What is display remarketing and how does it work?

Display remarketing is a type of Google display advertising that allows you to show ads to online visitors who have previously visited your website. When a user visits your site, a cookie is placed on their browser. These cookies are used to create remarketing lists that allow you to re-engage prospects as they browse the web. This article will focus specifically on advertising on the Google Display Network.

How can display remarketing benefit hotels?

One of the most important benefits of remarketing is increased brand awareness. Whether you choose to pay per click (CPC) or pay per thousand impressions (CPM), your brand/property name can get thousands of impressions at a relatively low cost. Another important benefit of remarketing is the ability to personalize messages for each audience. By using lists, you can segment audiences based on what pages they visit. You also have the ability to layer multiple lists to segment even further. For example, a hotel shows an ad for its wedding ballroom to a potential future bride who visited the weddings page of the website. The hotel could segment further by layering lists; for instance only target people who visited the wedding page and did not fill out a request for proposal (RFP). After you choose your audience you should tailor your banner ads by selecting the appropriate image, color scheme, and messaging.

Remarketing's high measurability is very valuable to marketers. Besides touting the importance of brand awareness, you will be able to support your argument with data. You can track impressions, clicks, costs, conversions as well as view through conversions. A view-through conversion happens when a visitor is shown an image ad, then later completes a conversion on your site, but did not click on the ad. This helps account for users who saw your remarketing ad, did not click on it, but later converted through a different channel. The brand awareness created by your ad can cause users to remember your brand and go directly to your website without clicking the ad.

Last but not least, the final benefit is the return on investment (ROI). There are high returns from display ads, as qualified shoppers are directed to the property's main website. This makes it easy for re-engaged shoppers to easily book their online reservation, increasing hotels' direct revenue. By directing online searchers to your main website, this creates less reliance on online travel agencies (OTAs) that charge high commission fees.

Build a display remarketing strategy for your property

Set a goalA clear goal will help you map out your plan of action. It can be as targeted as wanting to increase wedding business through RFPs (request for proposals) or as simple as increase bookings.

Define the target audience When building your remarketing campaign, It is crucial to have a clear target audience. By using and layering your lists, you can segment your customers into numerous groups. An example of a clear target audience would be people who visited your hotel's homepage but left before checking rates.

Strategize ads and images Take advantage of the fact that you can target a specific audience and show them highly personalized ads. Make sure your image and text are related to the page that your prospect visited. Carefully choose an appropriate image and make sure the text is easy to read. The image shouldn't interfere with the text that is written and the colors chosen shouldn't affect the readability of the ads.

Build and activate The remarketing campaign is housed within Google Adwords. Here is where you set your bids and budget. Familiarize yourself with the performance management tools and features in Adwords so you can continue to optimize your remarketing campaign.

References:
Google. (n.d.). What is remarketing? . Google. West, T. (2012). Google AdWords "Remarketing Tips and Tactics." Koozai.

About Vizergy® 

For more than 20 years, Vizergy has served the hospitality industry with leading marketing technologies, knowledgeable talent and exceptional service for clients worldwide. The company deploys complete travel life-cycle marketing solutions from conversion-optimized website design to award-winning digital marketing programs, reservation solutions, media planning and execution. Vizergy's platform is touted as the #1 digital marketing system – easy to use, turnkey and SMART, and continually enhanced with tools to help hotels compete and maximize revenue. At Vizergy, hospitality marketing is not only our mission, it's our sole focus.

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Kristen M. Poillon
Director of Corporate Marketing
(904) 389-1130 x 171
Vizergy

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