For May’s First Wednesday event we were joined by the fantastic Stephanie Lindsay of Dog Digital, who spoke to Culture Republic partners about the theory and practice of remarketing and its benefits for cultural organisations. Remarketing enables you to retarget a customer once they have left your site. So, if someone is browsing but leaves before purchasing a ticket, your targeted adverts will follow them around the internet and bring them back to complete their transaction.

Stephanie highlighted three key tools that Dog Digital use to inform their digital marketing, using cookies to track browsing patterns in order to target individuals based on their interests and location:

1. Google and The Google Display Network
2. Criterio
3. Captify

It is always worth considering social media platforms when planning a retargeting campaign. Facebook, Twitter and Digital TV can all now facilitate remarketing in really innovative ways.

Fascinating! Learning how to remarket on Twitter (w TV links) & Facebook (w Google search) at #1stWed from @stephlindsay82 from @dogdigital

— Culture Republic (@culture_public) May 6, 2015

Stephanie highlighted a study by Society of London Theatre (SOLT) into the effect of internet and social media on theatregoing. The findings pointed to the power of digital mediums in driving ticket sales:

• Over 10,000 culture enthusiasts are available on the YouTube network in Scotland alone;
• 41% of theatre goers are Facebook users;
• 500,000 Twitter users list theatre/arts/culture as an interest on Twitter;
• In 2014 search queries for theatre tickets grew by eight percent with a 33% increase in mobile searches and a 19% rise in tablet searches.

Stephanie’s top tips for remarketing:

1. Apply a frequency cap. As a rule of thumb you should cap an advert at a maximum of three times per day over a period of three days.

Fascinated by @stephlindsay82 at #1stWed. Optimising online rule of thumb – frequency cap 3 times per day for 3 days. pic.twitter.com/c2H750rvJU

— Culture Republic (@culture_public) May 6, 2015

2. If geolocating your advert, mention the location specifically for up to three times more clicks!

3. Use consistent branding and styling across all platforms.

Keeping branding & styling consistent important for remarketing across different platforms #1stWed #digitalmarketing

— Culture Republic (@culture_public) May 6, 2015

4. Images are key – test which are the most effective for your campaign.

5. Use video and sound in adverts to increase engagement rates.

First Wednesdays are available exclusively to Culture Republic partners, creating opportunities to learn and network around key issues affecting our sector. Contact us to find out more about future First Wednesdays, or about Culture Republic partnership.