Properly addressing target groups is one of the most important factors for a successful ad campaign; the same also applies to remarketing. Not all ‘returners’ are the same – what counts here is what stage of the purchasing process users are in during their initial visit. For this, marketing experts follow the AIDA model. This acronym refers to the four phase potential customers go through before finally making a purchase:
- Attention
- Interest
- Desire
- Action
Attention
During the first phase, users are aware of the brand and, under certain circumstances, may have already seen ads and logged on the product’s website; however, at this point, no clear intention of purchasing a product can be derived from the customers’ actions. In order to increase the brand’s profile, specifically targeted banners are displayed through retargeting measures. These ads shouldn’t aim to take the customer directly to the product or service’s site; instead, they should should steer them to blogs or social media pages where they can then find more detailed information and start to build up trust in the brand or product.
Interest
Once the user has clicked through the product page and has spent a bit of time looking at the offers, it’s then safe to say that some sort of legitimate interest in a purchase exists. Marketers can then run banners with corresponding ads to customers; the goal here is to excite interest in the product. By steering users to pages with high-quality offers, the chances of a concrete purchase occurring are boosted.
Desire
In this phase, it’s clear that users have a clear intention on making a purchase. Different products have been viewed, prices have been compared, and perhaps some searches with transactional keywords have been made (e.g. ‘buy coat brand XY’). A transaction seems imminent, and marketers can help finalize one with the help of targeted banners highlighting USPs (unique selling propositions), like free shipping.
Action
Users in this phase have decided to purchase an item offered on a particular product’s or service’s website. After this step, customers are now familiar with the online store and how products or services are ordered on it. And by carrying out measures to increase customer loyalty, the odds of subsequent orders also increase. Addressing return customers is also an option, as their prior transactions are already known. Providing further information on the purchased product or service gives customers a greater sense of trust. Next, the campaign is continued by advertising traditional follow-up products.