Retargeting is one of the most profound advancements in online advertising in the past decade. With retargeting, banners ads on mainstream sites are shown only to visitors that have already been to your website. The idea is that banner ads in general aren’t very effective since people have learned to subconsciously block them out. With retargeting, banner ads that would otherwise go unnoticed get clicked due to recognized logos and relevant calls to action.
So, any efforts to drive traffic or generate leads are complemented by retargeting campaigns. Retargeting campaigns are done on a cost per click or cost per impression basis at little cost (e.g. $100 to get started). Startups that blog, tweet, market via email, work on SEO, or any other web-based marketing activity should add retargeting to their mix — it really is that straightforward.
We’ve worked with AdRoll.com and recommend them.
What else? What are some other ways startups should use retargeting to increase the ROI of existing efforts?
David Cummings on Startups 