Digital Marketing

Retargeting

Quick Definition

A strategy that shows ads to people who already interacted with your brand but didn't convert. It helps bring back interested users by displaying targeted ads to them as they browse other websites or social media platforms.

Examples

1A clothing brand notices a customer browsed summer dresses on their website but didn't purchase. The brand then shows Instagram ads featuring those exact dresses to that customer when they're scrolling through their feed.
2A software company creates a custom Facebook audience of people who watched at least 50% of their product demo video. They then show these engaged viewers more detailed feature ads about their software.
3An online store creates a Twitter campaign targeting users who added products to their cart but didn't complete checkout. These users see promoted tweets offering a 10% discount to finish their purchase.
4A travel agency notices a user researched vacation packages on their website. They retarget this user with relevant vacation ads across multiple platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.
5A B2B company creates LinkedIn retargeting ads showing case studies to users who downloaded their white paper but haven't requested a demo yet.

Pro Tips

Segment your audience based on how they interacted with your content. Someone who visited your pricing page needs different messaging than someone who just read a blog post.

Set frequency caps to limit how often your retargeting ads appear to avoid annoying potential customers. Most platforms allow you to set daily or weekly impression limits.

Regularly update your retargeting ad designs and copy to prevent ad fatigue. People are more likely to respond to new content than seeing the same ad repeatedly.

Always exclude people who have already converted from your retargeting campaigns. This prevents wasting budget on showing ads to customers who already completed the desired action.

Adjust your retargeting window based on your product's buying cycle. A 30-day window works for many products, but expensive items might need 60-90 days.

Test Your Knowledge

Take this quick quiz to see how well you understand the concept of retargeting in social media marketing.

Question 1 of 5

What is the main purpose of retargeting in social media marketing?

In-Depth Definition

Retargeting (sometimes called remarketing) is a digital advertising technique that targets users who have previously interacted with your brand but didn't complete a desired action. It works by placing a small piece of code (a pixel) on your website or app that drops an anonymous browser cookie. This cookie then allows your retargeting provider to show your ads to these users as they browse other websites or social media platforms. In social media marketing, retargeting is particularly powerful because platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter collect vast amounts of user data. This allows for highly specific audience targeting based on previous engagements. SMM retargeting can target users who visited your website, engaged with your social content, watched your videos, or interacted with your app. It's especially effective because it focuses your ad spend on warming up already interested prospects rather than cold audiences, typically resulting in higher conversion rates and better ROI for your social campaigns.

Related Terms

Pixel

A small piece of code placed on a website that tracks user actions after they interact with social media ads, helping marketers measure effectiveness and optimize targeting.

Custom Audience

A targeting option that allows advertisers to reach specific groups of users based on their data, such as email lists, website visitors, or app users.

Conversion

A desired action taken by a user, such as making a purchase or signing up for a newsletter.

CPC (Cost Per Click)

A pricing model where advertisers pay each time a user clicks on their ad, commonly used in social media advertising campaigns.

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