Event Retargeting as Part of Your Local Business’ Advertising Strategy

08.27.2019 Cox Media

How to “Meet” Potential Customers & Stay Connected Later

“Event Retargeting” sounds like it could be the title of a new action movie.

But it’s really a great way for local business advertising to connect with your community at real-life and online events – and, even better, long after the event is over.

The key word here is “event,” so let’s think about some examples that might be relevant to your business.

Simply put, think about the kinds of gatherings your customers might be interested in. In other words, you want to put your local business advertising where they are going to be. Then, you use that event to continue an advertising conversation with them so that they’re more likely to become your customers.

Some great ideas include:

  • Sporting events. Lots of small and midsize local businesses like yours want to tap into the huge sports marketing. That could range from the major professional leagues to local colleges and universities, and even high schools and younger.
  • Musical events. Superstars pack crowds into nearby arenas. Your local parks host weekend-long festivals. Community chorales bring together crowds for their own concerts.
  • Food fairs. Your community might have events that draw lots of restaurants, chefs and other food-related organizations together to give samples and cooking demonstrations.
  • Festivals and parades. All kinds of local organizations participate in annual festivals and parades – from national heritage to science fiction fans. Oktoberfest… Cinco de Mayo… Pride…
  • Trade shows and conventions. Advertising ideas can be shared among your industry peers and colleagues. Many of these are also open to the public and draw tons of people. (Did someone say “boat show”?)

Plus, event retargeting is a spectacular way for local business advertising to reach a larger market. Say you want to interact with people who are talking about a major episode of a popular TV show or the Super Bowl or Academy Awards. Through the use of hashtags and other online capabilities, you can connect with people in your area who are passionately interested in those events – and target them with your advertising ideas for up to 30 days after.

How Does Event Retargeting Work?

Retargeting is one of the great ways you can keep talking with customers and prospects who have already shown some interest in spending money on your goods and services. It also helps you tailor your advertising efforts to reach more of the people who have visited your website, searched a keyword, clicked on one of your ads or visited a specific location.

Your advertising partner can help you with a few types of retargeting:

  • Creative re-engages consumers who have previously been exposed to your advertisement.
  • Search allows you to target potential customers with ads based on the searches they perform across the Internet.
  • Website serves ads to users who have already visited an your site while they are visiting other sites.
  • Geo-targeting is where the rubber meets the road for event retargeting. You don’t have to become an expert on all the technical aspects of this (don’t worry – we are). But it’s helpful to have a general understanding so you can create local business advertising that has a powerful, long stretch even after your audience has gone home from an event.

Types of geologically-based retargeting:

  • Behavioral captures a specific audience at a location and only retargets them after they leave.
  • Event captures an audience and serves ads up to 30 days after they leave.
  • Historical reaches an audience who attended a previous event.
  • Immediate delivers the ad to the entire audience in the moment.

By focusing on people who have recently attended a specific event and then sending them your local business advertising, you’re set to increase sales. You’re marketing only to the people who already have shown some interest in your business.

Research shows that 70 percent of retargeted website visitors are more likely to convert on a retailer’s website, for instance. And 80 percent of shoppers are more likely to buy tickets through retargeting than through normal Facebook ads.

Event retargeting also is a great way to build closer relationships with your community and to boost your market share.

And since it includes exclusive deals and offers for these customers, event retargeting builds loyalty to your brand.

The Key Part Comes After the Event

With event retargeting, you don’t lose the opportunity to engage with your key audience after the game, concert, parade or convention is over.

What you get is this: Smart, state-of-the-art advertising reach to people who already have shown you that they want to receive your messaging.

So look at your community calendars and see what’s coming up with, say…

  • Your local sports teams
  • Music and theater venues
  • Civic associations and chambers of commerce
  • City, county and state governments
  • Minority, professional, or volunteer associations

The possibilities are endless.

With Cox Media, you have a partner who will take the guesswork out of finding and reaching your preferred audience. You have a story to tell – and we are your local experts at helping to tell it to the right people. Contact us online or call us at 1-855-755-2691.

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