Facebook has over 2.32 billion monthly active users, which is almost a third of the world’s population. But so many users means an abundance of content and distractions, and it has become increasingly difficult for businesses to hold the attention of their prospective customers. In fact, the e-commerce industry is facing heavy cart abandonment rates of about 78.65%.
This is where remarketing can help. Remarketing allows marketers to reach back out to prospective customers who have dropped off, and encourage them to return and make a purchase. This is done by simply serving an ad to a customer who has previously interacted with your business before. The tactic is available on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google, making it an incredibly useful strategy for marketers. Let’s take a closer look at how remarketing can be leveraged specifically on Facebook and Google.
How Remarketing Differs on Facebook and Google Ads
Facebook and Google ads are similar, barring one main difference. Facebook Ads are shown on Facebook, while Google Ads are displayed on the Google Display Network.
The concept of both the ads is the same; whenever someone visits your website and leaves, they’re tagged with tracking code. This allows you to track your audience while they are scrolling through Facebook or visiting a website and show them a follow-up ad to remind them about what they may be missing.
Why Do We Need Facebook Ads Remarketing?
Everyone is pressed for time in today’s fast-paced world, resulting in a reduction of the average attention span of humans. Consumers also have access to multiple choices for the same items, making it easier to bounce from one store to another and reducing brand loyalty.
Consequently, remarketing is extremely helpful. It reminds prospective customers of your brand and what you offer. As they’ve already interacted with your brand in the past, there’s a higher chance of them clicking on this ad or converting, compared to a regular ad.
Now that we've touched on the necessity of Facebook remarketing, let’s look at how you can leverage it to promote your brand.
How Facebook Ad Remarketing Can Be a Game Changer
1. Import Your Customer List to Serve Personalized Ads
The first step of remarketing is creating a list of your target audience. First, go to the Facebook Ads menu and select “Audiences” and click on “Create an Audience.”
Image via Money Journal
On this page, you’ll see 3 options - "Custom Audience", "Lookalike Audience", and "Saved Audience". Select “Custom Audience" and proceed to the next page, where you'll find the following options - "Website Traffic", "App Activity", "Engagement on Facebook", and "Customer File". Select “Website Traffic” and then proceed to create your target audience.
2. Set Up a Tracking System
There are two ways to set up a tracking system and the first approach is setting up a Facebook Pixel. To start, go to the "Pixels" tab in "Events Manager". Select “Create a Pixel”, then click “Create” in the box that pops up.
Image via Facebook
The next step is adding the Pixel code to your website. Go to the header code of your website and then copy and paste the entire Pixel code into it. Post this, click on “Send Test Traffic” and see if your status shows “Active.” This status means that your pixel has been set up.
Another approach is using plugins, such as Pixel Caffeine, which works if your website is run through WordPress. To install the plugin, head to the “Plugins” tab in WordPress and search for “Pixel Caffeine” and select “Install.” In order to proceed, you need to activate the plugin and connect it to your Facebook account. Lastly, you'll need to enable the tracking options.
Image via WordPress
3. Segment Your Audiences and Offer Customized Promotions
One of the biggest mistakes that you can make while creating custom audiences is only creating one custom audience. It is important to understand that your website visitors have different intentions and expectations of your brand.
It’s essential to segment your audiences on the basis of their buyer personas and provide something personalized to get their attention. Try creating multiple remarketing audiences and show them different ads based on their interests and expectations. Relevance can increase the likelihood of them clicking on your ads and converting.
You can also use Google Analytics tracking parameters to create custom audiences. It can become an arduous task to keep track of multiple UTM parameters through Microsoft Excel, however. Instead, consider using tools like UTM.io, which can simplify the process, from UTM creation to tracking.
4. Exclude Converters From Your Remarketing Campaign
If you’ve encountered remarketing ads on your personal social media, you know that they can get annoying after a certain point, simply because of their repetitive nature. Make sure to exclude all the converters from the remarketing audience.
Those who click on remarketing ads should also be moved to a new remarketing segment that aligns with the next stage of the sales funnel. If your audience keep seeing your ad over and over, they may develop negative associations with your brand, and you may end up wasting your ad budget too.
6. Don't Forget About the Sales Funnel
You should align your remarketing segments to the traditional sales funnel you have in place. You can use the same stages of a traditional sales funnel when thinking about the different stages within a remarketing campaign. Once a customer has moved to the next stage in the funnel, make sure to change up the content they're engaging with to avoid creative wear out.
Image via Pronto Marketing
7. Set up Facebook Dynamic Ads to Offer Custom Ads
Keep in mind that some offers may only appeal to specific subsets of your audience and that it is essential to tailor the different offers you show to your prospective customers.
Using Facebook Dynamic Ads allows for personalization. When you’re remarketing to users who have abandoned their carts, show them the exact product they have interacted with in the new ads to remind them of the products they are interested in.
8. Don't Waste Budget on Audiences That Don't Convert
Consider reducing your budget for audiences who aren’t responding to your remarketing ads. It's not necessary to completely stop remarketing to them (they could always find a need for your brand at a later time), but it’s a good idea to focus on the more engaged leads first.
Conclusion
Remarketing can help you win back customers who have interacted with your brand in the past and make conversions. Through Facebook remarketing, you can ensure that you can reach the desired audience and become top of mind. Ensure that you make the most of a remarketing strategy by creating custom audiences and providing personalized offers to them.