The best strategies for Facebook retargeting ads in 2024

Visitors rarely buy the first time they visit your site.

At this point, they don’t know who you are or what value you can provide. But the last thing you want is for them to check out your site, click away, and never come back.

Luckily, Facebook retargeting ads let you re-engage people who have visited your site or interacted with your brand in the past. These people are essentially the “low-hanging fruit” in marketing because they are already brand-aware.

They know who you are and probably have a good enough idea about the value you can offer since they’ve visited your site before. This awareness makes it easier to convert them compared to new, unaware customers who are just landing on your site for the first time.

There is a lot of discussion around remarketing vs. retargeting; despite their technical application, the terms for these two marketing principles are often used interchangeably. However, understanding the differences is essential for digital advertisers. 

For retargeting, you can use several approaches, such as paid ads, to re-engage target audiences who have already visited your website or social profiles. On the other hand, remarketing reaches out to the audience differently, mainly using email to re-engage the people who have already made a purchase from your brand.

Here, we will discuss the top tool integrations to automate your workflow, including performance marketing reporting software. Sign up for free to seamlessly send data between Facebook Dynamic Ads and other apps in your marketing stack.

To find the best Facebook retargeting strategy, you have to be tactical about how you set up and run a retargeting campaign on Facebook. If you’re wondering how to retarget on Facebook, here are some best practices you can use this year to reap the best results.

How does Facebook retargeting pixel work?

Facebook retargeting relies on a small piece of code known as the Facebook Pixel. In essence, this pixel is a tracking tool that gathers information about website visitors.

Once the Facebook Pixel is installed on your website, it will run continuously in the background and monitor visitor activity. Once this information is logged, the pixel gathers details on their (on-site) activities: which pages they viewed, the items they added to their cart, and basically any other interactions.

The pixel can also identify these visitors through their Facebook user IDs. However, this happens if only users are logged into Facebook in the same browser.

Now, the interesting part about how to use this data. First, you can build custom audiences. For example, you could create an audience of users who visited a specific product page but abandoned their cart.

Next in line is creating targeted ad campaigns specifically for these custom audiences. These ads will be displayed to the selected audience while they are using Facebook, Instagram, or other platforms within the Facebook advertising network.

Ultimately, the pixel also helps in tracking conversions from your ads and optimizing future ad campaigns based on this performance data. Here’s how to install Facebook Pixel and start retargeting. 

Structure of a Facebook ads’ retargeting funnel 

The funnel begins when a user visits your website, views a product, or engages with your content. Facebook tracks these interactions through Facebook Pixel, which you have already set up on your site. 

Retargeting focuses on the users who leave your site without making a purchase or taking a desired action. With your tracking system, they enter the retargeting funnel as soon as they leave a conversion funnel halfway. 

Then, you can show them personalized ads about the products they viewed (or related offerings) when they continue browsing Facebook or its partner websites. 

This is a targeted approach that keeps your brand top-of-mind and increases the likelihood of the user returning to complete a purchase. Over time, this method helps optimize your ad spend by focusing on leads that have shown a high level of initial interest.

How does a Facebook ads’ retargeting funnel work

Each stage of your Facebook ads retargeting funnel should be tailored to guide your potential customers from initial interest back to final purchase. The best way is to have a progressive strategy that also incorporates Facebook’s extensive ad targeting features.

Here are all the touch points you might want to consider in your funnel: 

Step 1: Initial website visit

The funnel starts when a user first visits your website. 

Step 2: Behavioral tracking

The Facebook Pixel tracks this visit. As the user navigates through your website, the Pixel captures specific behaviors, like:

• Pages visited
• Time spent on each page
• Items added to the cart
• Videos watched
• Forms started but not completed

Step 3: Audience segmentation

Your system should segment these users into different audiences based on their behavior. This could be based on:

• Product interest (viewed specific product pages)
• Engagement level (engaged with content or spent significant time on site)
• Purchase intent (added items to cart or reached checkout)

Step 4: Ad customization

You should design ads for each segmented audience. It could be:

• Reminders to return and complete a purchase
• Suggestions of similar products they might like
• Special offers or discounts to encourage conversion

Step 5: Ad placement

Once you have customized your ads, you can place them across Facebook and its partner networks. 

Step 5: Conversion optimization

Managing this funnel calls for continuous optimization based on ad performance. This includes:

• A/B testing different ad elements (images, copy, calls to action)
• Adjusting audience segments (refining or expanding based on performance)
• Retargeting through multiple stages of the funnel for users who need additional nurturing

Step 6: Final Conversion

The ultimate goal of your retargeting campaign is obviously to have these users go back to the website to complete their purchase (or finish another conversion goal).

Step 7: Post-conversion engagement

You’ll have to continue engaging your users toward a post-conversion goal, like repeat purchases, gathering feedback, or promoting new products.Learn more about creating a Facebook ads funnel that converts here.

How to retarget on Facebook in 2024

1. Recapture abandoned carts

The average abandoned cart rate is already high, and it’s only getting higher.

Right now, it sits at just above 69%, which means less than 25% of people who put your products in their cart actually make it all the way to checkout. It’s depressing, but it makes sense.

People will add items to their cart, get distracted, find a better offer, or something else will crop up, which means they never make it to checkout.

Facebook retargeting ads are great for capturing customers who have items gathering digital dust in their carts. You can show them the products they were initially interested in and entice them back to your site by jogging their memory with Facebook engagement retargeting.

Eton Shirts does this with their ads. They serve up a carousel of products that a customer has added to their cart and then gone on to abandon. 

Seeing an item they put in their cart yesterday show up on their Facebook feed is a great reminder for forgetful or distracted shoppers and the best Facebook retargeting strategy for bringing back potential buyers.

And you can take it further by adding a discount or a limited-time offer for people that come back and purchase.

2. Lookalike Audiences

Facebook’s Pixel is great for gathering the information of your website visitors and creating custom audiences. Speaking of Facebook Custom Audiences, here’s a step-by-step guide to building precise audience segments. It can track who’s visited what page and when, so you can serve them personalized ads based on their browsing behavior.

However, if you don’t have a considerable amount of web traffic to draw from, it can be tricky to get the data you need to serve relevant Facebook retargeting ads. You can also use LeadsBridge integration to sync your Facebook Custom Audiences with your favorite CRM.

Likewise, if you have a small list of subscribers, it’s hard to get the data you need to run Facebook retargeting to your email list.

Tackle this by using Facebook’s powerful Lookalike Audience feature.

It shows your retargeting campaign on Facebook to customers similar to people who have already visited your site. They’re more likely to be interested in what you’re offering because they have the same job, live in the same area, or are interested in the same things as your actual customers.

Sync up your customer list, or subscriber list, and Facebook will use this information to find other similar people to serve ads to.

3. Test high-value audiences

High-value audiences are people who have bought from you in the past or have made a high-touch interaction with your brand, like getting in touch, adding products to their cart, sharing your social media posts, or leaving a review.

These people are some of the easiest to re-engage with Facebook retargeting ads because they’ve already made significant contact with your brand. Because of this, they’re quite receptive to a variety of different ads and Facebook engagement retargeting methods, so it’s worth testing out a few different kinds, such as:

• Brand awareness ads
• Product reminder ads
• Social proof ads
• Retargeting video ads on Facebook

E-Gmat has a retargeting campaign on Facebook that serves social proof ads to existing customers and high-value audiences. This social influence cements trust and continues to nurture the brand-buyer relationship.

4. Engagement-based retargeting

Instead of taking a broad approach, you can use engagement-based retargeting to narrow down your targeting for specific interactions. This method allows you to channel your focus on users who have engaged with specific types of content on your Facebook page or related platforms.

These engagements can be actions like Facebook post reactions such as ‘likes’, comments, or even shares. The idea here is to identify users who are interested in particular topics or content types.

For example, if someone has commented on a post about a specific product, you can retarget them with ads that provide more detailed information or exclusive offers related to that specific product.

The benefit of this strategy is that you’re reaching out to an audience that has already indicated a level of engagement with your brand. Accordingly, they have a higher likelihood of converting. It’s about making your retargeting efforts more precise and tailored to individual interests.

5. Share special offers

Everyone likes to feel special. So, bolster your relationship with existing customers and website visitors by sharing special offers, like discounts, referral rewards, or a gift for people that re-engage via Facebook retargeting ads.

Only do this for people who have already visited your site. Otherwise, the intention behind the ads becomes meaningless. 

TGI Fridays suggests these ads to existing customers around their birthday, offering them a free dessert through their Give More Stripes program.

6. Dynamic Facebook retargeting ads

Dynamic Facebook retargeting ads are personalized to the consumer’s own experience. They show products the shopper has already looked at (even if they haven’t put anything in their cart) to create a unique experience.

This is the best Facebook retargeting strategy for leveraging the power of personalization to drive conversions. This guide on our Facebook Conversion API dives into more detail, showing you how you can use LeadsBridge to generate full-funnel visibility, including tracking off-site conversions. 

The following integrations can be used for generating full-funnel visibility.

Yumi Kim targets past website visitors and shows them the products they’ve already engaged with. A Google report revealed that customizing the shopping experience through dynamic Facebook remarketing ads can drive a conversion rate up to 5x higher than standard ad formats and Retargeting video ads on Facebook.

To run dynamic Facebook remarketing ads, you need a Business Manager account and a freshly updated product catalog. Then, Facebook will use tracking Pixels to pull the right products into the right ads for each individual shopper. This process is usually referred to as app retargeting.

When using dynamic ads, your audience could automatically see your products or similar brands’ products. This experience is provided through the visualization algorithm and based on what they have seen previously.

You may use app retargeting with dynamic ads to suggest comparable products to those they’ve earlier browsed or purchased on your website, mobile app, Facebook Marketplace, and Instagram Shopping.

Read our guide on Facebook dynamic ads to learn more.

7. Retargeting video ads on Facebook

Facebook is one of the leading platforms for video consumption, and advertisers are strategizing around this fact. It’s anticipated that online video will comprise 91% of all internet traffic by the end of 2024.

Accordingly, it will become the most dominant form of content on the web. Moreover, a retargeted ad has a probability of 76% of getting clicked on, compared to a classic display ad. These statistics lead to a marketing focus on retargeting video ads on Facebook.

Whether you are already retargeting video ads on Facebook or haven’t considered it as of yet, this practice can help your brand in many ways. For example, retargeting video ads improves branded search efforts, allows you to offer discounts to the right audience, and helps grow your email list. 

However, the best reason to run a retargeting video ad campaign on Facebook lies in the way this platform works. Facebook likes to prevent its users from being bombarded with ads.

Therefore, its developers aim for a pleasant user experience, and limit the number of advertisements. At the same time, the platform’s algorithms ensure only relevant ads are shown to users – you can guarantee relevance in your ads through retargeting.

8. Keep your messaging consistent

It’s important that you provide a cohesive experience for customers, which means ensuring your Facebook retargeting ads and their messaging are consistent.

When a user clicks on your ad, where are they directed? Does the page make sense and reflect the message of the ad?

The landing pages (or product pages) you direct shoppers to should be highly relevant to the ad and branded with your colors and logos to establish trust.

PandaDoc maintains its strong branding elements across its Facebook retargeting ads so that users recognize who they’re dealing with.

9. Link retargeting

Sometimes, you might want to reach people who haven’t visited your website yet, but who might have interacted with your brand in another way, like on social media.

Retargeting is done by including a pixel on a Facebook page or website to record visitors and use these records for retargeting them with ads on other platforms. This practice is ideal for leading customers through various funnel stages and getting them to convert at a relatively low cost.

Link retargeting can be used without a tracking pixel on your advertising content. So, instead, it uses a redirect to effectively connect the retargeting pixel with the shared link, hence enabling you to share just about any link.

For instance, if another business offers a similar service as your organization, you’ll be able to share one of their reports by using link retargeting. Then, people who click on that link join your custom audience for potential retargeting ads.

To fill those gaps, you can either use your own content or another company’s to help a specific customer at a certain point of the lead lifecycle.

A link retargeting campaign on Facebook lets you serve Facebook retargeting ads to people who have engaged with a shared link on social media or another third-party platform. You can add these users to your Facebook retargeting email list since they’ve engaged with your brand in the past.

Once they’re on your list, you can serve them Facebook retargeting ads that:

• Remind them about your brand
• Showcase some of your best products or services
• Align with the links and content they have already interacted with
• Feature retargeting video ads on Facebook to build connections

Claire Pelletreau directs retargeted users to blog posts to maintain their interest in her brand and to continue to serve value. This is the best Facebook retargeting strategy for building brand awareness and visibility.

10. Target based on behavior

Facebook retargeting ads let you target customers who have taken action on your website, whether that’s visiting a specific page, signing up for your newsletter, or making a purchase.

You can take it one step further and target visitors on increasingly detailed behavior, including:

• Visitors who’ve viewed more than one post
• Visitors who’ve viewed a post and your pricing page
• Visitors who’ve read a blog post and gone on to sign up for a freebie
• Visitors who’ve used a certain device
• Visitors who’ve interacted with emails via a Facebook retargeting email list
• Visitors who’ve engaged with retargeting video ads on Facebook

The more granular you get with your target behavior, the easier it is to serve up highly personalized Facebook retargeting ads geared for conversion. 

11. Automate your retargeting with LeadsBridge

You can create Facebook retargeting campaigns and follow up with your leads in real-time by using retargeting automation. Additionally, you can sync your lead data instantly into your marketing tools or CRM platforms to follow through with your strategies. 

To do this, you need to use an official third-party integration provider like LeadsBridge. LeadsBridge helps you to sync audiences according to their recent purchase data to target and re-target and implement immediate retargeting.

Moreover, by using these integrations, you can combine audiences from different sources, exclude existing customers, or add and remove leads from your Facebook based on your retargeting strategy. This way, your campaigns can become more accurate and effective. So you can directly retarget customers that are more likely to convert. 

Following the usual automation sequence, your automated marketing stack triggers an instant follow-up journey once a Facebook ad form is submitted. Ultimately, your leads will receive a welcome email or are sent directly to your sales team.

Here are some other LeadsBridge integrations to enable a successful Facebook retargeting automation from start to end.

Facebook retargeting ad examples

Now, let’s take a look at some of the Facebook retargeting ad examples that have been launched recently.

1. Discounted product recommendations

The ad by Sleeping Baby targets users who have previously browsed their website’s product lists for toddler or newborn clothes. The ad showcases an eye-catching black Friday offer of their popular products or most searched items. 

The copy conveys the campaign’s message clearly: “Successful sleep 💤 for 400k+ families and counting! Shop the Black Friday 25% OFF Sale”.

Everyone appreciates a good offer, and some even wait for it. For instance, new parents could use a good discount on their many expenses. Black Friday is one of those occasions. 

So, personalizing the shopping experience by targeting the right user is important. This kind of tailored approach makes the user feel understood and valued, which increases the likelihood of them returning to complete a purchase.

2. Gentle nudge with FOMO

Prime Prometics aims at users who have added items to their cart but haven’t completed the purchase. This ad displays the exact items left in the cart. It includes a FOMO (fear of missing out) message, such as, “Hey! We’re holding your Prime items (for now).” and “Complete your purchase while you can!”

This ad serves as a reminder of what the user was interested in, coupled with a sense of urgency to purchase before they miss the chance to buy the item. 

3. Feedback engagement ad

This ad from PoizonApp targets users who have recently made a footwear purchase or viewed their website and is inviting them to provide feedback. The ad copy is concise, which puts the communication weight in the ad’s video content.

The ad engages users pre and post-purchase, while making them feel valued and part of your brand’s community. This also opens the door for future purchases with the discount offer.

Synchronize leads from your retargeting campaign on Facebook

The people who engage with your Facebook retargeting ads are high-value consumers – that is, they are already warmed up and primed to buy. So, sync up your leads from your Facebook retargeting ads with your CRM to continue to nurture buyers throughout the sales cycle and leverage your Facebook retargeting email list.

Use this guide to learn more about Facebook lead ads and some of its best practices. 

LeadsBridge uses powerful integrations and lead automation to employ Facebook retargeting automation and bridge the gap between Facebook ads and sales funnels to create a fluid customer experience between your website and ad platforms.

If you’re keen to streamline your advertising activity and create the best Facebook retargeting strategy, you can integrate your marketing technology stack with Facebook ads to build trigger-based campaigns on Facebook and other social media channels. 

With more than 380 out-of-the-box integrations available right now, you can easily connect your chosen software with Facebook to seamlessly sync data for your marketing workflows and leverage Facebook engagement retargeting.

Start using our Audience Sync feature today.