Experienced marketers know just how to take email list advantage of retargeting email campaigns to reconnect with users who have previously engaged with their brand. This approach significantly increases conversion rates and maximizes marketing efficiency.
Are you intrigued by what email retargeting is and how it can revitalize your marketing strategy? Keep reading as we delve into the specifics of this approach and explore various scenarios where email retargeting proves most effective.
What is email retargeting?
Email retargeting is a marketing tactic designed to reach people who have previously shown interest in your brand but didn’t complete a specific action.
For example, if someone considered buying an item, signing up for a webinar, or downloading a report but didn’t follow through, email retargeting helps bring them back to complete the task.
Retargeting email with the text 'Still Thinking?' showcasing a luxury Lamborghini car and a stylish woman holding a bag, followed by best-seller gift recommendations.
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This approach is particularly effective in several key situations. If you have high shopping cart abandonment rates, email retargeting can remind customers about what they’ve left behind. Including a special offer can help encourage them to complete the purchase.
Email retargeting is also useful for converting website visitors into buyers on sites that get a lot of traffic but see few sales. After all, with email retargeting, you send messages tailored to their interests.
Additionally, the approach is great for strengthening relationships with existing customers. With email retargeting, you can send personalized promotions based on the browsing history or past purchases of customers. This makes them more likely to respond and interact with you.
Overall, retargeting emails make your recipients feel valued and understood. They provide a tailored experience that meets their needs and expectations.
How does email retargeting work?
Understanding the mechanics of email retargeting is key to leveraging its benefits effectively.
At its core, email retargeting entails tracking how people interact with your website, whether it’s browsing products, adding them to their shopping cart or more. When they leave without making a purchase, email retargeting steps in to bring them back through two primary methods:
Pixel retargeting: This method involves placing a small, unnoticeable code, known as a retargeting pixel, on your website or within the HTML templates of your emails. When someone interacts with these emails or the site is loaded in a browser, the pixel sends relevant data like page views, email clicks and more directly back to the server. This is unlike a cookie, which is embedded in a user’s browser to track behavior.
The customer data collected from this pixel is used to send targeted emails or display ads.
Email addresses in your ESP: Without using a pixel, you can segment email subscribers based on their historical interactions with your brand and where they are in the customer journey directly in your ESP.
For example, you can group together those who showed interest in a specific product (maybe they called sales to inquire about it) but didn’t make a purchase. Then send them personalized emails to re-engage them possibly by offering a discount or highlighting new features.
Why use email retargeting? Because it effectively reconnects your brand with potential customers through personalized messages.
The numbers speak for themselves.
Statistics show that 26% of users will return to a website as a result of remarketing efforts.
5 Steps for a successful email retargeting campaign
Now that you know the basics of email retargeting, let’s look at what you need to do next. Here’s a guide with proven tips to help you effectively reconnect with potential customers and boost your sales.
1. Set your goals
Firstly, it’s crucial to clearly define what you want to achieve with your email retargeting campaign. This will help you determine your target audience. It will also help you know what specific actions you want your recipients to take, whether it’s completing a purchase, signing up for a service, or engaging with your brand in another meaningful way.
For example, if your main goal is to reduce cart abandonment, your campaign would target users who left items in their shopping cart. You can then send emails that encourage them to complete their purchase, and possibly offer a discount or free shipping as an incentive.
This clarity in goals also helps guide the design of your targeted emails. For instance, in our cart abandonment example above, your email would probably include images of the product the recipient left in their cart.
Once you’ve set your main goal, set specific and measurable objectives based on that goal. If your goal is to reduce cart abandonment, you could have as an objective increasing sales by a certain percentage, for example. Other possible objectives are boosting the number of newsletter sign-ups or enhancing engagement with particular products or services.
Establishing clear goals and objectives will help you track progress and make the necessary adjustments to optimize your email retargeting strategy.
2. Build your email and subscriber list
A robust email and subscriber list is essential for any successful email retargeting campaign. These lists should consist of audiences who have shown interest in your brand. That way, you increase the likelihood of converting leads into loyal customers.
Collecting email addresses doesn’t have to be hard. To build your list, start by integrating engaging sign-up forms in high-traffic areas of your website, such as alongside popular blog posts or during the checkout process. Utilize pop-ups effectively to capture the attention of users who spend a significant amount of time on specific pages.
Incorporate lead magnets. These are incentives like discounts, freebies, or exclusive content, to entice users to subscribe. Lead magnets provide value in exchange for customer data, making them a powerful tool for growing your list.
Popup featuring a stylish woman in sunglasses, inviting users to subscribe for promotions and updates via email, with fields for name, phone number, and a 'Sign Up Now' button.
Additionally, expand your reach by including sign-up options on your social media profiles and during online events or webinars.
When collecting data, ensure compliance with data protection regulations such as GDPR or CCPS. This means being transparent about how you’ll use the data, obtaining clear consent, and providing an easy way for users to unsubscribe.
Adhering to these standards will help build trust and maintain the integrity of your customer relationships. This ensures that your list remains filled with engaged and interested subscribers.
3. Segment your audience
Segmenting your audience is a vital step to refining your retargeting email campaign. This strategy allows you to send more personalized email marketing campaigns and relevant messages to your audience.
You can segment your audience using a variety of criteria. Behavioral segmentation involves categorizing subscribers based on their actions on your website, such as the pages they visit most often or the products they seem to be interested in.
Geographical segmentation entails tailoring your email campaigns according to the subscriber’s location. This can be particularly effective for regional promotions or local event notifications.
Demographic details such as age, gender, or income level, as well as past purchase behavior, also provide a basis for segmentation.
Promotional email with the text 'Hand-Picked For You,' featuring a cursor pointing to highlight a personalized shopping experience.
For instance, you might send different email campaigns to first-time web visitors and repeat customers. You might also customize promotions for users based on the products they’ve shown interest in, as in the example above.
4. Create great emails
Creating awesome and compelling personalized email campaigns is critical to success. Each element of your email should focus on grabbing your reader’s attention and driving them to take action.
Start with focusing on the personalization of your email. Ideally, this should go beyond just using the recipient’s name. You should look at past interactions on your website. This way, you’ll know what specific products to mention based on what recipients have viewed or include their previously purchased items.
Furthermore, focus on the subject lines. The subject line is the first chance you get to engage your recipient. There’s no hard-and-fast rule for how long subject lines should be. However, a GetResponse study found that subject lines that are 61 to 70 characters long get the highest open rates.
Once recipients open your emails, they should see clear, compelling headlines. Use these headlines to convey exclusive offers or valuable insights. The goal is to spark their curiosity or promise real benefits for your customers.
As for your main message, just make it short and sweet. Avoid beating around the bush.
It’s also important to guide recipients toward action with calls to action (CTAs). Make your CTAs bold and direct, with phrases like “Shop Now” or “Claim Your Discount.”
Remember to also place these CTAs strategically within the email to lead the reader smoothly from initial interest to actual action.