BY BILL FAETH
We all want to think that every person who visits our website, likes one of our Facebook posts, or gets an online quote follows a very straight and orderly path to a purchase: They find you online, call, get a quote from your CSR, and book their trip—right?
But the reality is that the buyer’s journey isn’t this linear. People visit your website, then leave. In another month, they see your Facebook post, read your blog, or get your email. A few days later, they visit your website again or like an Instagram post. Maybe they will decide to call in a few weeks to ask about transportation for their 500-person corporate event.
You need to be prepared to help your buyers through this convoluted process, and an excellent way to do this is with retargeting ads. You know the ads that follow you around the Internet after you’ve visited the website of a huge company like Amazon, Under Armour, or Nordstrom? You can do the same thing and increase your customer acquisition for just pennies with Facebook retargeting ads.
What is Retargeting?
Unlike typical banner ads, retargeting ads are based on your buyer’s actions and interests. They are served to people who have already visited your website, engaged with your Facebook page, or are on your contact list.
Say a customer visits your site’s airport transportation page. Once this happens, you can serve them an ad specific to your airport transportation services via retargeting. You can take it to the next level by serving them two or three ads, but it really starts with one.
This is where specificity becomes critical. Keep in mind that your potential buyer, in this case, visited your airport transportation page and is interested in this service. They are NOT interested in a general branding ad or retail services: You only want to offer them an airport service ad.
The Magic of the Facebook Pixel
Facebook uses a tracking pixel that triggers your retargeting ads, so they are completely automated. All you have to do is copy your pixel code snippet from Facebook Ads Manager and add it to your website. This copy-and-paste process takes about 10 minutes.
Once the pixel is installed on your website, that’s when the magic happens. Facebook will start creating a custom audience list for each one of your website pages, allowing you to serve your aforementioned retargeting ads. Simply create your ad and upload it to Ads Manager.
Benefits of Retargeting Ads
Retargeting ads are what I like to call the “secret sauce” of Facebook marketing. They work because they allow you to be precise. Instead of paying to spray ads all over Facebook to a wide audience that isn’t interested, you can go after the people who may be familiar with your business, but haven’t moved forward.
Remember that the buyer’s journey doesn’t follow a straight line. If you want someone to buy, then you have to get in front of their eyes—a lot. Retargeting ads create a return path for your target customers who are already thinking about your type of service. This keeps your brand fresh in their minds until they are ready to purchase.
This might sound completely overwhelming, and it’s OK if it does. But trust me: Facebook Ads are worth your investment.
If you need more guidance, my training series “Making Facebook Ads Work For You” lays out that entire process from start to finish. It’s a free three-part lesson that will teach you the right way to set up and launch Facebook Ads. Once you know the right way to do it, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be successful. [CD0117]
Bill Faeth is Founder of Inbound Marketing Agents in Nashville and Founder of Limo University. He can be reached at bill@limogrowth.com.