Getting your message in front of potential customers or donors is only half the battle. The real challenge is keeping their attention long enough to turn interest into action. That’s where retargeting—also known as remarketing—comes into play. This powerful digital advertising strategy allows small businesses and nonprofits to stay top-of-mind with people who have already shown interest in their products, services, or causes.
Whether you’re selling handcrafted jewelry, running a local coffee shop, or seeking donations for your 501c3 nonprofit, retargeting helps ensure that your brand remains visible to the right people at the right time. In this post, we’ll explore why retargeting is important (we’d even go as far as saying “critical”), and how small businesses and nonprofits can leverage it to maximize their marketing efforts.
Understanding Retargeting: How It Works
Retargeting is a digital advertising technique that allows businesses and organizations to show ads to users who have previously visited their website, engaged with their social media content, or interacted with their emails. This is achieved through cookies, tracking pixels, or customer lists. When a potential customer visits a website but leaves without making a purchase or signing up, retargeting ads remind them of what they left behind and encourage them to take action.
We have a breakdown of the most critical components of retargeting in this previously-written blog post.
Why Retargeting is Important for Small Businesses and Nonprofits
Keeps Your Brand Top-of-Mind
Most people don’t take immediate action the first time they encounter a business or nonprofit. They might be browsing, comparing options, or simply distracted by other tasks. Retargeting ensures that your brand doesn’t fade into the background. By reappearing in their social feeds, search results, or favorite websites, retargeting ads serve as gentle reminders that keep your brand fresh in their minds.
Increases Conversion Rates
Research shows that retargeting ads have significantly higher click-through and conversion rates than standard display ads. According to studies, website visitors who are retargeted with ads are 70% more likely to convert compared to those who aren’t. This is because retargeting focuses on warm leads—people who have already shown interest in your business or nonprofit—rather than cold audiences who may have no familiarity with your brand.
Maximizes Marketing ROI
Small businesses and nonprofits often operate with limited marketing budgets. Every dollar spent on advertising needs to count. Retargeting ensures that your ad spend is directed toward people who are more likely to take action, reducing wasted impressions on disinterested audiences. Since retargeting focuses on high-intent users, it often leads to a better return on investment (ROI) compared to other forms of digital advertising.
Strengthens Customer Trust and Engagement
Trust is a crucial factor in decision-making, whether a person is considering a purchase or making a donation. Seeing a brand multiple times through retargeting ads reinforces credibility and familiarity. The more a potential customer or donor sees your messaging, the more likely they are to develop trust in your brand or cause.
Additionally, retargeting ads can be used to share customer testimonials, positive reviews, or impact stories that build emotional connections with your audience.
Customization and Personalization
One of the biggest advantages of retargeting is the ability to tailor messages based on user behavior. Retargeting allows businesses and nonprofits to deliver personalized content to warm audiences.
For instance, an online clothing boutique can show different retargeting ads depending on what a visitor browsed—ads featuring dresses for those who viewed dresses, and ads showcasing shoes for those interested in footwear. A nonprofit can display a retargeting ad thanking visitors who read about a specific initiative and encouraging them to take the next step in supporting the cause.
Works Across Multiple Platforms
Retargeting isn’t limited to a single platform. Businesses and nonprofits can reach potential customers and donors through various channels, including:
- Google Display Network (or any Demand-Side Platform): Shows ads on millions of websites, news sites, and blogs.
- Social Media (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok): Targets users within their social feeds.
- Email Retargeting: Reminds users who abandoned shopping carts or donation pages to complete their transactions.
- Search Engine Retargeting: Displays ads when users search for related topics on Google or Bing.
By strategically using multiple platforms, businesses and nonprofits can ensure that their message reaches audiences in the digital spaces they frequent most.
7. Encourages Repeat Customers and Donors
Retargeting isn’t just for acquiring new customers or donors—it’s also highly effective for encouraging repeat engagement. For businesses, showing ads to past buyers can promote complementary products, special promotions, or loyalty discounts. For nonprofits, retargeting can help re-engage past donors, encourage recurring donations, and keep supporters informed about new initiatives.
How Small Businesses and Nonprofits Can Get Started with Retargeting
If you’re new to retargeting, here’s how you can begin integrating it into your digital marketing strategy:
- Set Up Retargeting Pixels: Install the Meta Pixel, Google Ads Remarketing Tag, or other tracking tools on your website to start collecting audience data.
- Segment Your Audience: Create different retargeting lists based on user behavior, such as website visitors, abandoned cart users, or past donors.
- Create Engaging Ads: Develop visually appealing ads with clear messaging and strong calls to action.
- Test and Optimize: Run A/B tests to see which ad creatives, formats, and messages work best, and adjust accordingly.
- Monitor Performance: Track metrics like click-through rates, conversion rates, and ROI to measure effectiveness and refine your strategy.
Final Thoughts
Retargeting is one of the most powerful digital marketing tools available for small businesses and nonprofits. By keeping your brand in front of warm leads, increasing conversion rates, and maximizing your marketing budget, it helps you achieve better results with less effort.
If you’re looking to boost sales, attract new donors, or strengthen brand recognition, incorporating retargeting into your strategy is a smart and cost-effective move. Don’t let potential customers or supporters slip away—use retargeting to bring them back and turn their initial interest into lasting engagement.
Are you ready to take your digital marketing to the next level? Let us help you set up a tailored retargeting strategy that drives real results!
