Retargeting: Why it’s Necessary for Your Growth Strategy

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You’ve heard about the art and science of targeted marketing, but what is retargeting?

It’s a commonly used term by digital marketing experts, though most individuals don’t truly understand what it means, how it works, or why it’s important. 

There’s a high likelihood you’ve clicked on this post because you’re in that boat and want the answers to those questions, so read on to learn everything you need to know about retargeting. 

What Is Retargeting? 

Targeted marketing looks at zeroing in on your core audience and ensuring they’re the ones who see your marketing content.

With that in mind, what does retargeting mean?

It actually refers to a specific approach with paid ads in your digital marketing strategy.

Retargeting is when you display ads to individuals who’ve already had contact with your business in the past. 

For instance, someone visits your website but doesn’t really do anything else. They leave before providing their contact details or buying your product/service. The fact that they’re on your site means there’s a level of interest in what you offer - and retargeting means you hit that person with an ad to tempt them back in. 

You may also use retargeting to pull back previous customers.

Someone could buy one thing from your site, but a clever ad retargeting campaign can convince them to return for repeat purchases. 

How Does Retargeting Work?

The actual process of retargeting is highly technical and most of it happens behind the scenes and is automated.

It primarily relies on cookies — your site stores cookies with information on everyone who visits it. From there, the ad network you’re using can take these cookies and understand who to display your adverts to. 

It’s something you can’t do manually because you rely on user data.

There’s also a complicated process of setting up a retargeting campaign, so the ad network (e.g. Google or Meta Ads) knows who to target based on their actions. 

Why Is Retargeting Important?

Retargeting should be a core part of any digital marketing strategy because it helps you scoop up leads that may have slipped through the net initially.

It’s so common for someone to be interested in buying something, only to then either put off buying it or forget about what they’re doing. 

A good retargeting campaign means you tap into a very unique user base of highly targeted leads.

You’re advertising to people who are definitely interested in your brand — they just need a little push to complete your desired action.

Imagine 100 people visit your website and leave before buying something. Retargeting can help you direct as many of those people back to your site to make a purchase. Even if, say, 20 people get hooked by your ads and decide to buy something, that’s still better than losing out on all 100 of your leads. 

Summary

To summarize, retargeting is the act of producing ads and sending them to users who’ve previously had contact with your business in one way or another.

It’s an automated process you set up during your paid advertising campaign.

The main benefit of retargeting is that it helps you capture “lost” leads and boost your conversions.

A good campaign could result in securing more sales for your company!