How to Use Remarketing to Retain Customers|

Retaining existing customers is even more critical than acquiring new ones, as selling products or services to returning prospects is far more cost-effective. Fortunately, digital platforms like Google Ads can empower your brand to keep existing customers through remarketing.

Consider this: have you ever noticed how certain ads seem to follow you around the internet after you’ve visited a website? This isn’t just a coincidence — it’s the power of remarketing. Perhaps you were initially close to making a purchase, and one of these ads reminded you to return and complete the transaction.

Remarketing can be a powerhouse tool to reach your existing customers or client base. You can use remarketing campaigns to ensure previous customers and clients remember your brand. That way, they’ll return to your business when they need your products or services.

Join us as we unpack the strategies and best practices that can help your business leverage the power of remarketing to retain your valuable customers.

Remarketing is a form of online advertising that allows your business to display targeted ads to users who have already visited your website or mobile app. Unlike traditional advertising methods that cast a wide net, remarketing provides a more focused approach, targeting individuals who have already shown interest or completed previous transactions.

This cost-effective targeted method increases the chances of converting past site visitors into loyal customers, and it’s invaluable for customer retention.

The effectiveness of remarketing lies in its ability to keep your brand at the forefront of your audience’s mind. By strategically displaying your ads to these previous visitors or customers as they browse the web, use social media, or check their emails, you remind them of their interest in your offerings. This repetitive exposure can be the nudge a potential customer needs to complete a purchase or return to your brand.

Remarketing isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach. Whether it’s a shopper who abandoned their cart, a visitor who browsed a specific product category, or a customer who hasn’t purchased in a while, remarketing enables you to tailor your message to suit their unique interaction with your brand.

The success of any remarketing campaign relies on a deep understanding of customer behavior and the effective segmentation of your audience. But why is this understanding so crucial, and how can you segment your audience effectively for remarketing?

Every interaction a customer has with your brand is rich with data that can offer insights into their interests, preferences, and purchasing patterns. By analyzing this data, you can identify customer personas and journey stages.

For instance, a visitor who frequently views a particular product category might be interested in those products but has yet to decide to purchase them. Further, a customer may have previously purchased an item, and your website also sells supplementary items that complement their original purchase.

Recognizing these patterns is the first step in crafting remarketing strategies that speak directly to users’ unique needs and interests.

Once you understand your customers’ behaviors, the next step is to divide your audience into distinct groups. Here are some of the main ways you can segment your audience.

• Behavioral Segmentation: Group customers based on their actions, such as frequent visitors, cart abandoners, or past purchasers.

• Demographic Segmentation: Classify your audience based on age, gender, location, or other demographic factors.

• Psychographic Segmentation: Divide your audience based on their interests, lifestyles, or values, which you can deduce from their browsing behavior or purchase history.

Effective segmentation allows you to tailor your remarketing campaigns to each group’s needs and interests, making your ads more relevant and engaging. This is especially useful for remarketing to previous customers because you can craft your campaign around previous purchases. You can also use ad copy that feels more personal, such as “See what’s new since your last purchase” or “As a valued customer, enjoy exclusive access to our new collection.”

Some of the most commonly used platforms for remarketing include Google Ads, Facebook, and LinkedIn. Each offers a unique set of tools and reaches different audiences.

Google Ads is ideal for a wide-reaching remarketing strategy. In addition to Google Search Ads, you can feature ads on the Google Display Network, which includes millions of websites. Google Ads also offers detailed targeting options and the ability to remarket to past customers.

Google Ads excels in its broad reach and versatility, and the platform provides powerful tools that can reveal deep insights into campaign performance.

Facebook’s remarketing tools enable you to target users who have made previous purchases, engaged with your brand on social media, or visited your website. Its strength lies in its detailed demographic targeting, making it easier to reach specific audience segments.

Like Google Display Ads, Facebook offers a visual remarketing experience, focusing on image and video ads. Its strength lies in its vast user base and the ability to create highly personalized ad experiences based on user data.

It’s best to use high-quality visuals and craft messages that resonate with past customers. Use Facebook Pixel to track user behavior on your site for more precise targeting.

LinkedIn is a strong choice for marketing to past B2B customers. It allows targeting professionals based on industry, job title, and other career-related factors. This platform is especially effective for reaching decision-makers in various industries. Use LinkedIn’s detailed targeting to tailor your ads to the specific professional traits of your audience.

Choosing the right platform and leveraging its unique features can significantly improve the success of your remarketing campaigns for retaining customers. Be sure to try each, but remember that Google Ads has the most significant outreach and is by far the most important.

Remarketing to your existing customers shouldn’t exist in isolation — it’s most effective when integrated into your broader marketing strategy. This integration ensures a seamless and consistent customer experience across all marketing channels. Remarketing plays a unique role in the sales funnel, and it’s a tool to re-engage past customers familiar with your brand, nudging them through awareness, consideration, and decision stages.

For example, a past customer may have recently visited your website but didn’t make a purchase. They’re already well aware of your brand and are perhaps considering buying something new. Remarketing can provide that extra push toward the decision stage by keeping your brand visible and reinforcing the value of your offerings.

It’s essential to align your remarketing efforts with other marketing activities to create a cohesive marketing strategy. This can include:

• Email Marketing: Use insights from your remarketing campaigns to segment and personalize your email marketing to target existing customers. For instance, if a returning customer clicks on a remarketing ad but doesn’t convert, follow up with a targeted email offering additional information or a special discount.

• Content Marketing: Align the content of your remarketing ads with your content marketing strategy. If a user shows interest in a specific type of content on your site, your remarketing ads can promote related content or products.

• Social Media Marketing: In addition to using social media platforms for remarketing ads, you can post content meant to engage past customers. Share content that complements the messages in your remarketing campaigns to build a stronger brand narrative.

The key to successful integration is to ensure that your remarketing efforts support your overall marketing objectives. This means regularly reviewing your remarketing campaigns in the context of your broader marketing goals and making adjustments as necessary.

One final note is that it’s crucial for your remarketing efforts to complement and boost other marketing activities rather than overwhelming or conflicting with them.

Measuring the effectiveness of your remarketing efforts is crucial, as you may need to adjust your ad placement, copy, or another element to ensure they yield the best results possible. This involves using analytics tools to track progress and make data-driven decisions.

Using the right tools is essential for effectively tracking key performance indicators. For instance, you can integrate Google Analytics with Google Ads to uncover detailed insights into how users interact with your ads and website. These tools can help you understand past customer behavior, track conversions, and see areas of improvement.

For example, if certain remarketing ads have a low CTR, you might experiment with different ad assets or copy. If the conversion rate is low, consider revising your landing pages or the offers presented in the ads.

Continuously analyzing and adjusting your ads will optimize your remarketing campaigns for customer retention.

Remarketing is an invaluable tool in your digital marketing arsenal, especially for keeping your existing customers. If you haven’t yet harnessed the potential of remarketing, now is the time to start. Evaluate your current marketing strategy, understand and segment your customers, and experiment with targeted remarketing campaigns. The results can be both rewarding and transformative for your business.

Remember, the journey to effective customer retention through remarketing is ongoing. Dive in, experiment, and watch your business grow!

If you’re ready to take your customer retention strategy to the next level, a free consultation with the digital marketing experts at TNT Growth is just a click away. Contact us today and watch your conversions lift by 20% in just 90 days — we guarantee it.