Have you ever visited a website and then suddenly you start
seeing ads for that company all across the web?
This phenomenon is called retargeting or remarketing.
Your customers don’t always buy something the first time
they visit your website or click on your ad. Depending on their stage in the
buying process, they could continue to do research or think over the idea
before making a purchase. However, you can assume they’re somewhat interested
if they visited your website.
There are two major players in the retargeting arena, Google and Facebook.
How do you decide which is right for your business? Let's take a look at each.
Facebook Retargeting
Ads
With Facebook, it’s very easy to set up retargeting options,
especially if you’re already utilizing Facebook Ad Manager.
All you need to set up a custom website audience is to use
the Facebook pixel on your website. When a user visits, they’re added to the
list. When they convert, they can be removed from that list. It just takes a
little configuring to make sure they’ll be added and removed properly.
Setting up the actual retargeting ads in Facebook works just
the same as their normal ads. The differences will be in your messaging and
offer. You may choose to offer them special deals or more time-sensitive offers
to get them to come back and make that purchase they were interested in before.
You can also create a retargeting list using your current
customer email list. For this, you upload your list into Facebook and they will
match up any Facebook profiles that share those email addresses.
Google AdWords
Remarketing
Google is a powerhouse when it comes to online advertising.
With over 2 million sites in Google’s
Display Network, your ads can be featured on a wide variety of websites.
The biggest draw… and flaw with Google advertising is its
enforced quality. You can’t use keywords too far from your core product, or they
risk being denied. You can’t market on sites too far outside of your subject,
or they won’t be displayed. What you end up displaying is very high quality,
but it limits you in several ways.
Another downside to Google remarketing is its ability to
target. Whereas Facebook can have additional demographics, interest targeting,
and activity built on top of your retargeting list, Google can only build up
based on code implemented on your website.
Which Should You Use?
If you're looking to raise awareness and remind people about your business, product or service, then Google Display Network remarketing ads would be great for your business. They
are high quality ads and can offer a larger reach, especially if your audience
doesn’t primarily visit Facebook.
If you're looking to provide more specific and hyper-targeted ads, reaching the right people at the right time, then you should strongly consider Facebook retargeting ads. With over 2.01 billion monthly active users on Facebook, your reach has the potential to be huge, but you could miss people who don't use this social media platform.
If you can't decide which channel you should use, it’s always a good idea to test which marketing channels
work best for your business. There’s no one-size-fits all answer to the Google
vs. Facebook retargeting debate. Test them both and pick the one that works best for you.
If you’re looking to set up retargeting campaigns with
Google, Facebook, or both, call us at (407) 682-2222 for a free strategy session.