What is retargeting?
Retargeting shows ads to people who already met the brand: visited the site, viewed a product, abandoned a cart, watched a video. It re enters a conversation that already started.
Why it works
Warm audiences convert at a fraction of the cost of cold ones: the interest exists, the ad just has to remove the last friction. Cart reminders, social proof, answers to the objection that stopped the purchase, retargeting done well is service disguised as media.
Why it flatters itself
Retargeting harvests intent other channels created, then claims the credit on every dashboard. Many of those conversions would have happened anyway, which is why retargeting always looks like the best channel in the account and rarely is. Judge it on incrementality, not on its own attribution, and cap its budget share accordingly.
How to do it well
- Segment by behaviour: a cart abandoner and a blog reader deserve different messages, not the same banner.
- Cap frequency hard: being followed around the internet for weeks builds resentment, not conversion.
- Exclude buyers promptly: chasing people who already purchased burns money and goodwill.
- Add value per exposure: new information, new proof, new angle, or silence.
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