At Above the Fold, our audience targeting solutions are uniquely built to enable highly localized planning, execution and attribution. In this blog, we’re going to be taking a bit of a deep dive into these questions:
- What Is keyword-level search retargeting and contextual retargeting
- What types of ads can be used for these targeting tactics?
- What are the main benefits for utilizing keyword search retargeting?
KEYWORD-LEVEL SEARCH RETARGETING
In a nutshell, keyword expansion is when you expand your keyword list for your SEM (search engine marketing) efforts either through research or just by mining your own PPC account.
To implement keyword-level search retargeting, advertisers can use programmatic to pick out specific keywords and serve ads to users who have recently searched for those keywords. This type of targeting is highly effective because it focuses on users who have already expressed interest in a particular product or service related to their business, making it more likely that they will engage with the ad and take action.
With keyword-level search retargeting through programmatic, we are able to serve your ads to consumers based on the keywords that have been entered into a website or search engine with variable recency ranging from instant to up to 30 days.
PPC EXPANSION
PPC (pay per click) ads come in all different shapes and sizes (literally), and can be made up of text, images, videos, or a combination.
PPC expansion refers to the process of expanding your search ad campaigns by targeting keywords that are related to your primary keywords. Essentially, it allows you to reach a wider audience by showing your ads to people who are searching for similar terms to the ones you’re already bidding on.
Let’s say you’re running a PPC campaign for a new line of organic pet food, and you’ve targeted keywords like “organic pet food,” “natural pet food,” and “healthy pet food.” Your ads are performing well, but you want to reach a larger audience of potential customers who are interested in similar products.
Ultimately, keyword expansion with programmatic is a huge part of managing a PPC account. After all, your paid search ads revolve around your keywords and can’t function without them.
KEYWORD-LEVEL CONTEXTUAL RETARGETING
By using keyword-level contextual retargeting, we are also able to serve your ads to potential customers based on the keywords that are contained within the text that is on the actual website that the consumer is currently viewing or has viewed in the last 30 days.
Keyword-level contextual retargeting takes everything that falls under the programmatic advertising umbrella one step further by targeting users who have already shown interest in a specific product or service by searching for related keywords. Basically, it allows you to show ads to people who have already expressed interest in what you’re selling, making your advertising efforts more effective and efficient.
Going more based off of the organic pet food example from earlier – lets say someone visits your website and searches for “organic dog food.” They spend some time browsing your website and looking at different products, but don’t actually end up making a purchase.
With keyword-level contextual retargeting, you can show them ads for your organic dog food on other websites they visit later, reminding them of the products they showed interest in. For instance, when the user visits a pet-related website or searches for keywords related to organic dog food, your ad may appear to them. This helps keep your brand top of mind and increases the chances that the user will come back to your website to make a purchase.
GEOFENCING
Outside of just online activity, with programmatic advertising you are able to serve ads to audiences based on their behaviors offline as well. Primarily, the strategy used to achieve this is through Geofencing – a kind of “border” that can be drawn around a desired location, and the visitors who enter said location are then placed into their own audience to be targeted.
There are a lot of different ways to utilize Geofencing to target your desired audience. You may want to be targeting consumers with certain interests who may be visiting stores or other establishments – by placing a geofence around said store or establishment that your ideal customer is visiting, those consumers are then placed into their own audience that you are able to target/serve ads to based on their behaviors outside of search engines.
As a whole, keyword-level search retargeting and contextual retargeting are incredibly valuable tactics that can be utilized through programmatic. By leveraging specific keywords and targeting users who have already shown interest in related products or services, businesses can optimize their overall ad spend and increase the chances of a conversion. Additionally, a variety of ad formats can be utilized to serve ads to users, from text-based to visual ads. Not only that, but it is completely possible to be targeting your ideal audiences based on their behaviors offline as well. Overall, programmatic advertising combined with keyword-level search retargeting and contextual retargeting can lead to more effective campaigns and greater ROI.