You might not know it, but you’ve probably been the subject of a retargeting campaign before. Here’s what we mean:
After casually surfing a website, you open your social media app to check out your friends’ latest posts. To your surprise, you see a social media ad for that website you had just visited.
Not only that, the ad also shows what you had been looking at on that website!
No, the social media platform didn’t read your mind. This phenomenon is known as retargeting, which is a marketing tactic for promoting products and services to people who have demonstrated interest in them.
Due to their existing interest in these offerings, such people may be more likely to buy them. If executed well, retargeting can therefore be highly effective in increasing conversions from this segment of people.
If you’re keen to explore retargeting for your business, read on as we share how retargeting works in more detail. We’ll also cover case studies of how brands have used retargeting to boost their bottom line:
What is retargeting?
Retargeting is the process of showing promotional ads to users who have interacted with your brand. The ads that are shown are usually tailored to match such previous user interactions.
For example, let’s say you run an online toy store. A user, Charlie, visits your website and browses dinosaur toys. He then leaves without buying anything.
Although you didn’t make a sale then, you now know that Charlie is interested in dinosaur toys! You can then show him targeted ads of not dolls or any other toys, but the dinosaur toys that your store has to offer.
This way, you’ll remind him that:
- Your store sells dinosaur toys, and that
- He can pick some up from your store if he decides to buy them.
There are a variety of platforms on which you can run retargeting campaigns. Popular options include Google and social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram. Pick the platform(s) on which your target audience is most likely to spend their time and attention.
5 retargeting strategy examples to inspire your retargeting campaign
1. SamCart
Apart from providing shopping cart software, SamCart offers CreatorU, a paid online resource for creators looking to grow their business. SamCart promotes sales of CreatorU by running Facebook retargeting ads such as this one:
In the ad, SamCart tells users that they can get the CreatorU for just $10 instead of $97. But this discount isn’t going to last forever…
If users want to take advantage of it, they’ll have to buy the course before the discount “[goes] away tonight!” This is an excellent use of scarcity and urgency to nudge users into buying now, instead of putting off the purchase to later (or never).
The ad also displays the words “LAST CHANCE” in large text and striking colors to catch users’ attention as they scroll their Facebook feeds.
Want to get started with a Facebook retargeting strategy? Make use of PosterMyWall’s Facebook ad templates to design your ads, then upload them to the Meta Business Suite to run your retargeting campaign.
2. Artbeads.com
Online beads and crafts retailer Artbeads has been in business for a really long time. Since 1999, to be exact—and we wouldn’t be surprised if Artbeads’ advanced retargeting strategies have helped it remain in business for so long.
Artbeads wanted to run ads on websites that its target customers were likely to visit. However, it wanted its ads to better reach people who were actually interested in beads. With that in mind, it decided to run Google retargeting ads that would be shown to only users who had recently displayed interest in Artbeads’ products.
And here’s what we like about Artbeads’ retargeting campaign strategy:
The business decided to segment its website visitors into categories such as “customers who had made a purchase” and “all visitors.”
This way, Artbeads was able to display more appropriate ads to each category of customers. For example, a customer in the “all visitors” category might be shown a more generic ad, while a customer in the “customers who had made a purchase” category might be served an ad that offered a loyalty discount.
Among the results achieved from its Google remarketing ads, Artbeads was able to reduce its costs-per-conversion for the “customers who had made a purchase” group by 65%.
3. ClickFunnels
Website and sales funnel builder ClickFunnels has created an online course called Your First Funnel to help business owners launch their first sales funnel.
While the online course is free, not everyone might be enticed to sign up for it. But ClickFunnels isn’t put off by that!
That’s where Facebook retargeting ads come into play to remind users of the value they can get from Your First Funnel, and encourage them to sign up.
ClickFunnels has used a graphic with a bright orange background to help its ad stand out in the Facebook feed. The graphic also displays all the attractive course resources that users can unlock by signing up.
Separately, FOMO (fear of missing out) is a motivating factor for people to take action. Accordingly, ClickFunnels’ ad uses the text “Don’t Miss Your Chance!” to signal that:
- Users have a unique chance to learn how to build an effective sales funnel, and
- There’s a deadline for claiming this opportunity, so users should do so now!
4. Horizon
Finally, here’s the retargeting ad put out by market validation software Horizon.
Value is at the front and center of Horizon’s retargeting ad. The headline in the ad’s graphic tells users what they will get from using Horizon—namely, the ability to make the right product decisions with data.
This sounds appealing, but Horizon isn’t done. It goes on to tell users more benefits of using its software, such as obtaining unbiased behavioral data and getting an understanding of market demand.
The ad then ends with a strong call to action of “Book a demo,” inviting users to book a software demo to see how their business can benefit from using Horizon.
And as an extra touch, the ad’s caption also says that users can get a “personal” demo.
In other words, users won’t be lumped together with others in a mass demo session. Instead, they’ll get special attention in a demo that’s personalized to their business.
Such VIP treatment might just be the deciding factor that gets users to book a demo after viewing Horizon’s ad!
5. Postano
Faced with stiff competition, social data visualization platform Postano wanted to boost sign-ups and lose fewer prospects to competitors. It therefore created retargeting ads such as this one:
People who had visited Postano’s website within the last 30 or 60 days would be shown such ads when browsing websites in the Google Display Network.
Postano monitored its retargeting strategy closely and tweaked it over time to ensure its effectiveness. For example, the platform refined its ads to target prospects in certain industries such as sports and fashion.
If the ads on a display network website were doing poorly, Postano would also stop showing its ads on that website. This way, the platform could maximize the return on investment for its ad budget.
Within 60 days of running retargeting ads, Postano gained a whopping 364% increase in clickthrough conversions and a 278% increase in conversion rate!
Reap the rewards of retargeting today
Retargeting can sound complicated. However, ad platforms that offer this feature have taken steps to simplify the process of launching retargeting campaigns on their platform. You’ll be guided through the necessary steps, such as installing a Facebook pixel on your website (if you’ll be running retargeting ads on Facebook). So don’t fret!
And as you set up the technical infrastructure for carrying out a retargeting campaign, don’t forget to prepare your ad copy and graphics.
PosterMyWall makes it easy to create the graphics you’ll need for your retargeting campaigns. Customize our ad templates in a user-friendly design editor, and you’ll have your ads ready to go in no time!
Click here to learn how to make the most out of PosterMyWall as you embark on your retargeting journey.
Qasim is a senior editor at PosterMyWall. Qasim is a reader and writer during and after work, and likes to explore a wide range of topics and niches. Outside of work, he likes to meditate, listen to good music and journal.
