Understanding the Basics of Retargeting
The way I see it, ever had that nagging feeling that an ad is following you. You browse a pair of runners one afternoon, and for the next week, those shoes seem to pop up everywhere – the news, your socials, even on that cooking website. Feels a bit odd.
But there’s nothing supernatural about it. It seems like this little trick is called retargeting, and i think it’s been the unsung hero of digital marketing for years. At its core, retargeting is how brands keep their product in the eye line of customers after they’ve already shown some interest – by simply visiting your site or interacting with your brand in some way.
As I see it, if the internet has a memory and you’re being reminded of your interests every once in a while, it can’t be all bad. Well-meaning marketers have been using this for ages because it really does pay off. Think of how many times you wanted to buy something but just forgot about it until you were reminded.
Now picture this: You’re out looking for something online but don’t actually want to buy right away. The brand then uses cookies (not the ones from Subway) and pixels to track you around online so they can possibly send highly targeted ads your way based on information about you. Seems intrusive at first but if we strip away everything else, these are just tools - ones that help match consumers with products they genuinely want and need. Retargeting also brings attention back to people who’ve bought from you before or have subscribed already, making it easier to maintain those valuable relationships with them.
It seems like while retargeting seems harmless enough if done well (the proof is seemingly in all of our browsing histories), overdoing things can quickly turn buyers off and take away from all efforts to build brand loyalty (i’ve stopped buying from brands for this reason). If you're trying this out for yourself and not outsourcing it to agencies yet, I’d say stick to retargeting customers who want to be communicated with at all times; otherwise things could become overwhelming quickly. It feels like “retargeting” has become a trendy buzzword among digital marketers today, especially when talking about loyalty programs or retention strategies - but the most important thing really is getting your basics right before moving onto the more advanced stuff.
Crafting Compelling Ad Creative
Ever wondered why some ads keep popping up in your feed and you can’t quite ignore them. It’s not always that the algorithm’s out to get you. Could be the creative is working its magic.
With so much noise on social platforms, it can be fairly tough to crack that code. But there are a few things I’ve noticed over the years. Some ads work because they’re clever but relatable - funny even.
Not unlike a good meme that manages to take the edge off of a rough day. Others create a sense of urgency or FOMO (fear of missing out) by pushing temporary discounts or exclusive products for limited periods. You’ll also notice that carousels often draw more attention and pique curiosity because they showcase multiple products in one ad. Sort of.
Storytelling has become the backbone of compelling ads, especially on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. People respond to stories far better than they do to statistics or information. The trick appears to be striking a balance between a great story, creating intrigue, and showing your audience what you want them to know without being boring or too salesy. More or less.
I think the way things are going, we’re likely to see brands focus less on conversion and more on building communities. Especially among Gen Z audiences who are more receptive to creative that appeals to their values and sensibilities rather than stock photos and product-only images.
Segmenting Your Audience for Maximum Impact
How many ways can you slice an apple. More than you’d think, it appears. The same logic applies to your audience.
You can’t win over the crowd by giving everyone exactly the same thing - and that’s where segmenting comes in. Your audience is not a single homogenous entity.
I used to fall into this trap all the time, assuming that everyone was at the same point on their customer journey, with similar motivations and problems. It was like talking to a room full of people but only making eye contact with one. And even then, looking at someone who wasn’t paying attention. You could start by segmenting your audience based on demographics, or what stage they’re at in their buying journey.
Maybe some are brand new to your site - or have added something to their cart but haven’t checked out yet. Perhaps some of them have been frequent shoppers for years, whereas others might have dropped off the radar for a few months. Each of these kinds of customers will respond better to different messaging and products.
By segmenting your audience, you can make them feel like you know them - and are talking directly to them. It’s worth noting here that this doesn’t mean you need to create an entirely new strategy for each subset. More or less.
Sometimes all you need is seemingly slight tweaks in your copy or design to indicate that what you’re offering is relevant and personal to them. It’s always a good idea to ensure there’s a sense of continuity between each type of retargeting campaign - so every touchpoint feels familiar and memorable. On the other hand, it doesn’t hurt to experiment with different types of content for each kind of user (think videos, memes, testimonials) so you can figure out what resonates best with whom.
And if you feel like this whole thing sounds more complicated than it needs to be, it isn’t - especially if you’ve done your research and understand your audience fairly well. Use whatever data you can get your hands on (Google Analytics. Even better).
There’s no point segmenting for the sake of it if there aren’t actual differences in engagement or behaviour between groups. Segmenting is a great way to ease customers into re-engaging with your brand - whether they’ve simply forgotten about your business or have been waiting for something relevant to come along before they make another purchase. Don’t forget that sometimes it takes several nudges over weeks or months for someone to convert again - so segment wisely and stick around till they’re ready.
Timing Your Retargeting Campaigns Effectively
Makes Me Think Of how long should you wait before retargeting a potential customer. Is there such a thing as too soon or too late. The answer, like a lot of things in business, is not as straightforward as one would hope.
Some consumers may need time to consider their options, while others might need a gentle nudge to remind them of your brand's offerings. The way I see it, the key is to strike the right balance between being persistent and not coming off as desperate or intrusive. Sort of.
One approach is to set up triggers based on user behaviour. For instance, if someone has abandoned their cart, you could send them an email or display an ad with a special offer a few hours later. But if they've only browsed your site without adding anything to their cart, it's probably best to wait a day or two before retargeting them.
It would help if you also considered factors like the time of day and week when retargeting users. If you're running a B2B campaign, sending an email over the weekend might not be as effective as sending it during the workweek. On the other hand, if you're targeting individual consumers, weekends and evenings might be the best times to reach them. As you can see, timing your retargeting campaigns requires a nuanced approach that considers user behaviour and demographics.
You'll want to experiment with different timings and measure the results before making any decisions.
Analyzing Performance Metrics for Continuous Improvement
Are you making progress, or just feeling like you are. There’s a massive difference between the two, and the only way to know for certain is to take a look at the numbers. Not in a scary, school maths test kind of way - more in a how are we doing in this relationship sort of way. The numbers don’t lie, and it’s a great way to keep yourself honest and accountable.
I’ve always hated looking at numbers. I’m a words person, after all. But I understand that people expect data to back up claims. And sometimes, it’s not about the expectations of others either.
Sometimes, you just want to know what’s working and what’s not. More importantly, when something doesn’t work, you want to know why so you can figure out if it’s worth the trouble fixing or if you should simply chalk it up to experience and move on. But there’s also the flipside - when things do work, you want to be able to track their performance and figure out exactly what has made them tick.
Is it the new artwork or packaging design. Or is it your new email campaign. Perhaps your new onboarding process for new customers has been so seamless they simply can’t get enough of your products. Or maybe you’re getting repeat sales because you’ve started offering discounts for existing customers.
Regardless of what your winning formula is, it’s important to understand why it works so well in order to replicate its success. And that means digging deep into performance metrics. Keeping an eye on data can sometimes feel like an unnecessary chore but there are easy ways to make sense of the most important information.
Better reporting systems are being developed every day, and with most platforms having some form of analytics dashboard baked right in, there’s no reason for business owners today to not get granular with their performance metrics and use them as a springboard towards bigger and better things.
Integrating Retargeting with Overall Marketing Strategy
Where does retargeting fit with everything else you’re doing, then. I know it can sound like another shiny toy, wedged in among all your other marketing efforts. Retargeting works best when you stick it in the middle, after someone has already interacted with one of your assets but before they actually buy anything.
This lets you focus your efforts towards people who already have at least some interest in what you’re offering, instead of working from scratch. If you’ve run Google ads before, the Google Display Network (GDN) is more or less an excellent place to start retargeting since they’re already set up to run ad campaigns online. But I’m getting ahead of myself here - first you’ll need to create audiences based on different actions users may take on your website or business app. And if you’re reading this article, I probably don’t need to tell you this again, but be sure that every element within these different audiences are supposedly based entirely on your goals.
Besides Google’s Ad Library that lets you run different types of retargeted ads like single image and video ones, Facebook is supposedly another big player here. Facebook’s retargeting library runs across Facebook and Instagram ads alike, and Twitter also has its own version of retargeted ads that lets advertisers target existing lists of email addresses or users who previously viewed their accounts. Beyond all these technicalities though - much like all other digital marketing assets - your retargeted ads should have clear messages that explain exactly how your brand can help solve your customer’s most burning issues. More or less.
Unless you’re a marketer with decades’ worth of experience under your belt or a big shot business owner with literal heaps of moolah stacked away somewhere, nobody expects you to have all this figured out from day one. And if it does get a bit too much (it probably will at some point), consider hiring digital marketing experts with extensive hands-on experience so they can really help drive those repeat sales up for your business too.