Retargeting is a time period we, as entrepreneurs, have heard tossed round in a number of totally different contexts—advert retargeting, net retargeting, social retargeting, and so on. “Retargeting” has advanced to function a semi-vague umbrella time period for a swath of personalised advertising and marketing methods. So, to perceive it a bit higher, we’re going to concentrate on only one (kinda): email retargeting.
According to Campaign Monitor, “email retargeting is a marketing tactic that helps [brands] reintroduce a specific product to a particular audience.” While we agree, we additionally need to develop on this definition. Retargeting doesn’t essentially want to be product-related however, as a substitute, ought to focus extra on the client journey.
You’re in all probability already considerably accustomed to retargeting by way of email, so let’s speak about some examples of how one can adapt these to a cross-channel retargeting marketing campaign along with your cellular, net, social, and another channels you may have at your disposal.
Email Retargeting in a Cross-Channel Strategy
While email is constantly confirmed to be a highly effective advertising and marketing channel, at present’s prospects anticipate us to use extra than simply email. With channels like SMS, push notifications, cellular inbox, and even junk mail obtainable, there are a number of methods to join prospects. The trick, nonetheless, is having these channels talk with each other to create a cohesive expertise—no matter the place and the way the client interacts along with your model.
As customers work together along with your model, retargeting emails may be triggered to ship robotically, with out a heavy handbook raise. But—and right here’s the place cross-channel advertising and marketing comes into play—these interactions can lengthen past simply these accomplished in your web site. Users can work together along with your totally different advertising and marketing channels—app, cellular website, junk mail, and so on.—and, based mostly on these interactions, you may ship the identical kinds of automated retargeting emails.
Let’s revisit some examples of retargeting emails with the cross-channel advertising and marketing lens.
Completing a User Profile
As a person goes by your onboarding course of, they might be requested to fill out their preferences as a part of a person profile. This step may get skipped as customers usually need to leap proper into utilizing a product. (Think about any streaming service asking you to choose exhibits you want if you first create your account.) But, their on-line profile is vital in your model as a result of it holds worthwhile info that might inform future advertising and marketing messages.

Linkedin despatched this retargeting email asking customers to full their profiles and add job preferences. Source: Really Good Emails.
With centralized information and the flexibility to observe the actions they’ve accomplished on varied advertising and marketing channels, you may see that the client not solely hasn’t accomplished their profile, however they haven’t downloaded your cellular app but both. After a sure period of time has handed, you may ship a retargeting email encouraging them to obtain the app and fill out their profile. The email can function a hyperlink to the app retailer, making it straightforward to entry if the person is on their cellphone. If they obtain the app, however nonetheless don’t full their profile, you may ship further emails or cellular inbox messages that hyperlink the person straight to the profile setup web page inside the app.
Abandoned Cart
A extra conventional instance of email retargeting is the deserted cart email. A person could possibly be buying in your retail web site, add a shirt to their on-line cart, however then depart the positioning with out buying mentioned shirt. As quickly as they left your website, a retargeting email could possibly be triggered to ship, that includes the shirt they left behind. To sweeten the deal and entice the person to make the acquisition, some manufacturers might also supply a low cost code or free transport.

Luggage model, Away, sends a abstract of your entire cart with the merchandise particulars and portions. Source: Really Good Emails.
What if the consumer is in your cellular app or cellular website? With a cross-channel technique in place, your model can acknowledge this person, no matter the place or how they work together along with your model, and ship communications based mostly on these interactions.
For instance, if a person provides a product to their cart in your cellular website however doesn’t take a look at, you may ship an deserted cart retargeting email that features a deep hyperlink to their buying cart. Then, as soon as they arrive in your website you could possibly ship an in-browser message or SMS that includes a limited-time coupon code.
From the client’s perspective, you’ve now created a holistic expertise the place, whatever the channel they use, they’re acknowledged by your model as the identical person with a cohesive recognition of their conduct and messaged as such.
Retargeting is a Tool for Individualization
Recognizing each buyer as a person is vital when designing a cross-channel technique. Sending the identical broad messages throughout a number of channels to each buyer isn’t going to transfer the needle. But, utilizing each channel to join with the client in ways in which make sense to them is not going to solely improve the chance of engagement, however construct belief as nicely.
Email retargeting is a software that may assist develop your model’s capacity to join with every person as a person. Like we mentioned earlier, email retargeting shouldn’t be based mostly on merchandise, however the place every buyer is on their distinctive journey.
To study extra about how Iterable’s automation options will help you construct out your cross-channel email retargeting technique, schedule a demo at present.