The world has a population of 7.5 billion. Now consider that Facebook has about 2 million users. That’s why Facebook ads are so important to marketers today. I have told you time and again you need to reach potential buyers/donors, 7-14 times in 6-8 weeks for them to take action. Consider adding targeted ads and retargeting campaigns on Google or Facebook to help your frequency goals get done sooner. Remember with Facebook targeting you only need an email or a phone number to reach your past customers or people like them on Facebook. Here are a few Retargeting strategies you may want to consider adding to your media mix.
Video Retargeting
76% of Facebook users discover video on their newsfeed. Your job for marketing is to maximize your video to promote conversion. By using Custom Audiences you can retarget users based on if they watched your video and for how long they watched it. Video ads can promote awareness of your company, but you still must promote engagement (taking action) with your company or shopping cart. Remember that the video plays for a few seconds whether they want it to or not, so only those who watch for longer are interested in your message. So, start by setting your ad buy on paying only after 10 seconds of video watching, as opposed to 3 seconds (the default). Save your funds for interested parties. Add text overlays because 85% of videos are viewed with sound off. Then consider retargeting people who have watched over 50% of your video.
Retargeting For Engagement With Your Facebook Page
This retargeting method is excellent for users who engage with your Facebook Page, but have not converted. This is one of the best uses for retargeting because it covers a wide array of people who are familiar with and engage with your brand on Facebook. They may have seen your products but not purchased, or past customers who refer your brand. The Custom Audiences function, lets you target anyone who has engaged with your Page, including lookalike audiences similar to your buyers. They may have watched your video or taken an action within the facebook platform. You can also geo-target for people located near your best buyers or donors.
Dynamic Product Retargeting
Dynamic product retargeting ads can be one of the most profitable types of Facebook advertising. These ads appear in users’ Facebook Feeds after users have expressed interest in your product or service by actually visiting your website. Dynamic product retargeting ads show past website visitors the specific products they recently viewed on your website. By targeting these people, you can reach a relevant audience with extremely personalized recommendations. Customers need a reminder to complete their purchases or to reorder. Retarget them with a special offer, such as ” FLASH SALE- Get 10% off to complete your purchase!” or a reminder: “Click Back To Your Shopping Cart”
Retargeting To Create Engagement With Canvas Ads
Canvas ads are only available on mobile, where they help you create a “story” using Facebook’s Canvas builder that appears on customers’ mobile News Feeds. Within each Canvas ad you can set up videos, CTA (Call-To-Action) signup buttons & clickable images. Canvas ads are geared toward mobile users: They load 10x faster than the standard mobile Web. With retargeting, you can target individuals who opened any of the Canvas stories, or clicked any links. Create a retargeting campaign to target users who have engaged with your Canvas ads to present relevant content to help them convert.
Optimization: Duration Setting for Custom Audiences
If you have a limited budget, consider choosing how long people should be kept in your audience based on the last time they engaged with your website, Facebook Page, or Canvas ad. Be strategic for your duration, because once that time period has elapsed, people will be removed from your retargeting list. A short a duration can result in the loss of key leads from your list. Too long a duration could mean retargeting people who aren’t interested in or engaged with your brand. Select a longer duration, test it, and shorten it if the engagement rate is low.
Ready to get started? Set a budget and set up your campaign. Determine first what the goal is that you are trying to achieve. Consider your best customer and target people like them as well as lookalike audiences. Also consider where they are in your funnel of discovery of your brand, recent purchase, or ready to buy. Then design your ads and retargeting to reach them with the right message based on the audience. For help join my next laptop workshop on September 28, 2017 in Hawthorne, CA or contact us (310-791-6300) for 1 on 1 consulting to help direct you in the best campaign based on your goals.
Liz Harsch is a media planner and trainer for small business owners with Constant Contact, SCORE, SBDC, SBA, Cities and MWD and County outreach partners, APICS plus many Chambers of Commerce since 2008. She owns Tailor-Made Advertising in Torrance, California and provides marketing, training and consulting to identify marketing and media alternatives for business owners. She can be reached at 310-791-6300 or by email at liz@adteamla.com. You can also view her workshop schedule here.
