Last Updated on October 23, 2024

Retargeting with Meta Ads (just like with Google Ads) allows businesses to reconnect with people who have already shown interest in their products or services, significantly increasing the chances of conversion. When users interact with a business online—whether by visiting a website, engaging with their Facebook/Instagram page, or adding items to a shopping cart—they’ve demonstrated a level of intent that sets them apart from new prospects. Retargeting ads help keep the client’s brand top-of-mind and encourage these potential customers to take the next step in their buying journey (especially if you include a special offer or discount).

Creating a Custom Audience

The first thing you need when setting up a retargeting campaign is an audience. The audience that you create (either a custom audience or a lookalike audience) is what tells Meta who to target. For example, you can target a broad audience: “Anyone who has interacted with your website in the last 90 days”, or a much more specific audience: “People who have visited your site in the last 30 days who are in the 5th percentile of time spent on the website”. You can also narrow your audience by which pages those visitors have visited, etc.

To create an audience, navigate to the “Audiences” tab in Meta Ads Manager.

  1. Click “Create Audiences”
  2. Select the source you want to use, whether it’s a Meta source or otherwise
  3. Go through each of the fields, defining parameters and conditions.
  4. Click Save.

For some examples of audiences you could use, check out the video on the right

Applying a Custom Audience to a Retargeting Campaign

Now that you have an audience that you would like to retarget, you need to set up the actual campaign that this audience will be applied to.

Navigate to the “Campaigns” section of Ads Manager.

  1. Click “Create Audiences”
  2. Select the source you want to use, whether it’s a Meta source or otherwise
  3. Go through each of the fields, defining parameters and conditions.
  4. Click Save.

For a full walkthrough, check out the video on the right

If you want to check out a longer (30+ minute) YouTube video that explains retargeting with Meta Ads in a little more depth, check out this video: