Facebook retargeting: reaching people who left without buying

Retargeting brought a genuinely different way of advertising on social networks. Being present on Facebook had never generated so many relevant impressions, and it raised conversion rates noticeably.

How it works

Users are shown ads inside Facebook after they have left a website. A script on the online shop or site takes care of the reminder in the ad section of the social network, with the aim of bringing the user back to complete the purchase or whatever the goal was.

Why it converts

The real success of retargeting in a marketing plan comes from the fact that people hesitate about buying and frequently leave a shop without completing the purchase. In those cases retargeting reminds them of the benefits of the purchase by showing them advertising on Facebook. The impression made earlier returns through a new channel, aimed at convincing someone who was already interested.

That is the whole reason retargeting outperforms cold advertising by a wide margin: you are talking to people who already showed intent, not to strangers.

Limits worth respecting

• Cap the frequency. Following someone around the internet with the same ad for three weeks turns interest into irritation.
• Exclude people who bought. Advertising a product to someone who has already paid for it wastes budget and looks careless.
• Set a time window. Someone who visited two months ago is not the same prospect as someone who left yesterday.
• Segment by what they saw. Showing the exact product someone abandoned works far better than a generic brand ad.