If you run a small business and sell stuff online, you know advertising plays a critical role in driving people to your website. But what if they aren’t ready to buy when they first find your store? Or if they get distracted before they complete a purchase?
It turns out that 97% of people who visit your site for the first time leave without buying anything, and then they’re lost forever. Unless you can bring them back.
Retargeting campaigns remind your website visitors of your products and services after they leave your website without buying. After visiting specific pages, it allows you to retarget them and show your visitors relevant visual or text ads when they visit other websites.
Retargeting campaigns could be done with the help of Google Ads, Facebook retargeting, LinkedIn Ads and other retargeting advertising platforms. Serious marketers today use retargeting as a vital tool to connect with their customers and increase their sales and customer loyalty.
97% of people who visit your site for the first time leave without buying anything, and then they’re lost forever. Unless you can bring them back.
Before someone decides to buy your product or service, they need to feel like they know you. A good marketing rule of thumb to help customers make up their mind about purchasing is to ensure they hear your message at least 7 times. Retargeting builds visibility for your brand, allowing you to reach an audience that has already expressed interest in your products.
Plus, it’s a lot more cost-effective than other types of advertising. And when you create retargeting ads in Mailchimp, we’ll automatically generate thousands of ads that display in the right place at the right time, with no added fees from us.
What is retargeting and why is it important?
Retargeting is the process of targeting users who have previously accessed a website, browsed an eCommerce store, or made a purchase online. Oftentimes, once you finalize a sale, your interaction with the shopper ceases.
However, with retargeting ads, you can attempt to attract the attention of those who have previously visited your website using various methods ranging from traditional newsletters and social media platforms to exclusive landing pages or special offers.
Retargeting is not only useful to help bring visitors back to your website, but it can also help with boosting brand awareness. When an online user is exposed to your logo or promotional advertisement repeatedly, they are much more likely to remember your business and what it represents.
Using retargeting ads can help boost online visibility while maximizing your reach among any demographics and target audience.
What is an example of retargeting?
Before you can begin creating your own remarketing ads, it is important to familiarize yourself with how retargeting marketing works.
An example of retargeting marketing might include sending a follow-up email to a subscribed customer who has recently made a purchase on your online store. Another form of retargeting marketing includes using social media, such as Facebook ads, to retarget users who have previously visited your website or viewed products on your eCommerce store.
Retargeting campaigns are useful to help with moving outdated inventory, introducing new products or services, or even offering exclusive offers and discounts to those who have previously purchased from you.
How many types of retargeting ads are there?
Fortunately for those who are involved with digital marketing today, there are virtually endless types of retargeting ads available, with your own creativity and imagination being the only limitation.
Whether you are interested in launching email marketing and Google ads or if you are thinking of using social media platforms for retargeting purposes, you have many different opportunities when it comes to retargeting marketing.
Some of the most common types of retargeting ads used today include:
Segmented users in sales funnels
Target users based on the type of products or pages they have viewed using a direct sales funnel. You can also use direct sales funnels to gain valuable insight into the type of information or products visitors are searching for while browsing your site or eCommerce store.
Buyer persona
Targeting specific buyer personas is one of the most popular methods of retargeting marketing, regardless of the market you intend to reach. Targeting specific demographics based on age, gender, location, interests, and even previous online purchases can help with honing in on an audience with a genuine interest in your own brand.
Social media custom audiences
Social media provides excellent tools for managing and launching retargeting ads, especially with Facebook custom audiences. Facebook custom audiences provide the ability to upload logs of contact information and emails to include within any campaign(s) launched using the platform.
Cross-channel marketing
If you want to connect with users across numerous social media platforms and websites they frequent simultaneously, you can do so with cross-channel marketing tactics in your next retargeting marketing campaign. Cross-channel marketing is extremely beneficial for brand visibility and for boosting brand awareness across a variety of websites and social platforms.
When should you use retargeting campaigns?
Retargeting works best when you already have some traffic coming to your website. Think of it as your second chance to make a sale with visitors who showed interest but didn't buy the first time around.
The more traffic you have, the bigger your audience becomes for these campaigns. Here's when you can use an online advertising retargeting campaign to serve ads or deliver emails to those who have already shown an interest in your business:
Promoting bestsellers
Your top-selling products are popular for a reason — existing customers want them. Retargeting ads let you put these crowd-pleasers front and center for visitors who browsed but didn't buy. When you showcase items your current customers already love with retargeting display ads, you're essentially providing social proof to hesitant shoppers.
Introducing new collections
Your existing website visitors are already interested in what you offer, making them perfect candidates for new product launches. These people know your brand and trust your quality, so they're more likely to check out fresh arrivals.
Your retargeting campaigns will follow them around the web, creating multiple opportunities to catch their attention when they're in a buying mood. You can set this up through Google Ads (formerly Google Adwords) display campaigns or Facebook retargeting to cast a wide net.
Moving inventory
Every online seller deals with slow-moving stock at some point. Instead of letting products sit there collecting digital dust, retargeting ads offer a budget-friendly way to give them new life. You can target people who viewed similar items or browsed your sale section, putting your surplus inventory in front of shoppers who might actually want it. It's much cheaper than broad advertising and more effective than hoping random visitors will stumble across these products.
Building brand awareness
Most people won't buy from you on their first visit — they need to feel like they know you first. Retargeting keeps your brand visible while potential customers think things over, research alternatives, or wait for the right moment to purchase.
Every time they see your ad on another site, you're building familiarity and trust.
Recovering abandoned carts
Shopping cart abandonment happens to every online store—people add items they want, then get distracted by a phone call, lose interest, or decide to think it over. These visitors were just moments away from completing a purchase, making them the best candidates for retargeting.
You can create specific ads featuring the exact products they left behind, sometimes with a small discount to sweeten the deal. This approach often sees high conversion rates since you're targeting people who already showed clear buying intent.
Retargeting vs remarketing campaigns
"Retargeting" and "remarketing" are pretty similar as they mean to achieve the same goals:
- Target audiences who already visited your site and are aware of your brand
- Engage and target people who are most likely to make a purchase
- Help start building a lasting connection with the customers through brand awareness and recognition
The differences between retargeting vs. remarketing are in the tactics used to accomplish these goals.
Retargeting primarily uses paid ads to target audiences who have visited your website or social media profiles.
Remarketing primarily uses email to target people who have already done business with your brand.
That’s where Google remarketing ads come in. It’s a powerful new marketing channel in Mailchimp that helps you convert website visitors into customers after they’ve left your store.
How retargeting works
The magic behind retargeting happens through small pieces of code called retargeting pixels that get placed on your website visitors' browsers. When someone visits your site, this pixel creates a list of those visitors that advertising platforms can use later.
Think of it like leaving digital breadcrumbs — you're not collecting personal information, but you're marking that someone showed interest in your business. Then, when these same people browse other websites or scroll through social media, the advertising networks recognize them and show your ads.
Our retargeting ads use the Google Display Network to reach more than 90% of people on the internet across more than 2 million sites through display ads.
Once a visitor browses your site, they will start to see your ads while reading an article, listening to music, or visiting other stores online. Your ads will remind them of all the cool stuff you have to offer and bring them back to your site when they have decided to make a purchase.
In just a few clicks, you can automate ads that recapture sales in the background, while you focus on other important parts of your business.
Benefits of retargeting
Retargeting is one of the most effective ways to turn window shoppers into actual customers. Unlike traditional advertising, where you're shooting in the dark, retargeting focuses on people who already know your brand and have shown genuine interest. This targeted approach delivers measurable results that can transform your marketing performance. Let's break down the key advantages that make retargeting such a powerful tool for growing your business.
Improved conversion rates
People who see retargeting ads are significantly more likely to convert than first-time visitors. This makes perfect sense when you think about it — these are folks who have already browsed your products, read your content, or spent time on your site.
They're familiar with what you offer and just need that gentle reminder or extra push to complete their purchase.
Reinforcing brand recall
Your brand needs to stay top-of-mind when customers are ready to buy, and retargeting keeps you visible during their decision-making process. Every time potential customers see your ads while browsing other sites, you're reinforcing your brand message and building familiarity.
This repeated exposure creates trust and makes your business feel more established and reliable. When customers are finally ready to buy, your brand will be the first one they think of instead of getting lost in the shuffle of competitors.
Better ROI compared to cold outreach
Retargeting typically costs much less than trying to attract completely new customers through cold advertising because you're targeting a warm audience that already expressed interest in your products. This focused approach means you spend your advertising budget more efficiently. The higher conversion rates combined with lower costs per click make retargeting one of the most cost-effective marketing strategies available.
Personalized customer journeys
Retargeting lets you create customized ad experiences based on exactly what visitors did on your site. Someone who looked at running shoes gets different ads than someone who browsed winter coats. You can show specific products they viewed, offer related items, or provide targeted discounts based on their behavior. This level of personalization makes your marketing feel less like advertising and more like helpful recommendations, creating a smoother path from interest to purchase.
Where retargeting fits into your marketing strategy
You need more than one marketing channel to ensure none of your customers fall through the cracks. According to Google, combining retargeting with the other advertising you already do can help you sell 50% more stuff. In Mailchimp, you have all the tools you need to create integrated campaigns under one roof.
According to Google, combining retargeting ads with the other advertising you already do can help you sell 50% more stuff.
Drive traffic to your website with an email, Facebook ad, or Instagram ad. Then, when someone leaves without buying, you can retarget them with an ad (or, if your Shopify store is connected to Mailchimp, a product retargeting email).
Once they make a purchase and you collect their email address at checkout, send a welcome or first-purchase automation to keep them engaged with your brand.
Make retargeting work for your brand
Retargeting turns missed opportunities into real sales by keeping your brand visible to people who already showed interest in what you offer. The combination of higher conversion rates, better ROI, and personalized messaging makes retargeting an essential part of any successful online business strategy.
Mailchimp makes it easy to launch retargeting campaigns that work seamlessly with your other marketing efforts. With everything under one roof, you can track how your retargeting ads work together with your email marketing, social media efforts, and website analytics to create a complete picture of your customer journey and maximize your marketing impact. Sign up for Mailchimp today.
Key Takeaways
- Retargeting ads use small tracking pixels that create lists of visitors for advertising platforms to target on other sites.
- Retargeting is perfect for businesses with existing traffic that want to recover abandoned carts, promote bestsellers, and introduce new collections to people already interested in their brand.
- Retargeted visitors are much more likely to convert than new visitors because they're already familiar with your products, delivering higher ROI than cold advertising.
- Retargeting campaigns are easy to automate and set up once to recapture sales in the background while building brand awareness and creating personalized customer journeys.