Converting Leads into Customers Using Facebook Ad Retargeting

Use Retargeting Ads as Incentives

Another way to urge audiences towards action is to create exclusive offers through Facebook retargeted ads. Again, you can set the criteria so that specific customer segments see these types of ads. For instance, a discount code could be a great way to get customers who have abandoned carts in part to convert finally.

Another popular Facebook retargeting ad campaign is to offer limited-time deals like free samples or free trials. This incentivizes audiences to act quickly to take advantage of an exclusive offer and can help to nurture them towards becoming loyal repeat customers.

 Setup Sequenced Retarget Ads

Again, most customers will not convert with the first, second, or even fifth ad impression. You have to keep interacting before they will make a move. Sequencing ads set up multiple-step campaigns and are great for nurturing customers again and again.

You will want to create campaigns that will run for a set period and a specific goal. For this example, let’s say your campaign runs for 20 days, and you’re trying to re-engage with customers who may have forgotten about you. So, your sequencing campaign should ideally include people who have visited your website within the past 10 days, but perhaps not people who have visited in the last two.

Next, you will want to create various phases of the campaign. For example, your first few days could be focused on promoting a specific item and offering a discount of 10%. Days 5-12 may then re-engage customers who saw the first ad but did not convert. They will see ads for a greater discount, perhaps 15% this time.

The final eight days will retarget the remaining consumers with a “Last Chance” offer.

Include Lookalike Audiences

Coming up with audience segments is not always easy, especially if you try to cater to large segments. Thankfully, Facebook will generate lookalike audiences based on past criteria to help you reach other audiences you may not have thought about. In addition, Facebook will automatically include new customers who nearly meet the criteria and could be relevant.

All you need to do is head to the Audience Manager tab and select “Create Audience” then “Lookalike Audience.” You will then select your Lookalike Source by uploading a custom audience list that you have used in the past.

You can include certain criteria, such as location or percentage of lookalikes you want to be included in your audience. Typically, it’s best to keep your percentage low since this audience will not be a perfect match.

Integrate Your Other Marketing Tools

You don’t have to manually insert data or guess based on what you know about your audience currently. Many of the most popular marketing programs can be synced to your Facebook Ad Manager, including:

• Google Ads
• GetResponse
• HubSpot
• Infusionsoft
• MailChimp
• Marketo
• Salesforce
• Adobe Campaign
• Constant Contact

You might need to use a separate tool to make this easier. AdEspresso by Hootsuite is one such tool, other options include TapClicks and Funnel.io. In addition, each system can be set up to automatically share data you’ve collected from other sources into Facebook to build custom audiences.

This is critical for retargeting because it helps you narrow down your audience into groups you know have been targeted before. You can also create specific groups based on this data, such as:

• Customers on email lists
• Audiences who have not purchased in over a year
• Consumers who created online accounts
• Customers your sales team has contacted in the past 

Many of these tools also provide analysis and insight reports to provide you with even better data on your ad performance. This gives you the information you need to improve your campaigns and retargeting criteria.

 Manage Retargeted Ad Frequency

Although Facebook retargeting can be extremely effective, it is important to keep an eye on the frequency and the length of your campaigns. Consumers will easily get annoyed with seeing the same ad over and over again if they aren’t interested. This could even propel them to set up an ad blocker or report your business on Facebook.

You can adjust the frequency of your ads through Facebook Ads Manager. According to a study conducted by AdEspresso, the optimal ad frequency rate is four impressions – this correlates to the highest number of clicks with the lowest cost. But, of course, anything above starts to cut into profit margins.

Over to You

Nurturing and converting leads has never been an easy process – it requires a lot of work and strategy. Thankfully, Facebook retargeting ads make this process much easier if you know how to use them correctly.

There are tons of different strategies and features within this tool. However, the best tip is to rely on data for every ad. Use it to create audiences, run campaigns, and set up ad sequences. This is by far the best way to effectively nurture leads – because you will reach audiences that are already engaged and more likely to convert.