What is remarketing? Types, benefits and how to do it

Gonza Pastorino04 April

In the world of digital marketing, capturing your audience’s attention is only half the battle; retaining it is where things really get interesting. This is where the strategy comes into play that allows you to reconnect with those who visited your website or app but left without completing your goal. We will call this strategy “remarketing”. Sounds like magic? It almost is! But behind this magic, there’s a science and strategy that we’ll delve into step by step so that by the end of this article, you’ll feel like an expert in winning back your audience.

What is remarketing?

Imagine a customer abandons a pair of sneakers in their online shopping cart; with remarketing, you can “follow” this customer around the web with ads for those sneakers, encouraging them to return and complete their purchase. That’s what remarketing is all about. The strategy involves customizing ads and displaying them to users who have already interacted with your brand but didn’t take the specific action you desired, such as completing a purchase.

This personalized follow-up through reminders increases the likelihood of conversion because they have already shown interest in your product or service. It’s like saying, “Hey, did you forget something? We’re here to remind you.”

Is it the same as retargeting?

Although they are generally used interchangeably, there is a slight difference.

• Remarketing:It focuses on re-engagement through emails. It refers mainly to e-mail campaigns. For example, send emails to customers who abandoned their shopping cart, offering them a discount if they complete their purchase.
• Retargeting:It is used more to describe digital advertising targeted to users based on their previous online actions. Retarget website visitors through ads on different digital platforms.

However, in current practice, remarketing has evolved to include this targeted online advertising as well.

What is the benefit of remarketing?

The greatest benefit of remarketing is its ability to target a highly relevant audience. By focusing on users who have already interacted with your brand, the conversion rates are significantly higher compared to marketing strategies targeting new users.

However, it’s not just another tactic; it’s a powerful strategy that offers multiple advantages for businesses looking to optimize their connection with the audience and maximize return on investment.

Some of its major benefits are:

1. Increased Conversion Rate:By targeting users who have already shown interest in your product or service, remarketing significantly increases the chances of conversion. These users are further along in the sales funnel, so they are more likely to complete a purchase.
2. Improved Brand Recognition:Repetition is key in advertising. Remarketing keeps your brand visible to your target audience, reinforcing its recognition and keeping you in consumers’ minds even after they have left your site.
3. Precise Targeting:Remarketing allows for highly specific targeting based on users’ past behavior on your website or mobile app. This means that you can customize your advertising messages to suit the specific needs and interests of your audience.
4. ROI optimization:By focusing your advertising efforts on people who have already interacted with your site, you reduce budget wastage on less interested audiences. This leads to a more efficient use of your advertising budget and, ultimately, a better return on investment.
5. Customer Retention:In addition to attracting new customers, remarketing is effective in building loyalty among existing customers. By introducing them to complementary products or services or special promotions based on their past purchases, you can increase retention and customer lifetime value.

What types of remarketing are there?

There are several types of remarketing, each adopting various forms designed to achieve specific goals, specializing on each platform, seeking to capture your audience’s attention uniquely:

1. Standard Remarketing

It’s the most basic type of remarketing, involving showing ads to your previous visitors as they browse sites and apps within the Google Display Network or while using social networks like Facebook and Instagram. A clear example would be a potential customer who visited your online store for sports accessories but didn’t make a purchase. With standard remarketing, you can show them ads for the products they viewed or added to the cart while reading news online or browsing their Facebook feed, reminding them of your brand and the products they’re interested in.

2. Dynamic Remarketing

This type of remarketing takes personalization a step further, showing ads that specifically include the products or services that visitors viewed on your website or app. The difference from standard remarketing is that, using the same example, the ad they would see would be about the specific product they looked at on your site, with a message that could include a special offer or highlight the unique features of the product.

3. Email List Remarketing

This approach uses your email database to target specific users with personalized ads on platforms like Google, Facebook, and LinkedIn, among others. You can use this list to create a remarketing campaign that shows ads for accessories or complementary products to those they already purchased while they browse the web, encouraging them to make a follow-up purchase.

4. Mobile App Remarketing 

Specifically targeted at mobile app users, this type of remarketing seeks to re-engage users who have downloaded your app but haven’t used it recently or haven’t taken a desired action within it. For example, users who haven’t logged in or haven’t created an account in the app they already downloaded. In this particular case, the ads would be received through other apps, encouraging the user to return.

How to do remarketing?

Below, we will break down step-by-step the key points to keep in mind when implementing a remarketing strategy:

1. Define Your Target Audience

Before launching a remarketing campaign, it’s crucial to identify who you want to target. Consider factors such as previous behavior on your website or app, the stage in the sales funnel they’re in, and any specific action they’ve taken (or not). Tools like Google Analytics can help you segment your audience based on these variables.

2. Select the Right Platform

Choose the remarketing platform that best suits your goals and audience. Google Ads is excellent for broad reach across the Display Network, while platforms like Meta (Facebook and Instagram) and LinkedIn are ideal for more specific targeting based on interests and demographic data. TikTok Ads might be the preferred option for younger audiences and engagement through video content.

3. Configure Your Campaigns

For Google Ads:

• Install the Google remarketing tag on your website.
• Create remarketing lists based on specific criteria, such as visitors from certain pages or users who abandoned their cart.
• Design your ads and choose the audience lists you want to target.

For social media platforms:

• Use audience building tools (such as Facebook’s Audience Manager) to define your target audience based on previous interaction.
• Configure your ads, choosing formats that best suit your objectives and audience behavior.

4. Create Attractive Ad Content

The content of your ads should be engaging and extremely relevant to your target audience. You should use high-quality images, create persuasive copy, and have clear calls to action. Consider ad personalization to increase relevance, especially if you’re using dynamic remarketing.

5. Establish Budgets and Bidding Strategies

Define your daily budget and choose a bidding strategy that aligns with your campaign goals, such as CPC for web traffic or CPA for conversions. Monitor performance to adjust your bids and maximize ROI.

6. Launch and Monitor Your Campaign

Once everything is set up, launch your campaign. Monitor your ad performance regularly to identify areas for improvement. Pay special attention to metrics like CTR, conversion, and ROAS.

7. Analyze and Optimize

Use tools like Google Analytics, Appsflyer, and Singular. These tools are crucial for tracking user behavior and measuring the success of your remarketing campaigns. Analyze the data to understand what’s working and what’s not. You can make adjustments based on this analysis, such as changing targeting, ad content, or bidding strategy. Ongoing optimization is key to improving the results of your remarketing campaigns over time.

Need help with your remarketing campaigns?

Remarketing is not just a strategy to increase sales; it’s a powerful technique for building lasting relationships with your audience. By showing users that you understand their needs and preferences, you not only increase the chances of conversion but also foster loyalty to your brand.

Remember, the magic of remarketing lies in subtlety and personalization. Using these tips to effectively reconnect with your audience can be complex to set up and optimize. If you are looking to maximize your remarketing efforts and transform those “almost” into conversions you can contact us and you’ll see how the right approach can turn hesitant visitors into loyal customers.