How to Use Facebook Remarketing Ads to Increase Conversions

Crafting an Advertising Strategy Around Retargeting Through Facebook Ads

Before we all started to understand what was really going on, it always felt a little like magic (or, let’s be honest, a little creepy) when Facebook remarketing strategies for brands would kick in, and you were served up an advertisement for that pair of shoes you were just considering buying.

It was a strategic little nudge–sometimes all the encouragement you needed–to make that final purchase decision.

When our agency’s clients are looking to increase website conversions, and they have budget to spend on paid advertising, we typically recommend a Facebook remarketing ad campaign if leveraging Facebook makes sense for the audience they’re trying to reach.

Why Should You Use a Facebook Remarketing Ad Campaign?

Facebook remarketing ads target any user through the Facebook platform who has visited your website. There are a number of benefits to running this type of campaign:

• You can target the ads to remarket to your website visitors in a way that aligns with their behavior on your site. For example, let’s say you sell a variety of outdoor gear. You can send appropriate remarketing ads to the users who were looking at tents, or the users who came to your site for camping cookware.
• If you notice that users are frequently abandoning their carts at checkout, it may be safe to assume they’re changing their minds for a cost-related reason like shipping or taxes and fees. In this case, you can tailor your remarketing ads with a discount on shipping or a product discount to give them an incentive to finish what they started.
• Show your website visitors something new or related to what they were looking at on your site. Remarketing ads are a great way to advertise other items that your users might be interested in based on their behavior on your website.
• Remarketing ads can work well for repeat purchases as well. If your business specializes in bulk or large orders, you can use a remarketing ad campaign to remind customers how easy it is to make another purchase through your site.

Remember, remarketing ads are seen by anyone using Facebook who has visited your website, even if they don’t yet “like” or follow your Facebook page. Therefore, remarketing ads are also an effective way to get users to like your Facebook page, which means they’ll be seeing your updates time and time again. That’s more valuable to the user and to you.

How do You do Facebook Remarketing Right?

Because remarketing ads are different from traditional advertising in that the users who see them already know who you are, the messaging should reflect that familiarity. It can be easy to want to say too much, but remarketing ads only require a simple, effective message or bold image to remind the user that they wanted to make that purchase and should complete their action on your website.

Be short and sweet. Targeted remarketing ads make it easy to keep it simple. You know that the user has been to your site, and you know why they were there. Therefore, you only need to show them an image with some enticing language and a strong call to action.

Focus on their needs. Because the user has visited your site but has yet to take action, a remarketing ad is a perfect way to remind them how your product can make their lives easier–therefore, why it’s worth purchasing or exploring further.

Give them an incentive. A little something to sweeten the pot never hurts to encourage action. If you have a deal going or can create one for the sake of your remarketing ads, it certainly is a good method to make the ad more actionable.

A remarketing ad doesn’t need to focus on your brand as much as it needs to serve as a reminder about how your brand can make the user’s life easier.

Choosing the Best Remarketing Ad Type

There are different types of remarketing ads you can place on Facebook. The Facebook ads guide provides options for mobile/desktop newsfeed ads, which are native ways to talk to customers, as well as more traditional right-column ad placements.

Select the type of ad that would be most effective for your audience. If you know the majority of those visiting your site do so on mobile, a native newsfeed ad would likely carry greater impact than a right column placement.

Remarketing ads are an inexpensive and efficient way to use paid advertising to increase conversions among an audience you already know is interested in and familiar with what you have to offer. In order to get the most out of your remarketing ad spend, you should follow the right tactics for your ad content to be sure you make the largest possible impact on your audience.