What is Retargeting Marketing?

A man is standing in front of a digital marketing screen.

Retargeting, also known as remarketing, is a digital marketing strategy that involves showing ads to people who have previously interacted with your website, mobile app, or social media profiles. In essence, it's about re-engaging potential customers who have shown interest in your products or services.


How Retargeting Works:

  • Tracking: Retargeting typically relies on tracking technologies like "pixels" (small pieces of code) or cookies that are placed on your website.
  • These tools record the behavior of visitors, such as which pages they viewed, which products they added to their cart, or whether they completed a purchase.
  • Audience Segmentation: Based on the collected data, you can segment your audience into specific groups. For example, you might create a segment of people who abandoned their shopping carts.
  • Ad Delivery: Retargeting platforms then display targeted ads to these specific audience segments as they browse other websites or use social media platforms.


Key Benefits:

  • Increased Conversion Rates: Retargeting can significantly improve conversion rates by reminding potential customers about products or services they were already interested in.
  • Enhanced Brand Awareness: Even if people don't immediately convert, retargeting helps keep your brand top-of-mind.
  • Personalized Advertising: Retargeting allows you to deliver highly personalized ads that are relevant to each individual's interests and behavior.
  • Improved ROI: By targeting people who are already familiar with your brand, retargeting can deliver a higher return on investment (ROI) than traditional advertising.


Types of Retargeting:

  • Pixel-based retargeting: This is the most common form, using tracking pixels on websites.
  • List-based retargeting: This involves uploading customer lists (e.g., email addresses) to target specific individuals.
  • Social media retargeting: This focuses on showing ads to people who have interacted with your brand on social media platforms.
  • Search retargeting: This targets users based on their previous search engine queries.


Retargeting is a very powerful tool for any business that has an online presence.