Has it ever felt like a business is stalking your every move?

First, you see an ad on the New York Times and you think, “Hey, what a coincidence, I was just looking at those shoes.” Then, you head over to YouTube and there’s a video about some guy donating a pair of shoes for every pair you buy. You think, “Whoa, this company is way bigger than I thought.” Finally, you head over to Facebook and the shoes are there again!

“What is happening!? Why is the NSA tracking my every move!?”

Congratulations, you’ve been the target of a remarketing campaign!

Remarketing (also called retargeting) is an effective marketing technique that shows ads to people who have already visited your website. Some think it’s creepy, others think it’s genius. But when it comes down to the numbers, remarketing works.

Studies show that visitors who see your remarketing ads are 10x more likely to click on them and 70% more likely to convert once they’re on your site.

If you’re not using remarketing,
your PPC campaign is missing out.

Why does remarketing work so well?

There are a ton of reasons why businesses in just about every sector use remarketing to drive sales and grow their customer base. Here are a few of the main benefits.

Interact with a warm audience

Marketing is kind of like dating. Would you be more comfortable going on a blind date with a total stranger, or a second date with that one person you thought was cool? The second option, of course!

That’s why remarketing works. By targeting people you’ve already interacted with, you’re more likely to get results.

Increase your chances of being seen

Remarketing lets you show the same message in multiple locations, reminds your ideal audience about your business, and increases your chances of closing the deal.

While many advertising platforms have remarketing capabilities, we suggest starting with AdWords and Facebook. Google, Facebook, and Google owned YouTube are the top three most visited websites in the world. There’s a good chance that your customers will be using one of these three sites, or their partner sites, and see your remarketing ads.

Make it seem like your company is “everywhere”

When a customer sees you all around the Internet, they subconsciously think your company is successful enough to have a huge marketing campaign across multiple channels. With remarketing, you don’t need a multi-million dollar budget — just a few low-cost, strategically placed ads.

Encourage repeat purchases

Facebook’s remarketing platform includes a “Custom Audiences” feature, which allows businesses to not only target people who have visited their website (which is standard), but also anyone who has already provided their contact information.

If you have customer email addresses, Facebook IDs, or phone numbers, you can start showing those people Facebook ads and reminding them of your business.

4 tips to maximize your Facebook remarketing efforts

1. Use a strong call-to-action

A regular campaign might have a more informational message like, “Did you know you could save up to 25% on haircuts for the next year?” But with a remarketing campaign, you’re better off using clearer and more assertive calls to action, such as “Get a quote” or “Request more information.” This active language increases clicks and conversions.

Another way to increase remarketing conversions is by using Facebook Lead Ads, which put your strong call to action to good use and allow users to fill out a contact form without ever leaving Facebook.

2. Use Facebook and Google AdWords together

Let’s say you’re running ads in AdWords and directing users to a landing page. If you’re also running ads in Facebook, you can target the people who have already clicked on your AdWords ad and visited a landing page. This also works in reverse: If a user visits your landing page from Facebook, you can remarket to them around the web using AdWords.

This technique is often used in e-commerce. Nordstrom, Zappos, and Amazon are the poster children for remarketing done right.

Want to see remarketing in action? Spend a few minutes browsing their websites, and you’ll start seeing their products over and over again as your browse the Internet.

3. Choose a duration that matches your audience’s decision-making process

When you create your remarketing list on Facebook, you choose how long you want your audience to see your ads. This is called “membership duration.” While you can keep people on the list for up to 540 days, that’s usually way too long.

To choose the right length, think about how long it usually takes someone to decide to buy a product like yours.

For example, if you’re selling shoes, the shopper might make their decision in a matter of days, so you could set the membership duration to 1-2 weeks.

For higher priced or more in-depth purchases, like accounting services, the buyer will likely take much longer to make a decision. In that case, you would want to show your ads less frequently, but for a longer duration of time.

4. Show the ad no more than twice per day

Speaking of frequency, it’s important to consider how often your ad will be shown to your audience. The best frequency will depend on your industry, but the general rule is to never show an ad to someone more than twice per day. Otherwise, they might find it annoying and succumb to “banner blindness,” ignoring all future ads they see from you.

Want to be everywhere? We can make it happen.

Whether you’ve been running remarketing campaigns for years, or you’re just starting to look into new ways to get in front of potential customers, we can deliver the results you’ve been looking for.

Get in touch with us for a free audit of your AdWords campaigns. Just getting started? We’ll provide details on what to expect, plus $100 in ad credit for a new campaign. Find out more here.