How to set up remarketing: an easy 5-step formula for any platform

In our four-part B2B remarketing series, we’ve covered what is B2B remarketing and why it matters, B2B retargeting best practices, and effective retargeting strategies. But what about remarketing tracking set-up?

Remarketing is not as complicated and tedious as it sounds. It’s simple and the same whether you’re in B2B or B2C. We’ve set up remarketing for hundreds of clients over the years as part of our PPC services.

In 5 steps or less, we’ll show you how to get up and running.

Assuming you’ve created some awesome ad creative and a stunning landing page, you’re going to need to do the following next:

Step 1: Install Tracking Code

First thing’s first, you have to add some code to your site.  Every retargeting platform uses a different tracking snippet (using called a Pixel) to cookie your visitors and add organize them into custom segments or audiences.

Pro Tip:  We seriously recommend using Google Tag Manager if you’re not already.  It’s the best thing since sliced bread once you get into adding multiple code snippets to your site.

If you plan to advertise with AdWords, Facebook, and Twitter, and you really should, then Google Tag Manager is the way to go.

There is a nerdy explanation for it that involves mind-numbing crap like asynchronous loading, redundancy elimination… here we go getting boring.  Call the coroner.

Basically, it will make your site load a lot faster (Google says by as much as 25%).

You may need a little help from a developer, but it’s worth it.

Site speed matters a lot.  Users will leave if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load.

Step 2: Create Audience List Rules

Who do you want to target? Set the criteria you want to use for each retargeting list.

Think about this as you would think about segmenting for email marketing and marketing automation.  The retargeting platform will handle adding and removing users from lists.

Also know that many platforms enable you to use email addresses to target prospects, too.

Step 3: Set Up Conversion Tracking

Set up tracking so that your conversions are enabled.

For certain platforms, like Facebook or LinkedIn, you don’t have to do this because you specify what you want to track when creating the ad.

For when you set up Google AdWords remarketing, you want to specify what is considered a conversion on the platform so it knows what to count.

Step: 4: Enable your Campaign(s)

No explanation needed; just make sure there is a green light on your ads so they’re active.

Step 5: Measure and Manage

How to check if remarketing is working comes down to seeing if the numbers are coming through. Keep an eye on at least the following key performance indicators:

• Click Through Rate (CTR) which tells you if your ad creative is attractive and appealing.
• Conversion Rate (CVR) which tells you if your landing pages are working. Retargeting conversion rate can seem low if you have nothing to compare it off of. Keep in mind industry benchmarks. It can usually hover around 0.02%.
• Cost Per Conversion (CPC) which tells you if it’s worth paying that for a lead and helps you gauge the spending efficiency of your ads overtime.
• Conversions which tells you the total amount of conversions (sales, leads, etc.) that you have gotten.

Manage your campaigns with:

• Weekly performance reports
• Bi-weekly placement audits

And that’s all there is to it.

Check out the other blog post in this remarketing series:

1. What is B2B remarketing and why it matters?
2. B2B retargeting best practices
3. Effective B2B retargeting strategies

Now, I have a question for you: What’s your biggest struggle when it comes to setting up remarketing? Let me know in the comments below.

Read about Measuring Marketing Campaign Effectiveness

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