The Google Ads Remarketing Guide
April 29, 2024
One of the easiest and most effective ways to increase your revenue is to market to existing customers. These customers are already familiar with your brand, and you already know how to satisfy their needs. In fact, according to Smile, SMEs generate 35% of their revenue from 5% of customers!
If your goal is to entice previous customers back to your site and make more sales, a remarketing campaign in Google Ads could be a savvy choice for your business. Let’s look at remarketing ads and how you can set up remarketing campaigns in Google Ads.
What is remarketing?
Remarketing is when you advertise to customers who have already bought from your business or have converted in some form. For example, by signing up to your mailing list.
The aim of remarketing is to encourage these customers to buy from your business again. You might make them aware of a new product line you’re selling, encourage them to sign up for your loyalty program, or remind them that their subscription to your service is due to expire.
Remarketing is often done by email. This is because you can segment email campaigns and use personalization, making your messages highly targeted.
However, you can create remarketing campaigns on other platforms, like Google Ads. We’ll look at how to do this and the benefits of using Google Ads for remarketing later.
Are remarketing campaigns and retargeting campaigns the same?
Some companies use these terms interchangeably, but they refer to two different things.
The primary aim of retargeting is to encourage people who have not yet purchased from your business to buy. For example, you might use retargeting to show ads to people who have visited your site but not bought anything, in an attempt to get them to come back.
However, remarketing focuses on re-engaging existing customers, encouraging advocacy, and persuading them to make another purchase.
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Get StartedHow does remarketing in Google Ads work?
Remarketing in Google Ads is primarily done through the Display Ad network. However, you can also remarket to customers on Gmail, YouTube, and the Search and Shopping network too.
To build a remarketing campaign, you need a list of customer emails – this can be a list of who has signed up for your newsletter or a lead magnet like an eBook or white paper. You can also use the emails of customers who have bought from your business previously.
Of course, it’s vital that you handle your email data in line with data protection regulations in the countries and regions you operate in. For example, in the case of GDPR, all customers must opt in to you using their emails for marketing purposes, and you must clearly explain what you’ll do with their data.
Once you have your list of emails, you need to create a customer list in Google Ads. You upload your data as a CSV file and wait for Google Ads to process the data. Google Ads ‘hashes’ the data – this means that if a cyber attacker compromises it, they won’t be able to use it.
You then use Customer Match in your campaigns to target these customers. If your customers are signed into their email account when using Google, they will see the relevant remarketing advert.
What are the benefits of running remarketing campaigns in Google Ads?
Why should you think about remarketing ads in Google Ads? Here are three reasons to consider them.
1. You can target customers wherever they are on the internet
The great thing about using pay-per-click (PPC) advertising to run remarketing campaigns is that you can target customers while they use the internet. The Google Display Ads network covers over two million websites, meaning many opportunities to promote your business.
Even if customers don’t click on your ads, you’re raising brand awareness.
2. They’re cost-effective
Google display remarketing is one of the most cost-effective options when it comes to PPC advertising, with an average cost per click (CPC) of $0.63.
The benefit of remarketing on Google is that you are targeting a select group of people who have already bought from your business and, as a result, are more likely to buy again. This means you get a healthy return on ad spend.
3. You can combine them with other remarketing campaign initiatives
If you want to focus on engaging existing customers, you can combine your Google Ads remarketing campaigns with your email remarketing campaigns to provide a multi-pronged approach.
You can also run remarketing campaigns on other marketing platforms like social media networks.
Our top tip – use the same copy, color scheme, and imagery across your marketing channels for consistency and brand awareness!
Can I run remarketing campaigns on other paid advertising networks?
Yes. Most paid ad networks allow you to advertise to your existing customer base.
For example, you can run remarketing campaigns on Facebook by using customer list custom audiences. You provide an ‘identifier’ like an email address or phone number, and Facebook matches that with a corresponding profile. You can then create an ad to target this audience.
Bear in mind that there may be targeting restrictions in place – many countries won’t let you use remarketing to target customers under the age of 18.
Which paid advertising network should you use for your remarketing campaign? The key is to understand which platforms your target audience uses the most. This will give you a clear indication of which display remarketing system will bring the most benefits.
Takeaways
Want to give Google Ads remarketing a try?
Remarketing on Google Ads might sound scary, but it’s not as hard to set up a campaign as you might think. All you need is a list of emails from customers who have consented to receive marketing and a goal of what you want to achieve!
We have extensive experience in remarketing campaigns in Google Ads. We’ll help you build your first Google Ads remarketing campaign, create stunning images and copy that grab attention, and optimize your ads to ensure you get the right results!
If you want to discover if remarketing campaigns are right for your business, get in touch with our team today!
Denis shares strategic expertise and forward-thinking approaches on driving brand growth and optimizing marketing efforts, leveraging his extensive experience.