What Are Facebook Retargeting Ads? (& how they boost your sales)

Do you want to make more sales in your business? 

If you said YES, then you should be running Facebook and Instagram retargeting ads. Today I'm going to explain exactly what retargeting ads are and how they can increase your sales…

...but not just that, I'll show you another way that you should be using retargeting ads that isn't really talked about so much. But it SHOULD be because it can help you grow your email list. And for most online businesses, a bigger email list usually means more sales. 

If this sounds interesting, then either watch the video below, or keep reading for the text version!

What Are Retargeting Ads?

To put it simply, retargeting ads are ads that you show to people who have interacted with your business in some way, but have not taken the action you want them to take. You can also hear these referred to as remarketing ads. 

Maybe these people have interacted with you on social, maybe by visiting your website, but haven't taken a certain action, like subscribing to your newsletter or making a purchase. 

Now if you just Google, What are retargeting ads, the definition they'll usually show you is: “Ads that you show to someone who did not complete a purchase.” 

You see these ads all the time. For example, a couple weeks ago I was searching the Marriott website for hotels in Seoul, South Korea because I want to go to Asia in the future. 

So, I was searching just to see what I could be looking forward to and then I started seeing ads on Instagram from Marriott enticing me with all of their beautiful hotels. All they're doing is trying to remind me that I was searching for hotels and maybe I want to head back to their site and book that vacation. 

So, you can think of retargeting ads as reminding people about your product or your service--you're just giving them a gentle reminder. 

Retargeting Ads Strategy for YOUR Online Business

Now let's use an example that's more directly related to your type of business as a coach, a consultant, a designer, an artist, a course creator. 

Let's say you are an expert on Instagram and you teach people how to grow their Instagram following, and you have an online course about how to grow your business with Instagram. 

What you'd do is show ads to people who visited your sales page for your course. In the Facebook ads manager, you go in there and tell Facebook to show this ad to people who have visited this URL. And that's the URL of your sales page. But they have not visited the URL of your thank you page, or the page they see after they make the purchase. 

So you might be asking yourself at this point, why would I show them an ad if they didn't buy?

This is the real magic of retargeting ads. 

You have to remember that the people who are looking at your sales page are most likely, and in most cases, very interested in your offer, right. 

They took the time to click the link and go to the sales page and for whatever reason they didn't make a purchase. If it's a higher-ticket item or service maybe they wanted to think about it. Maybe they wanted to compare it to other things. Maybe they had 10 tabs open on their computer like you probably do right now. 

We have so many distractions. Maybe they got a phone call. Maybe their kid needed a grilled-cheese sandwich. There are a million reasons that you couldn't even guess of why someone would go to your sales page and then not complete the purchase. So all you are doing with your ad is reminding them that you have a product that can help satisfy their need, fulfill their desire, or help them in their life. You're going to show them an ad that reminds them of the benefits and what their life will look like after they complete the purchase. 

Now, if you're ready to start running retargeting ads, but you don't actually want to become a Facebook ads experts yourself, then I would love to have you check out my services page. 

You can see the kind of services I offer and schedule a free discovery call with me to learn what I think your biggest opportunities are with Facebook and Instagram ads. 

Grow Your Email List with Retargeting Ads

Let's look at the other way that you should be using retargeting ads. And I think virtually any business can benefit from using retargeting ads in this way because what we're going to do is grow your email list. 

Let's say someone has interacted with you on social media by visiting your Instagram profile or even following you, but they haven't clicked that link to go over to your website and join your email list. 
Maybe they liked your Facebook page. Maybe they visited your website just by doing a Google search. Maybe they found your blog post and checked out your website. 

Some of those people might join your email list, but there are so many reasons why they might NOT have signed up--hello distractions. 

And as you probably know, getting them on your email list is where you can communicate with them directly and make your pitch for your products and your services. 

If someone has already interacted with your business in any of those ways I just mentioned, then they're a warm lead and there's a chance that they could be a potential customer. So you want to get them onto your email list.

To do this, you show them an ad offering them your lead magnet (aka, your free optin, free download, webinar, video or free challenge) in exchange for joining your email list. 

The key to making these ads work really well is to show them a lead magnet that is directly related to the problem that you solve. 

Make sure that lead magnet is going to appeal to the person who would be buying your biggest offer, your core offer, your course, or your main product. 

So you showed them that ad, they're already familiar with your business. You're not a complete stranger to them. They're already interested in the thing you sell, the thing you help with, the problem you solve, so they're more likely to opt in through that ad. 

For years, I ran ads like this for five dollars a day for my health business. I'd let them run for months at a time sometimes, or I'd turn them on and off. 

People who visited my website would, if they didn't opt in, see an ad and be offered my lead magnet. And these ads worked great for me, I would get 50 cent opt-ins--amazing. 

Any business should be running these ads and growing their email list on autopilot on a regular basis. 

Is My Business Ready to Run Facebook Ads?

We've talked about how powerful retargeting ads can be for increasing your sales and growing your email list. But, you might be wondering: Is my business READY, is my business big enough to run Facebook ads? Well, I have another blog post and video answering exactly that question! 

I'll explain the three things that you need to have in place to be ready to run Facebook ads...and I'll give you a hint, it is not about having a huge budget. I'll tell you the things that are ACTUALLY important to be ready to run Facebook ads. 

Click over to that post, and you can learn more! Or if you’re ready to talk about how I can help you get started with Facebook and Instagram ads, or implement a retargeting strategy, click below to book a free discovery call with me!