Retargeting – What it is and how it works on Facebook and Google

Digital marketing has completely transformed the way many businesses advertise nowadays. It has brought more power to the advertiser and puts them in a better position to understand their target market better. Nowadays, platforms like Facebook and Google have created ad tools that allow you to get the maximum ROI from your ad campaigns.

While many advertisers used to create general ads and show it in front of as many people as possible, times have changed. Nowadays, these digital platforms allow you to target specific users based on their demographics, interests, and even search history.

Yes, that’s right. You can even target a customer based on what they were searching for on Google and Facebook.

The power of retargeting

Have you ever searched online for a particular product to get more information about it? For the next few weeks, you will probably be seeing ads similar to the product you searched for more regularly. It is because of retargeting. Google and Facebook gather information on user’s interests and use it to create more specific ads.

Retargeting is when you target a customer that has visited your website or Facebook page but did not make a purchase. You can use retargeting tools to send similar ads to that customer on Google. It serves as a reminder to the customer that your product is still available. It is handy because you do not have to rely on one platform, like Facebook, for your marketing.

Retargeting can improve your ad campaigns

With retargeting, you can increase your Facebook and Google ads’ conversion rate by a significant margin. Research has shown that retargeted ads have a 70% higher conversion rate than ads shown to customers for the first time. It can be the difference between a failed campaign and a very successful campaign. Not only will you save money on your campaigns, but the ROI will be higher as well.

Another advantage of Facebook and Google ads retargeting is that you can increase customer engagement. According to the research, retargeting can help increase user engagement by 400%. The reason for this success is that it targets the products that customers are already interested in specifically. It’s much harder to create a new want than provide a solution to an existing customer problem.

Retargeting with Facebook ads

Facebook ads are a great way to use retargeting effectively. You can monitor the visitors on your Facebook page and see where they click, what products they are interested in, etc. You can then use this information to retarget them when they leave your page. The conversion rate for such ads is much higher.

Custom Audience Creation

The first step in retargeting with Facebook ads is to create a custom audience. To do this, you need to set up a Facebook pixel code. Go onto ad manager and select ‘Facebook Pixel.’ Follow the simple steps to add the pixel code to your website automatically. It will allow you to track visitors from your site and Facebook.

You can create a custom audience using Facebook Pixel tools. You can add this manually to separate web pages to track specific actions. For example, you can follow the customers that click on individual buttons on your page. This data is crucial if you want to get more information on the potential customer’s habits.

For example, if more customers visit the ‘about us’ page before going to the checkout, then you probably need to add a bit more about your brand in the ads. You can track offline activity and many other customer habits using this tool. It is also useful for gathering analytics on your website and retargeting customers on Facebook.

The second way to create a custom audience is to add formal events. There are many traditional events that you can use for retargeting, but here are the main ones:

Website visitors

If someone visits your website, it means that they are already familiar with your brand. It also shows that they are interested in your product or service. Targeting people who visit your website is one of the best ways to increase your Facebook ads’ conversions. It gives you a specific group of people who you already have some data on initially.

When someone visits your website, you can use tracking tools to see which products they are interested in purchasing. At this point, you can create targeted Facebook ads that cater to their preferences. You can also target people who left their shopping carts without completing the checkout.

According to the research, many of these customers come back to complete the purchase if once reminded.

People who visit certain websites

If you are a fashion brand, then you can target audiences that visit specific fashion blogs. Most products and services can follow this same strategy. The key is to track the customer’s behavior and retarget them accordingly.

Retargeting with Google Ads

Retargeting customers with Google is much more comfortable because the entire process is automated. When you are setting up your Google Ads, you can select audiences from customized lists. The best part of this is that the process covers most of Google’s users.

Custom Targeting

For example, you can add the option to target people who visit certain websites. You can also add an opportunity to target people who search for specific keywords. Most of the advertising done by savvy advertisers on Google is retargeting.

Because Google covers more than 92% of platforms, retargeting with them is much more comfortable. It is also more customizable, which allows you to increase the conversion rate significantly.

Customer Groups

The more you narrow your focus to the specific customer groups, the better your conversion rate will be. The budget that you spend on your ads will also be less if you are retargeting particular groups of people.

Final Thoughts

In the end, retargeting is a great way to reduce your ad budget and increase conversions. If you have any questions related to retargeting, then let me know in the comments below. I would love to address your queries!