Retargeting

Retargeting

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Retargeting is a key online marketing strategy that companies use to specifically target potential customers who have already interacted with their website, app, or offerings. The term “remarketing” is also often used in this context. In this article, we will look at both approaches together to illustrate the entire spectrum of modern campaigns.

What is retargeting and remarketing?

Retargeting refers to the targeted display of advertisements to users who have already shown interest in a company’s products or services – for example, by visiting a website or clicking on an ad. This advertising can be played out on various channels, such as on other websites, with display advertising, in social media, or by e-mail.

The term remarketing essentially refers to the same approach: users are targeted again based on their previous interactions. In the rest of this text, we use “retargeting” as an umbrella term, but we also specifically include classic remarketing techniques in order to cover the entire spectrum.

Differences: Retargeting vs. Remarketing

The following table clearly summarizes the most important differences:

characteristics
retargeting
remarketing
target group
Visitors to the website or users who have interacted but may not have left any customer data.
People for whom contact details (e.g., email) are already available, or existing customers.
channel / measure
Display ads, social ads, pixel/cookie-based, visitor behavior on the web.
Direct contact via email, CRM systems, personalized messages where appropriate.
database
Anonymous behavior / cookies, tracking of page views, shopping cart abandonment.
Explicitly available contact data + interaction data in the CRM.
objective
Bring users back into the customer journey and increase conversion opportunities.
Activate existing customers, strengthen customer loyalty, cross-selling/upselling.
deployment phase in the funnel
Earlier stage: Users are familiar with the brand but have not yet made a purchase.
Later phase: Users have already interacted or made a purchase.

Table 1: Differences between retargeting and remarketing

How does retargeting work?

The technical basis for retargeting is the setting of cookies or tracking tags, which are used to identify visitors to a website.

As soon as a user leaves the website without triggering a conversion (e.g., purchase, contact request), they are added to a target group list (retargeting list). They are then shown targeted ads on other websites, in social media, in the display network, or via email.

Here is an overview of the typical steps:

Retargeting is based on the idea that potential customers who have already shown interest in a product or service are more likely to make a purchase.

Targeted advertisement allow you to reach exactly these people and use your marketing budget more effectively.

By constantly adapting advertising to the needs and interests of the visitor, retargeting can also help the visitor identify more strongly with the brand or company and build a positive relationship in the long term.

How does remarketing work?

Remarketing uses existing customer data or contacts to target users again. For example, an email is sent to users who have already added products to their shopping cart or signed up for a newsletter subscription. This allows for a personalized approach—often with a focus on existing customers or contacts who have shown interest.

Why is retargeting so important?

The purpose of retargeting is to increase conversion rates by reminding visitors that they are interested in a particular product or service from you. If a visitor leaves the website without taking an action, such as making a purchase, retargeting can help ensure that the visitor returns and makes the purchase. Targeted advertising also allows companies to promote additional products or services that may be of interest to the visitor. Retargeting is an effective online marketing strategy that can be used by businesses of any size and in any industry. However, it requires careful planning and implementation to ensure that advertising is targeted and effective.

Companies should be aware that retargeting can also be perceived as disruptive if used too frequently or inappropriately.

Which strategy should you use—retargeting or remarketing?

Whether retargeting or remarketing is the better choice depends largely on which phase of the customer journey you want to address and which database you have at your disposal.

If you want to bring back anonymous visitors to your website who have shown interest but have not left any data, retargeting is the more effective strategy. Targeted display or social ads remind these users of your offer and lead them back to conversion.

If, on the other hand, you already have customer data or newsletter subscribers, remarketing is the better option. This allows you to target existing customers or leads with personalized emails, special promotions, or cross-selling offers, thereby strengthening customer loyalty.

You will usually achieve the best performance by combining both strategies: first retargeting to bring visitors back to your site, then remarketing to turn prospects into loyal customers. This coordinated approach forms a closed marketing cycle that maximizes both reach and conversion rate.

Create your own retargeting campaign

To create a successful retargeting campaign, there are a few steps you can follow to achieve success:

  1. Define your target audience:
    Before you start your retargeting campaign, you need to define your target group. One way to do this would be to analyze your website visitors and collect data such as age, gender, interests and buying behavior. This will help you better understand your target audience and create targeted ads based on their needs and interests.

We’ll be happy to show you how to properly perform a target group analysis😊

  1. Place the retargeting tag on your website:
    This remarketing tag can either be implemented via Google Tag Manager (GTM) or, if you don’t have GTM in use, you can also implement the code directly on your website. This code snippet generates a “cookie” in the user’s browser, which can then be recognized😉

  2. Create your retargeting list:
    After you have placed the retargeting tag on your website, you can create your retargeting list. For this, you need to specify which visitors of your website you want to retarget. For example, you can select visitors who have visited certain pages, e.g. website visitors from the last 30/60/90/xx days, or who have viewed a certain item in your store.

  3. Create your retargeting ads:
    Once you have defined your target audience and your retargeting list, you can start creating your retargeting ads. These should be targeted to the needs and interests of your audience and contain a clear call to action, such as to purchase the viewed product or visit a specific landing page.

  4. Placing your retargeting ads:
    After you have created your retargeting ads, you still need to place them in the right places. This can be done on other websites, social media or via email. It is important that the ads are played in the right places and at the right time to achieve the best effect. Unfortunately, we can’t give you a master plan for this, it depends a lot on your target group and your products.

  5. Measure and optimize your retargeting campaign:
    A successful retargeting campaign requires continuous monitoring and optimization. Regularly measure the performance of your ads and adjust them if necessary to achieve the best effect. Also, make sure your ads don’t appear too frequently or too distractingly to avoid a negative reaction from potential customers.

After you have followed these 6 steps, nothing will stand in the way of your successful retargeting campaign. 😊

Advantages of remarketing and retargeting

strategy
advantages
retargeting
– Reaches potential customers who have already shown interest but have not yet completed an action.
– Increases the conversion rate through targeted ad placement.
– Supports brand awareness by exposing users to the brand multiple times.
– Can be automated via advertising networks (e.g., Google Ads, Meta Ads).
– Particularly effective in the early to middle stages of the customer journey.
remarketing
– Uses existing customer data (e.g., email addresses) for targeted communication.
– Strengthens customer loyalty through personalized follow-up communication.
– Ideal for cross-selling and repeat purchases.
– Less wastage, as the target group is clearly defined.
– Effective in later phases of the customer journey—especially with existing customers.

Table 2: Advantages of retargeting and remarketing

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