An “Inside Look” at How One Marketer is Segmenting Its 2 Million Retargeting Cookies

Most of the online retargeting we see from exhibitions and events is general in nature i.e. whatever page of the web site we visit, we are retargeted with the same ad or set of ads.

While general retargeting like this can be very effective, segmentation may enable you to drive more ROI from your retargeting ad spend.

Encore is advising the giant pet search portal, Adopt-a-Pet.com (AAP), on its retargeting program, and with the site owner’s permission, we give you some insights into how AAP is segmenting its seven-figure cookie pool so that it can target its audiences with more relevant messaging and maximize KPIs.

One of the ways AAP is segmenting its web site visitors is based on their behaviors on the site.  Here are three of them, which can certainly be applied to event promotion and attendee acquisition.

1. URL/Path Segmentation

Instead of putting all of its web site visitors into one big cookie pool, AAP is segmenting its visitors into key categories based on the pages they visited on the site.  People’s browsing activity provides valuable contextual signals which AAP can now leverage.

Event marketers can use this strategy to segment by target set i.e. attendees, exhibitors, sponsors and press, or by content/product categories.

For example, you could deliver a general sales message to people who have visited your attendee section home page, and a much more targeted message to people who have visited deeper level pages i.e. “conferences”, “hosted buyer program”, “international attendees”, etc.

2. Click Segmentation

AAP is “cookie-ing” its web site visitors based on clicks when it is not able to place its standard retargeting pixel to segment based on page views, i.e. when visitors click a link that (1) takes them to a 3rd party site, (2) submits a form with no “confirmation” page on a separate URL, (3) launches a video, etc.

Do you have these type of situations on your show web site?  For example, if you are using a 3rd party ticketing vendor and unable to place your pixel on their site, you could use click segmentation to cookie your web site visitors when they click “register”, “buy tickets”, etc.

This would enable you to create a conversion segment for negative targeting (i.e. removing these people from seeing future “registration-focused” ads) as well as for follow-on post-purchase messaging.

3. Search Segmentation

When AAP’s web site visitors run searches on the site, these queries provide excellent insights into their interests so AAP is leveraging this search intent data by creating a variety of major search segments.

Search segmentation provides one more way to target your visitors, with potentially more granularity than possible with your URL/Path segmentation.

For example, imagine how much better you could retarget high potential conference attendees if you knew which visitors ran searches on “conferences” on your web site, and also the specific tracks they searched i.e. “marketing”, “operations”, etc.

Posted on October 22, 2014