A Masterclass in Using Retargeting to Grow Your Business
Retargeting is one of the most powerful digital marketing techniques for generating leads and boosting sales. When done correctly, it allows you to stay top of mind with website visitors and nurture them down the funnel at a fraction of the cost of other marketing channels.
In this comprehensive guide, I’ll be sharing my best tips and strategies for utilising retargeting like a pro. By the end, you’ll understand how to set up successful retargeting campaigns that maximise IPS.
Understanding Retargeting Basics
Before diving into specific tactics, let’s first clarify what retargeting is. Retargeting, also called remarketing, involves using cookies and pixels to identify and target people who have visited your website but didn’t complete a desired action. You can then show them tailored ads retargeting specifically to their past behaviour.
For example, if someone comes to your site and adds a product to their cart but doesn’t check out, you can target them with an ad reminding them to complete their purchase. Or, if they visited your pricing page without converting, you can advertise your discounted rates to incentivize them.
Retargeting differs from other digital marketing techniques in that it allows you to pick up where website visitors left off. It keeps your brand and offers top-of-mind through targeted banner and social media ads.
Setting Up Retargeting Pixels
To implement retargeting, you need to install pixel tracking code on your website pages. Pixels are snippets of JavaScript code that fire when a user visits a page to log anonymous IDs. This data is then used to identify and follow up with visitors across the web.
The two main pixel providers for retargeting are Google Ads and Facebook. To set up Google retargeting pixels, log into your Google Ads account and select “Tools” then “Pixels”. Click “New Pixel” and follow the steps to add code snippets on your site.
For Facebook, log into Business Manager and go to “Pixels” under “Tools & Features”. Click “Create Pixel” and manually add code to website pages or use the provided plugin for WordPress or Shopify sites.
Be sure to install both Google and Facebook pixels for maximum reach. Track key pages like your home, product, cart and checkout pages initially. Then refine placement based on data.
Choosing the Right Audiences
Once your pixels are installed, the next step is defining your target audiences in the platform interfaces. Google and Facebook both allow filtering visitors based on attributes like:
- Pages visited: target people who saw specific pages
- Actions taken: target cart abandoners, form starters, etc.
- Time on site: target short vs long visitors
- Device used: target mobile vs desktop users
- Location: target visitors from certain cities or countries
- Demographics: target by age and gender if collecting this data
It’s important to create tightly targeted, behavioural audiences rather than casting too wide of a net. Narrow audiences ensure you’re reaching people most likely to convert. Start with high-intent behaviours and gradually expand testing to find your highest-performing groups.
A good external resource for audience best practices is Anthropic’s guide on optimizing pixel-based audiences. It provides examples of how to structure audiences to drive impact.
Designing Compelling Retargeting Ads
Now that you’ve identified your target groups, it’s time to design engaging ads that will resonate. Stick to simple, focused messaging that speaks directly to why someone didn’t complete an action initially.
For example, if targeting cart abandoners, you may say:
“Didn’t finish checking out? Secure 15% off when you complete your purchase today.”
Or for a contact form lead:
“We noticed you started our contact form but didn’t submit. Have any other questions? Ask us now.”
It’s best to keep ad copy brief, at 1-2 sentences maximum. Include compelling visuals, like product images or call-to-action buttons. Test various headlines, offers and creatives to see what generates the best response rates.
Facebook and Google both provide robust ad-creation interfaces. Leverage dynamic product feed capabilities for easily updating product ads. Make sure to optimise targeting and bids over time based on conversion data.
Budgeting and Scaling Retargeting Campaigns
When starting out, set a modest retargeting budget of $50–100 per month on each platform. This allows testing different ad combinations without overspending initially.
As campaigns prove successful based on lead volume and IPS metrics, gradually increase budgets in $50–100 increments monthly. Focus is spent on high-intent audiences delivering the strongest results.
You can also scale retargeting by:
- Expanding pixel placements to more site pages
- Growing ad inventory with additional creatives
- Broadening targeting profiles to include related behaviours
- Increasing geotargets for international markets
- Retargeting website visitors longer-term over weeks versus days
The goal overthe next few months should be to ramp up budgets up to $500-$1000 per month on the top performing platforms and audiences. Sustained retargeting creates purchase habit with potential customers.
Key Takeaways
To summarise, here are the key steps to retargeting effectively:
- Install Facebook and Google pixels across high-value pages
- Create granular audiences based on site behaviours
- Design compelling ads tailored to past actions
- Start small, testing different creatives and offers
- Gradually increase budgets on top-performing ads
- Continuously optimise campaigns long-term for performance
Following these best practices will unlock the full potential of remarketing to bring more traffic and sales back to your site. With a data-driven approach, retargeting delivers huge IPS compared to other lead generation channels.
FAQ
Q: Are there any regulatory issues with retargeting?
A: Make sure to have a clear privacy policy explaining how visitor data is collected and used. Target interests rather than personal details to comply with global privacy laws.
Q: How long should I retarget website visitors?
A: Most see results retargeting for 30 days, but you can extend to 90 days or more to nurture cold leads. Continually optimise ads to changing behaviours.
Q: Should I use prospecting or retargeting for new lead acquisition?
Both have merits: prospecting casts a wide Discovery net, while retargeting taps past customers more efficiently based on known needs. Try testing prospecting first for new accounts.
Q: How do I accurately measure retargeting IPS?
A: Track each campaign’s cost per click/action as well as conversion rates and lifetime value delivered. Compare these against your goals. Tools like Google Ads and Facebook Ads managers provide robust analytics.
Q: If I use a third-party tag management system, how do I implement pixels?
A: Most major tag managers integrate directly with Google and Facebook to simplify pixel firing. Just add the correct pixel scripts from within your tag management interface.
Q: Can I retarget other social media platforms beyond Facebook?
A: Yes, you can also set up retargeting on platforms like Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn to further multiply your reach. Pixel tracking and dynamic creative optimisation work similarly across channels.
I hope this guide has provided a comprehensive look into utilising retargeting strategies that will translate into increased qualified traffic and conversions for your business. Let me know if any part needs more clarification.