A potential customer visits your website, looks at a product or service, and leaves without making an enquiry or completing a purchase. That doesn't necessarily mean they're no longer interested.
Many customers research several businesses, compare prices, read reviews, and take time to consider their options before making a decision. Remarketing campaigns provide another opportunity to reach these potential customers after their initial interaction with your business.
What Is Remarketing?
Remarketing is a digital advertising strategy used to reach people who have previously interacted with your website, app, or other digital properties.
Depending on the campaign and advertising platform, remarketing audiences may include people who:
- Visited your website
- Viewed specific products or services
- Added items to a shopping basket
- Started but didn't complete an enquiry
- Previously purchased from your business
Advertising can then be tailored to reconnect with relevant audiences.
How Does Remarketing Work?
Remarketing generally uses website tracking and audience data to identify eligible groups of previous visitors.
For example, someone may visit a page about a particular service but leave without contacting the business. That visitor could later see an advertisement related to the service they viewed.
This creates another opportunity to bring the potential customer back to the website.
Why Remarketing Can Be Effective
Customers rarely make every purchasing decision immediately.
Remarketing helps businesses remain visible while people:
- Compare different providers
- Research products
- Consider pricing
- Read reviews
- Discuss purchases with others
- Decide when they're ready to buy
Maintaining visibility during this period can encourage potential customers to return.
Create Relevant Audiences
Not every website visitor should receive the same advertising.
Remarketing audiences can be divided according to previous behaviour.
Examples include:
- Product page visitors
- Service page visitors
- Shopping cart abandoners
- Previous customers
- Frequent website visitors
- Visitors who haven't completed a conversion
More specific audiences allow businesses to create advertising that better reflects customer interests.
Use Relevant Advertising Messages
Remarketing works best when the advertisement relates to the person's previous interaction.
Advertising could highlight:
- A product they viewed
- A specific service
- Customer reviews
- A useful benefit
- A relevant promotion
- Additional information
Relevant messaging gives people a meaningful reason to return rather than simply showing the same generic advertisement repeatedly.
Avoid Advertising Too Frequently
Seeing the same advertisement too often can become frustrating for potential customers.
Campaign settings should be monitored to prevent excessive exposure.
It may also make sense to exclude people who have already:
- Made a purchase
- Submitted an enquiry
- Completed a booking
- Taken another desired action
However, existing customers may still be valuable audiences when promoting repeat purchases or complementary services.
Consider the Customer Journey
The ideal remarketing period depends on how long customers typically take to make a decision.
A customer choosing a restaurant may decide within a few days, while someone researching property, professional services, or an expensive product may take considerably longer.
Consider factors such as:
- Typical sales cycle
- Purchase value
- Customer behaviour
- Repeat purchase frequency
- Product or service type
Your campaign should reflect how your customers actually make decisions.
Track Campaign Performance
Remarketing campaigns should be measured against meaningful business results.
Useful metrics include:
- Impressions
- Click-through rate
- Conversions
- Conversion rate
- Cost per conversion
- Return on advertising spend
Tracking performance helps determine whether the campaign is contributing to enquiries and sales.
Make Sure Your Website Is Ready
Remarketing brings people back to your website, but the website still needs to convince them to take action.
Review elements such as:
- Website speed
- Mobile usability
- Landing page content
- Calls to action
- Contact forms
- Product information
- Trust signals
If visitors repeatedly leave without converting, the website itself may need attention.
Respect Customer Privacy
Remarketing involves the use of visitor and audience data, making privacy an important consideration.
Businesses should ensure their advertising and tracking practices comply with applicable privacy requirements and advertising platform policies.
Clear privacy information and appropriate consent processes help create a more responsible advertising strategy.
Final Thoughts
Remarketing campaigns give businesses another opportunity to reach people who have already shown an interest in their products or services. Rather than relying on every visitor to convert immediately, remarketing helps maintain visibility while potential customers research and consider their options.
When combined with relevant audience targeting, appropriate advertising frequency, accurate conversion tracking, and a strong website experience, remarketing can become a valuable part of a broader digital advertising strategy.
