Resources Hub » Blog » Maximize Your ROI with Email Retargeting

Every email marketer knows that maximizing your ROI is the name of the game. Everything you pull out of your bag of tricks is in service to this ultimate goal.

Therefore, you can’t afford to ignore any email marketing method that may have escaped you, particularly if you’re a small business and need to make every marketing effort count.

One such method is email retargeting, which can give you the upper hand you need to rise above the competition and ensure the return on your investment is substantial.

Read on to learn about email retargeting and how you can use it to maintain an ever-growing ROI.

What is retargeting and how can it help your ROI?

The first step of retargeting involves tracking the behavior of users on your website, which is possible thanks to a tracking pixel placed on your website.

Once this information is chronicled, you simply send out emails to users based on their behavior. By doing so, you’re taking out the guessing of email marketing and giving your subscribers what they want.

As for what information is tracked and how that can be related to emails, it’s quite simple. If you have an apparel company and a user was browsing shoes but didn’t end up buying any, you would use that information to send that customer emails regarding shoes.

In addition to your website, retargeting can be used on emails, which means you can track the user’s behavior on the emails you send based on their behavior.

With retargeting, you can almost guarantee that you’ll have higher engagement rates on your emails since you’re allowing your subscribers to dictate what they receive. It’s a precise form of personalization that will go a long way in boosting your ROI.

Remarketing vs retargeting: what you need to know

In a classic case of mistaken identity, retargeting often gets confused with remarketing. Part of this is surely due to linguistic similarities, but the meaning of the words invites confusion as well.

Remarketing is the process of reintroducing a failing product back into the marketplace as new and improved. In other words, it’s a way of giving a product a makeover due to a lack of interest.

Retargeting, on the other hand, is the reintroduction of a product to a specific customer who showed interest but never sealed the deal.

Therefore, retargeting is different from remarketing because you’re not changing the product or reintroducing it to the public at large. The product stays the same and is reintroduced to a specific user.

Email list segmentation is a vital aspect of retargeting

Once you’ve accumulated all the information you need on your customers’ behaviors, you need a way to funnel that information to your mailing list.

If you have your mailing list properly segmented, retargeting becomes infinitely easier. The exact nature of your segmentation will depend on what product or service you provide.

For example, if you’re a general apparel company, you probably want to have separate mailing channels for men and women, considering that they tend to purchase different clothing. With retargeting, you could segment your mailing list even further based on specific clothing items, such as pants, hats, or shoes.

You can also segment your mailing list based on the speed in which users purchase a product after visiting your website. Subscribers who visit your site but never buy anything likely require a different messaging approach than regular customers.

Ideas for effective retargeting ads

Now that you’re familiar with retargeting, you may be wondering how to best employ it for your small business. It’s a delicate process because you don’t want consumers to feel like they’re being spied on, which is a sensitive issue these days.

To make sure you get the best results, here are some tried-and-true ideas for different types of retargeting ads.

The “Have you seen this” email

One of the most common types of retargeting ads will occur when a user has been browsing a website, but not interacting with it. In order to get these potential customers to quit browsing and seal the deal, they might need a little push.

At this point, you should send them an email highlighting a particular feature of your product or service they might not know about. Whatever it is, it could be what makes the difference and prompts them to make a purchase.

Whatever it is, it could be what makes the difference and prompts them to make a purchase.

Source: Really Good Emails

The “Incomplete form” email

On your website, you might have some forms for users to fill out, such as for a physical mailing list or an RSVP. Either way, it’s not unusual for people to begin filling a form out, only to become distracted and never finish.

With retargeting at your disposal, you can send follow-up emails to these people that will remind them to finish the form.

If this sounds like it would be ineffective, remember that there’s an average open rate of 60% and a click-through rate of 15% for retargeting emails. That’s triple the open rate and click-through rate for most emails.

The “Recommendation” email

In addition to sending emails based on specific products that a user may have been looking at, it’s a good idea to send emails based on related products.

In fact, the user may not have finalized a purchase because he or she couldn’t find the right version of a product, a problem your recommendation email might alleviate.

As an example, a user might have clicked on a non-fiction book in your online bookstore but didn’t end up buying it. Instead of sending a retargeting email for that specific book, you could send an email that covers your entire non-fiction selection.

The book the user may have been looking for could be in your recommendation email or maybe a new one will grab the user’s interest.

The “Come back” email

Tracking consumer behavior isn’t the only thing that retargeting is good for. Retargeting is a great practice for reaching consumers who haven’t interacted with your mailing list or website for a long period of time.

Initially, spending marketing efforts on people who aren’t likely to engage might seem like a waste of time. However, you can use the consumer’s lack of engagement to your own advantage.

As an example, you could let the subscriber know what he or she has been missing lately and what they could be missing out on in the future. Giving subscribers who’ve fallen out of the loop a compelling reason to jump back in is the only way to get their attention.

You may consider offering the subscriber a special discount, just to get him or her back in your ecosystem.

You may consider offering the subscriber a special discount, just to get him or her back in your ecosystem.

Source: Really Good Emails

Can you employ retargeting tactics outside of email?

Retargeting can also work great on social media platforms like Facebook. Essentially, the same rules apply. You’re still going to use all the information you’ve gathered from your tracking pixel to create your ads.

Then, in lieu of email segmentation, you’ll utilize Facebook’s targeting software, which can get incredibly specific. By using this in conjunction with your retargeting emails, you can double your chances of getting a user or users to engage.

Wrap up

One of the fundamentals of digital marketing is to give consumers what they want. There’s no better way to do that than by tracking their behavior on your website and tailoring their ads to match that behavior.

Keep the following in mind to help you master email retargeting:

  • Understand what email retargeting is
  • Know the difference between retargeting and remarketing
  • Make use of email segmentation
  • Use traditional retargeting ads as an example for your own

After you feel comfortable with email retargeting, you might even venture beyond email and use it for social media. Regardless of how you use it, retargeting is one of the most valuable tools small businesses have to increase their ROI.

Retargeting isn’t the only thing email segmentation is good for. Here are the top 10 ways segmentation can increase reader engagement.

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This blog provides general information and discussion about email marketing and related subjects. The content provided in this blog ("Content”), should not be construed as and is not intended to constitute financial, legal or tax advice. You should seek the advice of professionals prior to acting upon any information contained in the Content. All Content is provided strictly “as is” and we make no warranty or representation of any kind regarding the Content.
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