Reignite the spark: How retargeting can give your user base a second life

Re-engagement marketing is important to maximize user retention and drive long-term success. Re-engagement refers to the process of re-establishing communication and interaction with users who have churned–those who have previously downloaded or used an app but have become inactive or disengaged. Many mobile marketers are now moving to prioritize re-engagement strategies as it is often more cost-effective to retain existing users than to acquire new ones.

Retargeting is a popular re-engagement strategy. It can effectively renew inactive users and entice them to return to the app. By analyzing user data, such as previous interactions, preferences, and interests, marketers can create tailored messages, notifications, or targeted advertisements that encourage users to re-engage.

The terms remarketing and retargeting are often used interchangeably, but they do have a slight difference. Remarketing typically refers to reconnecting with users via email. It involves targeting individuals who have previously interacted with a website or social media account with personalized messaging. Remarketing emails aim to nurture leads, encourage repeat purchases, or re-engage inactive customers.

On the other hand, retargeting employs paid advertisements and push notifications, among other multi-channel strategies, and focuses on keeping the brand or product top of mind and enticing users to return or complete a desired action.

Retargeting strategies offer several benefits for app developers and marketers.

1. Precise audience targeting ensures re-engagement efforts are directed toward users who have shown interest in the app in the past. This targeted approach increases the likelihood of success and minimizes wasted resources.
2. Personalized communication delivers relevant messages and content to users based on their specific needs and preferences. This personalization fosters a sense of connection and value, making users more likely to re-engage and continue using the app.
3. Reminding users of the benefits and features they may have forgotten or overlooked improves the user experience and reignites their interest in rediscovering the app's value.

As with other forms of marketing, retargeting comes in many shapes and sizes. To re-engage users with an app, use the following retargeting strategies.

Behavioral retargeting

Focuses on targeting users based on specific actions they have completed within your app. By analyzing user data, such as past purchases, app usage patterns, or abandoned carts, you can create personalized campaigns that address their specific needs.

For example, you might deliver a push notification with a free shipping offer to a user who has added items to their cart and visited the shipping and returns page in your app but has yet to make a purchase. Or, you may target a user who has completed all previously available levels of a game but has push notifications turned off with an ad informing them of a new feature or levels within your app.

Contextual retargeting

Targets users based on the context of the web page or content they are currently viewing. It focuses on delivering ads that are relevant to the specific content or topic of interest, even if the user's previous behavior may not be directly related. This strategy allows marketers to capture the attention of users who are actively engaging with content relevant to their offerings.

Retargeting by funnel stage

By understanding whether a user is in the awareness, consideration, or decision stage, marketers can craft retargeting campaigns that align with their mindset and guide them toward conversion.

For example, a user in the awareness stage who has not engaged with a particular feature can be served a communication showcasing further information about your app, relevant to other interests or behavioral data you have on this user. A user in the consideration stage, on the other hand, might be retargeted with social proof statistics to build trust.

Ad retargeting

There are also several types of retargeting ads.

Social media retargeting with Facebook retargeting: Facebook, and therefore Instagram, provides robust retargeting capabilities to reach users who have interacted with your app or website. By setting up a Meta Pixel on your website (and providing the user opts in for your cookies) you can track user activity and create custom audiences based on specific behaviors or actions.

Display retargeting with Google Ads retargeting: Leveraging the power of Google’s dynamic remarketing for apps, you can show ads to users who have previously engaged with your app. By implementing the Google Ads remarketing tag, you can reach out to these users while they browse other websites or use other apps, reminding them of the value your app provides and encouraging them to return.

Cross-device retargeting: Reach users across multiple devices, ensuring consistent brand exposure and increasing the chances of re-engagement. With the proliferation of smartphones, tablets, and connected TVs (CTV), users seamlessly transition between devices throughout their day. Cross-device retargeting enables marketers to follow this user journey and deliver targeted ads or messages across different platforms.

CTV retargeting, in particular, has gained significant traction as streaming services continue to grow in popularity. This is because it allows marketers to tap into the large and engaged audience consuming content on these devices, offering a unique opportunity to capture attention and drive conversions.

Learn how to master CTV in 2023.

How does the retargeting funnel look in action? After users have initially engaged with an app, the app developer and/or marketer can delve into the app’s analytics to identify users who have not converted recently but have a high lifetime value (LTV) potential. Those users are then segmented into audience groups based on the above types of retargeting. Armed with segmented audience data, you can now deliver personalized push notifications or ads to re-engage these users. These ads remind users of the products they viewed or abandoned, showcase new offerings, or provide exclusive discounts. By keeping your brand top of mind, you increase the likelihood of users returning and completing a desired action.

To get the best results from your retargeting efforts, we recommend following these best practices.

Optimize your app for opt-ins

With the introduction of ATT, users now have more control over their privacy settings, including the ability to allow or deny app tracking. Especially if your app is only available on iOS, you’ll want to optimize for opt-ins as early as possible to get the data you’ll need for effective retargeting ads. Learn how to secure more opt-ins.

Define clear goals and KPIs

Before launching a retargeting campaign, clearly define your objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs). Whether it's increasing in-app purchases (IAPs), improving engagement, or driving sessions, having specific goals will guide your campaign strategy and measurement approach.

Optimize frequency and duration

Finding the right balance in the frequency and duration of your retargeting ads is vital. Too many ads shown too frequently can annoy users, while too few exposures may not have the desired impact. Test different frequency caps and campaign durations to identify the optimal settings that maintain visibility without overwhelming or alienating your audience.

Personalize ads and messages

Personalization is key in retargeting. Leverage engaging rich media ad formats that showcase products or content users have shown interest in, and craft compelling calls-to-action that align with their specific needs and preferences.

Test and optimize

Continuous testing and optimization are crucial for maximizing the effectiveness of your retargeting campaigns. Experiment with different ad formats, creatives, messaging, or audience segments to identify what resonates best with your dis-engaged users. Analyze campaign performance regularly, make data-driven adjustments, and iterate to improve results.

By employing personalized and data-backed retargeting approaches, you can capture users' attention, reignite their interest, and encourage them to re-engage with your app. Retaining existing users through re-engagement is not only cost-effective but also contributes to long-term app success, fostering a loyal user base and driving positive business outcomes. Learn how Adjust can help you gather the data you need to run a successful retargeting campaign.