Sitemaps
How We Secretly Lose Control of Our Startups
Should Kids Follow in Our Founder Footsteps?
The Evolution of Entry Level Workers
Assume Everyone Will Leave in Year One
Stop Listening to Investors
Was Mortgaging My Life Worth it?
What's My Startup Worth in an Acquisition?
When Our Ambition is Our Enemy
Are Startups in a "Silent Recession"?
The 5 Types of Startup Funding
What Is Startup Funding?
Do Founders Deserve Their Profit?
Michelle Glauser on Diversity and Inclusion
The Utter STUPIDITY of "Risking it All"
Committees Are Where Progress Goes to Die
More Money (Really Means) More Problems
Why Most Founders Don't Get Rich
Investors will be Obsolete
Why is a Founder so Hard to Replace?
We Can't Grow by Saying "No"
Do People Really Want Me to Succeed?
Is the Problem the Player or the Coach?
Will Investors Bail Me Out?
The Value of Actually Getting Paid
Why do Founders Suck at Asking for Help?
Wait a Minute before Giving Away Equity
You Only Think You Work Hard
SMALL is the New Big — Embracing Efficiency in the Age of AI
The 9 Best Growth Agencies for Startups
This is BOOTSTRAPPED — 3 Strategies to Build Your Startup Without Funding
Never Share Your Net Worth
A Steady Hand in the Middle of the Storm
Risk it All vs Steady Paycheck
How About a Startup that Just Makes Money?
How to Recruit a Rockstar Advisor
Why Having Zero Experience is a Huge Asset
My Competitor Got Funded — Am I Screwed?
The Hidden Treasure of Failed Startups
If It Makes Money, It Makes Sense
Why do VCs Keep Giving Failed Founders Money?
$10K Per Month isn't Just Revenue — It's Life Support
The Ridiculous Spectrum of Investor Feedback
Startup CEOs Aren't Really CEOs
Series A, B, C, D, and E Funding: How It Works
Best Pitch Decks Ever: The Most Successful Fundraising Pitches You Need to Know
When to Raise Funds
Why Aren't Investors Responding to Me?
Should I Regret Not Raising Capital?
Unemployment Cases — Why I LOOOOOVE To Win Them So Much.
How Much to Pay Yourself
Heat-Seeking Missile: WePay’s Journey to Product-Market Fit — Interview with Rich Aberman, Co-Founder of Wepay
The R&D technique for startups: Rip off & Duplicate
Why Some Startups Win.
Chapter #1: First Steps To Validate Your Business Idea
Product Users, Not Ideas, Will Determine Your Startup’s Fate
Drop Your Free Tier
Your Advisors Are Probably Wrong
Growth Isn't Always Good
How to Shut Down Gracefully
How Does My Startup Get Acquired?
Can Entrepreneurship Be Taught?
How to Pick the Wrong Co-Founder
Staying Small While Going Big
Investors are NOT on Our Side of the Table
Who am I Really Competing Against?
Why Can't Founders Replace Themselves?
Actually, We Have Plenty of Time
Quitting vs Letting Go
How Startups Actually Get Bought
What if I'm Building the Wrong Product?
Are Founders Driven by Fear or Greed?
Why I'm Either Working or Feeling Guilty
Startup Financial Assumptions
Why Every Kid Should be a Startup Founder
We Only Have to be Right Once
If a Startup Sinks, Founders Go Down With it
Founder Success: We Need a Strict Definition of Personal Success
Is Quiet Quitting a Problem at Startup Companies?
Founder Exits are Hard Work and Good Fortune, Not "Good Luck"
Finalizing Startup Projections
All Founders are Beloved In Good Times
Our Startup Culture of Entitlement
The Bullshit Case for Raising Capital
How do We Manage Our Founder Flaws?
What If my plan for retirement is "never retire"?
Startup Failure is just One Chapter in Founder Life
6 Similarities between Startup Founders and Pro Athletes
All Founders Make Bad Decisions — and That's OK
Startup Board Negotiations: How do I tell the board I need a new deal?
Founder Sacrifice — At What Point Have I Gone Too Far?
Youth Entrepreneurship: Can Middle Schoolers be Founders?
Living the Founder Legend Isn't so Fun
Why Do VC Funded Startups Love "Fake Growth?"
How Should I Share My Wealth with Family?
How Many Deaths Can a Startup Survive?
This is Probably Your Last Success
Why Do We Still Have Full-Time Employees?
The Case Against Full Transparency
Should I Feel Guilty for Failing?
Always Take Money off the Table

4 Retargeting Tactics to Help Startups Reengage With Their Missed Opportunities

Roy Morejon

4 Retargeting Tactics to Help Startups Reengage With Their Missed Opportunities

We’ve all been there: You’re searching the web for some new shoes but then get distracted by a TV show or an incoming text message. Upon opening up your laptop again, you notice that there’s magically an ad for the running shoes you were looking at before.

Coincidence? Not in the slightest.

Smart marketers understand that there is no magic wand needed for this trick. Instead, they strategically utilize retargeting to reengage missed consumer opportunities.

This powerful strategy — when implemented properly — can inspire casual browsers to convert into customers. And many companies are willing to pay more for retargeted ads because they appear for consumers whose intent to purchase is typically higher, such as shoppers who have abandoned an item in their cart. Although retargeting can appear to be a win-win scenario, some startups are still on the fence.

After all, smaller companies usually have tighter advertising budgets, so it’s not surprising that startups are wary about additional methods — like retargeting — that require extra expenses. Additionally, retargeting done wrong can be off-putting to consumers. More than 50 percent have expressed concerns about seeing retargeted ads. So it raises the question: “Is retargeting worth the investment of effort and money?” I’d argue that for startups, retargeting can translate into big returns with the right approach.

The Cost of a Missed Opportunity

When companies choose not to retarget, they miss out on customers, plain and simple. It can be the difference between an abandoned cart and a transaction because the right offer made at the right time to a consumer who’s already engaged with a brand is much more likely to influence a purchase. In fact, retargeted ads get 76 percent more clicks than display ads.

Retargeting is effective because it increases the visibility of marketing messaging. According to the “Rule of 7,” consumers need seven points of contact with a company’s advertising before they will be motivated to act. Retargeting is the perfect strategy to make this happen. When consumers see an ad on a social media app and then again on a news website on their computer, their brand awareness jumps to 21 percent. And retargeting can be cost-effective, too. For example, just a few dollars a day spent on retargeted Facebook ads can reach your entire email list.

So while retargeting has a few drawbacks, startups still have so much more to gain when it comes to the opportunity to win back customers.

4 Retargeting Tips for Startups

Retargeting can be intimidating because it’s far from a “set it and forget it” venture. Instead, it requires constant testing to ensure profitability. Here’s how you can devise a strategy to maximize your efforts:

1. Shiny and new? Go for it!

One of the most common retargeting mistakes is focusing on people who have already converted. It’s not the best use of your budget to chase after an existing customer. That person doesn’t need as much convincing to come back to your site. Instead, efforts should be focused on winning over new customers. Make sure your pixel is set up correctly on your funnel pages, as well as your conversion page, to get the right leads.

2. Make segmentation a top priority.

Segmentation of your customer lists is critical in most digital marketing campaigns, from developing inspiring creative to allocating ad spend. Retargeting is no exception to the rule, but many companies overlook the importance of segmentation here. Again, apply your budget wisely by developing a segmentation strategy to drive your retargeting efforts.

3. Don’t come on too strong.

Remember that many consumers are wary of retargeted ads — which can seem creepy and off-putting if they’re overused. Unfortunately, many marketers fall into the trap of not setting frequency caps on retargeted ads, meaning that consumers can quickly get the impression that they’re being stalked around the web. Don’t be the brand trying way too hard to get customers back.

4. The promotion power is in your hands.

When integrated strategically within retargeting campaigns, discounts and other incentives produce impressive results. For example, when a user leaves a cart with high-value or high-margin items, promote a discount in a retargeted ad to incentivize them to complete the purchase.

If you are still skeptical about the power of retargeting, consider this: Without retargeting, only 8 percent of browsers convert to purchasers. Retargeting is well worth startups’ time and effort, and if you use the above approaches to your advantage, your startup could find its power in transforming missed opportunities into new ventures.

Find this article helpful?

This is just a small sample! Register to unlock our in-depth courses, hundreds of video courses, and a library of playbooks and articles to grow your startup fast. Let us Let us show you!

Submission confirms agreement to our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.

Already a member? Login

No comments yet.

Register to join the discussion.

Already a member? Login

Create Free Account