Retargeting ads are the ultimate in automated sales persistence.

Good salespeople like to think they can close deals in one meeting.  Smart salespeople know this rarely happens.  Great salespeople plan for multiple touches before closing.

Retargeting ads are a digitally-based, automated way to create more touches with warm sales leads.  They are effective as Google banner ads and as social media sponsored posts.

How do retargeting ads work? 

Retargeting ads work in two ways.

The first is a pixel-based system.  When someone visits your website or mobile app, a small piece of code, called a cookie or pixel, is placed on their browser.  This cookie communicates to your retargeting software (based on something like Google Adwords) and displays a specific ad based on the pages the visitor browsed on your website.

For instance, say you’re a dentist running a campaign for family dentistry services.  A mother doing a search for family dentists visits the page on your site describing those services but does not convert on that visit.  A retargeting banner ad will now appear as she carries on surfing the Google network.

The banner ad re-enforces your sales message and value proposition.  Awareness of your offer increases, and when she decides she must get her kids to the dentist, there is a much greater chance she’ll return to your landing page.

You can also run list-based retargeting campaigns.  These campaigns are more frequently used on social media platforms such as Facebook.

In this case, you upload a list of contacts and the software serves the retargeting ads up to users on the list.

You can also retarget on Facebook based on previous engagement with your posts, videos, or page.

Social media retargeting ads are a type of native advertisement, meaning they are designed to look like just another post in someone’s timeline.  For example:

What are the benefits of retargeting ads? 

The first we’ve already brought up.  Retargeting is an automated way to follow-up with consumers as they make their way through the buying cycle.  You stay with your leads using timely touch points as they move closer to a buying decision.

Retargeting can be customized to meet your advertising goals.  You can target specific offers, products, or actions on a website.  For example, you can create a message just for shoppers who abandoned their cart.

Retargeting reaches all types of devices, from web browsers to mobile apps.

Retargeting campaigns are pay per click advertising, meaning you can control your exposure based on your budget.

Retargeting banner ads give your brand a ubiquitous feel online.  The repetition itself is a factor in driving more conversions and building your brand image.

Narrowing Target Audiences With Retargeting

With today’s wider retargeting options – particularly on social media – retargeting has become a vital tool for narrowing and segmenting audiences.

A good example of this is video based retargeting.  With these campaigns, your retargeting list is based on people who watched a certain amount of a video.  For example, you might have an informational video about your offer, and you create a retargeting ad for people who watch at least 50% of that video.

Or, you could create a custom lookalike audience to run ads on Facebook, then retarget only people from that list that liked your page.

This is a strategy for narrowing and segmenting your target audiences that’s increasingly important.  On social media, for instance, it’s futile to run ads to a general audience.  You either need to target a specific demographic or you data which indicates the audience is interested in your offer.

Retargeting campaigns provide that data, coupled with actual audience lists.  Beyond just sales persistence, this is a necessary way to market to people who are more likely to become customers.  They are stand-alone campaigns that allow you effectively market through a greater variety of channels.

You re-enforce your brand image and value offer by retargeting on Google.  On social media, retargeting will be central to your strategy; it’s all but impossible to advertise effectively without it.

For more, learn how to design effective retargeting banners.