What Is Retargeting?

After viewing a product online, have you noticed it following you around on the web and on social media? This is an example of “retargeting”. But what is retargeting? Retargeting is the process of targeting customers who have interacted with your business and products. Ads that use retargeting fit under the dynamic ads category, involving promotions tailored to a user. There are several advantages to creating a retargeting campaign on Google or Facebook including: 

• Increasing brand awareness, as repetition helps establish a brand in the mind of consumers;
• Increasing sales, as users have already shown an interest in your business; and 
• Only a low percentage of first time website visitors make purchases. 

In fact, Software Advice found that visitors who were retargeted using display ads were 70% more likely to convert. There are a range of platforms that allow for retargeting, including Facebook (this includes Instagram), Google, and LinkedIn.

It’s important to note that Google prefers to use the term remarketing over retargeting. 

Facebook Retargeting Ads

Facebook retargeting ads allow you to target those who have connected with your brand through a range of methods including: 

• Website Visitors 
• Mobile App Users
• Uploading Customer CSV Files
• Facebook and Instagram Engagement

To set-up Facebook retargeting, you’ll need to install a pixel onto your website and/or create app events (if you want to target users from your app). You can also connect a product catalogue. Once set-up, users have the following retargeting options: 

• Products that have been viewed by a user. 
• Products that have been added to the cart but not purchased. 
• Similar product suggestions (i.e. products similar to past purchases or within the same product catalogue).

To learn more, check out the Facebook guide. 

It’s important to mention that Apple’s iOS policy update has allowed customers to opt out of retargeting, which could decrease the audience size. 

Google Remarketing

Similar to Facebook retargeting, Google remarketing allows businesses to promote products that users have interacted with on their website and/or mobile app. For standard and dynamic remarketing campaigns, you’ll need to upload a Google Ads tag onto your website. Once you’ve set up your Google remarketing campaign/s, you’re able to advertise to customers via the following methods: 

• Standard remarketing: Retarget website visitors by creating ads to be shown on the Google Display Network (i.e websites and apps that allow for advertising). 
• Dynamic remarketing: Displays products across the Google Display Network that the user have previously interacted with (e.g. viewed, added to cart). 
• Remarketing lists for search ads: Retarget website visitors by creating a Google Search ad that will appear as customers enter search queries into Google. 
• Video remarketing: For videos and/or Youtube channels, advertise your content on Youtube ads, Google Display Network, website and apps using video remarketing.
• Customer list remarketing: To target past customers, upload a list of customer information. Your business will then be shown as the customers interact with Google products. 

It’s important to understand the difference between standard and dynamic remarketing. Standard remarketing simply show ads to people who have visited your site, whilst dynamic remarketing shows the exact products that customers have previously interacted with (e.g. viewed or added to cart). Although dynamic remarketing campaigns are difficult to set-up, they are more effective at turning warm leads into sales. 

Retargeting is one of the best ways to retain or attract customers. We recommend that all businesses implement retargeting to nurture warm leads. Setting up a retargeting campaign in general, especially dynamic retargeting which is highly technical, can be challenging with many potential issues (e.g. image optimisation).   

Contact the team at Bloom Digital today if you would like to start your remarketing campaign today!