors who don’t initially convert on your website remain aware of your brand and ultimately return to your website. But how do you keep your retargeting campaign from being like those incessant bugs that continuously buzz in your ear until you slap them away?

We’ve all been there: browsing the web only to find that an ad for Bob’s Balloon Barn is somehow following you from page to page, a creepy animated balloon-animal waving at you the entire time. And after a while, all you want is for the Bob and his balloons to leave you alone.

Nobody wants their retargeting campaign to go like that.

So how can you avoid annoying your visitors? I’ll tell ya how.

1. Stop Following Them

First things first. Visitors don’t want to be stalked by your campaign. Rather than suggesting they head back to your site, it may have the opposite effect and ward them off. Setting a frequency cap will limit the number of times a visitor sees your advertising while they surf the web. Now your ads will be more like a friendly reminder than an irritating and constant tap on the shoulder.

“Hey, I remember Bob’s Balloon Barn. That website had cool balloons.”

2. Switch It Up

A surefire way to seem like a broken record is to make each and every ad in your campaign exactly alike. People can only find something interesting so many times in a row. Then it gets annoying, like a re-run you’ve seen one too many times.

It’s important to rotate creatives to keep your campaign new, fresh, and fascinating. People don’t like when things remain static for too long. Varying your ads will give the impression of an exciting and current campaign.

Also, make sure to keep all the information in your retargeting campaign up to date to ensure that your ads stay relevant! Check your KPIs regularly to see how your ad campaign is doing and what changes you need to make.

“That’s a sweet, new picture for Bob’s Balloon Barn. And 20% off green balloons? I can dig it!”

3. Chill Out with the Animation

Don’t get me wrong, animation is great. Technology has come a long way, and now we can make words, animals, and pretty much anything else in ads dance. But that doesn’t mean we should.

Too much movement is overwhelming, distracting, and, let’s face it, annoying. Instead, focus on color choices and your brand identity. These are the aspects of your ad that people will remember in a positive light. They’ll give visitors more information about who you are as a brand and won’t leave them with the uncomfortable notion that a latex dog has been waving at them through a computer screen.

“Bob’s Balloon Barn: cool red logo, seems family friendly, and no creepy balloon-animals waving at me. Awesome. Maybe I’ll take a look.”

4. Current Customers: Dos and Don’ts

So you got your visitors back to your site. They even made a purchase. They like you! They really like you! Now, don’t continue to pester your customers with ads for something they already purchased.

Instead, use a burn code (also called burn pixel) to ensure the exact opposite. Put the burn code in the ‘post-transaction’ page of your website, and it will un-tag visitors from receiving ads for that product.

When a customer first visits your site, a cookie labels them as ‘audience,’ and they will begin to see your ads as they browse the internet. Once a purchase is made, the customer has converted and is no longer considered ‘audience.’ The burn code will take them out of this category so that they don’t see duplicate ads.

In other words, once a visitor buys green balloons, they no longer receive ads for green balloons, and instead hear about other products. This can save you money and keep you from irritating your customers.

This doesn’t mean you can’t retarget to current customers. Simply retarget your campaign based on which pages of your website a customer visits. People love when life is tailored to fit them.

Personalize your retargeting campaign for customers in different sections of the sales funnel. Retarget more generally for those who visit your home page. Retarget more specifically for those who browse a little deeper into your website.

All visitors aren’t looking for the same thing, and your retargeting campaign shouldn’t assume as much. If visitors receive ads that continually show them what they don’t want, they’re bound to get annoyed. But if you tailor their ad experience to what they’re looking for, visitors are much more likely to head back to your site.

Super glad I bought those green balloons. So Fetch. Wait, they have water balloons? Better check those out, too! #Bobsballoonbarnforlife

Soon your visitors will be hashtagging about you too.

4 Fantastic Ways to Avoid Annoying Retargeting