Remarketing o Retargeting?
5 November 2024
Remarketing and retargeting are essential digital marketing strategies to boost brand visibility and increase sales. Both techniques aim to recapture potential customers who have interacted with the website in the past, providing a second chance for conversion.
Many visitors to a website or e-commerce don’t become customers during their first visit.
Often, potential customers need more time to decide, and this is where remarketing and retargeting can make a difference. Through SEA (Search Engine Advertising) campaigns and email marketing activities, users who have shown interest in the brand can be targeted again, building trust and encouraging them to make a purchase. While the goal of both strategies is the same—getting visitors back to the site—there are operational differences between remarketing and retargeting. Retargeting relies on advertising campaigns, mostly via Google Ads, to show ads to users who have already visited the site. Remarketing, on the other hand, uses email to bring potential customers back to the site.
What is Retargeting?
Retargeting uses Google Ads campaigns to display customized ads to users who have already visited the website. These ads may appear on Google's Display Network sites or in related Google searches. Retargeting is essentially a campaign setup method that allows ads to be targeted at users who have interacted with the site, thanks to cookies that store the user’s preferences.
Retargeting leverages visual or video ads to reach users who have visited the site but didn’t complete a specific action, such as a purchase. By using data collected from cookies, remarketing lists can be created, allowing for customized campaigns based on user actions on the site.
Types of targeting: on-site and off-site interactions
There are two types of targeting: on-site and off-site interactions.
The first refers to classic retargeting, which targets people who have visited the site.
Off-site interaction targeting, on the other hand, targets people who have shown interest in the brand through external platforms, like social media or other related pages. Off-site targeting can be useful for attracting users who, although not visiting the site directly, have engaged with the brand elsewhere. To set up this type of targeting, you use the tools specific to the platform where interactions took place, such as Facebook or Instagram.
What is Remarketing?
Remarketing is a strategy that involves sending emails to recover the interest of potential customers. Once an email address has been obtained (through site login, newsletter subscription, or form submission), promotional messages can be sent to encourage users to return. For example, you might remind them of an item left in the cart or offer discounts and exclusive deals. This technique is particularly useful for eCommerce, as it allows sending personalized emails to customers who have already purchased or shown interest in certain products. The goal is to maintain attention on the brand and encourage repeat purchases.
Legal aspects and consent
It is important to remember that sending promotional emails requires the explicit consent of the user. To avoid legal issues, it’s essential to obtain consent for using email for commercial purposes, in compliance with current regulations.
Google’s interpretation and the ideal strategy
Google uses the terms remarketing and retargeting interchangeably, grouping both under the concept of remarketing/retargeting to refer to all ads targeting users who have already visited the site but haven’t made a conversion.
In summary, remarketing and retargeting are two strategic tools to reach those who have already shown interest in the brand but haven’t yet completed a purchase. The choice between email marketing and display campaigns depends on the business characteristics, the type of traffic, and the available budget for optimizing conversions.
