When it comes to retargeting, we’ve worked with many clients who initially think they’re doing it right. But more often than not, the results aren’t living up to expectations.
There’s this common belief that once you set up a retargeting campaign, you’re good to go.
But that’s where things start to slip. we’ve seen campaigns with wasted budgets, ads that miss the mark, or worse—ads that feel irrelevant to the target audience.
If you’re nodding along, here’s the good news: There’s a much better way.
Let us show you a more strategic way to set up your retargeting campaigns, step by step, so you can start seeing the results you’re looking for.
Build Your Custom Audience
Custom Audiences is where you start. These are people who’ve already taken an interest in your brand, whether they visited a product page or almost made a purchase. They’re your warmest leads, and now it’s time to strike the right cord.
Head to Ads Manager, create a Custom Audience based on Website Traffic, and choose your parameters.
For example, you can focus on people who visited your product pages in the last 30 days. If someone’s been browsing for a while, they’re probably pretty close to buying, right?
Or, someone who’s been researching different products might just need a little ‘push’ with a retargeting ad. Meanwhile, someone who bounced at the checkout? They’re prime for a discount offer or a free shipping deal to get them back.
Pro tip: Don’t lump everyone together. Create segments. People who visited two days ago? Hit them with a "Did you forget something?" reminder. Someone from 90 days ago? They may need a special offer to pull the trigger.
Segment Your Audience for Better Personalisation
As mentioned above, don’t treat all site visitors the same.
Timing matters.
Retargeting someone who visited your site two days ago should be different from someone who hasn’t been back for 60 days. Try this instead:
0-7 Days: Visitors are still fresh, so create a sense of urgency to remind them of what they almost purchased.
For example, “Don’t miss out on your [product name] – it’s still waiting for you!”
7-30 Days: They may need more convincing. Offer an incentive, like a special discount or limited-time offer.
Example: “Still thinking about [product name]? Get 10% off for a limited time!”
30-90 Days: Time for re-engagement. Re-engage with something intriguing, such as a bundle deal or free shipping, to get them to consider again.
Example: “Bundle your favourites with free shipping! It’s the perfect time to complete your skincare routine.”
Use Dynamic Product Ads (DPA)
Here’s our biggest tip!
Don’t just retarget people with general ads from your brand (everyone does that)— show them exactly what caught their attention.
With DPAs, you can pull from your product catalog to give them personalised ads. For instance, if they were checking out a specific moisturiser, show it to them again in the ad, but this time, maybe pair it with a related product (like a night cream) for an upsell opportunity.
Pro Tip: Retargeting doesn’t always have to be about pushing the same product. Use it as a chance to offer a bundle or an accessory. Let’s say they viewed a camera, now show them a camera bag or lens.
Lookalike Audiences
Already have a solid retargeting audience? Great. Now you can expand by creating a Lookalike Audience — these are people with similar behaviours and interests to your existing customers, giving you a fresh pool of potential buyers.
Start with a 1% LAL for precision — this keeps it tight and focused. If that works, you can slowly expand it to 2-3%.
Pro Tip: Build your Lookalike Audience of your most engaged visitors, like those who spent a lot of time on your site or looked at several products.
Exclude the Converters
Don’t waste your money retargeting people who’ve already bought from you. Set up exclusions in your campaign to ensure recent buyers aren’t seeing your ads anymore. It keeps things fresh and prevents your brand from being annoying.
Pro Tip: Keep an eye on those exclusions and update them regularly. Maybe someone buys, but you want to re-engage them down the road for an upsell or a new launch.
Final Words
Retargeting done the right way is more than just following people around with ads. It’s about understanding your audience’s behaviour and giving them what they need at the right moment.
With these strategies, your retargeting campaigns will feel more intentional, helping you reach your goals without wasting ad spend.
SO, WHERE DO YOU FIND THIS PARTNER?
Well, aren’t we glad you asked! We at DigiCom are obsessive data-driven marketers pulling from multi-disciplinary strategies to unlock scale. We buy media across all platforms and placements and provide creative solutions alongside content creation, and conversion rate optimizations. We pride ourselves on your successes and will stop at nothing to help you grow.
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