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Retargeting for the store – how do we implement it? With retargeting, ads are targeted to people who have already shown interest in the product or service, significantly increasing the chances of conversion. This is one of the final stages of the marketing funnel
How does retargeting work?
Cookies, small text files sent to your browser by a site you visit at a given time, make retargeting possible. They allow the site to remember information about the consumer’s visit and behavior. Similar technologies, including unique identifiers used to identify an application or device, pixel tags, and local storage, can perform the same function.
Cookies also allow us to remember our preferences and personalize websites in terms of content displayed and advertising tailoring. Thanks to „cookies,” we can register products and services or vote in online surveys.
Benefits of retargeting
Retargeting is characterized by two important advantages:
The first way is to display ads to existing customers. You can use targeted ads, such as Google ads or META ads, to offer them other products. E.g., if your customer bought a vacuum cleaner, you can display ads for matching bags. This will ensure that the recipient is potentially interested in your product.
Secondly, retargeting allows you to attract new customers by suggesting products that match their interests, which is more likely to encourage them to buy.
What is the difference between retargeting and remarketing?
Remarketing differs from retargeting in the way it stores data about users and reaches them. Remarketing does not have to be cookie-based. It can be implemented using mailing lists or phone numbers, for example. Retargeting uses encrypted data, which can be used mainly in PPC ads, such as Google Ads or META Ads.
Over time, the distinction between marketing and retargeting has blurred, and today, the two terms are often used interchangeably.
How to configure remarketing?
As each advertising system differs, configuring retargeting will look slightly different everywhere. Here, I will describe the configuration process for the two largest and most used systems, Google Ads and META.
To use retargeting in Google Ads, you must implement Google Analytics 4. The most convenient way is to implement GA4 using Google Tag Manager. I know it may sound a bit complicated, but these steps are trivial if you follow the Google Tag Manager step-by-step guide. If you have successfully implemented GA4 on your site, we can move on!
How to implement retargeting in Google Ads?
Remember that your retargeting ads may not display correctly (or at all) if you don’t implement Consent Mode on your site. The article „What is consent mode and how to implement it” explains everything about consent mode.
The first step to displaying retargeting ads is to consent to data collection in Google Analytics. You’ll do this by going to Administration (the toothed icon in the lower left corner) and then Data Collection and Modification > Data Collection. Now move both bars to the right side, and you’re done! With this setting, you will enable GA4 to collect the data you need when setting up retargeting campaigns.
The next step will be to create the appropriate audience lists to which we will then target ads. The idea is to gather a list of users who perform a specific action on the site, such as adding a product to the shopping cart.
You will do this by going to Administration > Settings Services > Display Data > Recipients.
Remarketing in Google Ads – Audience groups
If your site is a store, you may already have defined events such as purchase or add to cart. Your eyes will see a view like the following:
Now, it’s time to design the appropriate audience for our ads. You will do this by clicking the „New Recipients” button.
You can choose any of the predefined lists or create your own, for which you indicate the exact parameters.
For example, I have created an audience of users who have spent at least 60 seconds on the site. This way, I know that such users are potentially interested in the content on the site, because they did not leave the store right away, but looked around and may be interested in buying.
That’s it for Google Analytics at this point! If you’ve successfully set up the right audience groups, you can move on to Google Ads to set up your retargeting campaign there.
Retargeting can be used in almost any type of campaign, and the way to configure it is very similar. In this article, I will show you how to do it for banner campaigns or GDN (Google Display Network). If you want to use other types of campaigns, their descriptions can be found in the article titled „What type of campaign to choose in Google Ads?”
A GDN retargeting campaign is created similarly to a regular GDN campaign. Go through the process of creating a campaign and once you’ve configured the campaign in its entirety, go to the „recipients” section. Then click on „edit audience segments”.
After selecting the ad group you want to target your own audience lists, go to „Browse” and then „How they interacted with your business.” Once you select „site users,” you will be shown all the retargeting lists you have configured in GA4.
Select the ones you want to use in your retargeting campaign and voila! Done! You have just set up a retargeting campaign in Google Ads.
How to implement remarketing on Facebook?
The first action you will need to take is to implement META Pixel on your site. This is done in a similar way to GA4 and Google Ads. We described the entire process in our article „META Pixel Implementation and Operation” If you have already configured the Pixel, we can move on!
The next step is to configure the audience lists that we will use for targeting. In the ad manager, click on „Recipients.”
The next step is to configure the recipients.
On the left, click the „Create audience group” button and in the expanded menu click „Custom audience groups”. The source selection menu will open. Click „Website.” On Facebook, the options for audience groups are more limited, but you can select, for example, people who are in the 5th percentile of users who spend the most time on the site.
Users will be removed from the group after a certain number of days since visiting the site. The maximum number of days is 180.
Facebook marketing – audience groups
Next, in the edit ad set, at the campaign creation level, go to the „Audience group” section, then check „Use saved audience group”.
Select the group you’re interested in and you’re done! From now on, ads within this set will only display to users in the list.
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Retargeting is an effective tool in reaching customers, which becomes more profitable the more thoughtful it is. Try to analyze the profile of your customers, think about how they spend time on your site and what makes them buy. Design your audience lists so that your ads show them in the right place, at the right time. E.g. if you sell a dietary supplement that lasts 30 days, it’s a good idea to set up your audience group so that ads display to them just before the supplement runs out.
Designing retargeting campaigns is a process that requires technical expertise and experience. Their effectiveness depends on a variety of factors that should be taken into account while still in the marketing planning stage. If you want to be sure that your activities will bring the expected results, use the services of Digital Agency If you don’t know which agency to choose, take a look at the ranking of digital agencies in Poland The agency’s marketing department will assess budget allocation, recommend retargeting solutions, and help you set up your campaign.
