# Retargeting Strategy > Designs retargeting campaigns with audience segmentation, messaging by funnel stage, and frequency caps. Use when re-engaging website visitors who didn't convert. - Skill: `reaperinvest/retargeting-strategy` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add reaperinvest/retargeting-strategy` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/reaperinvest/retargeting-strategy/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: reaperinvest (https://skillmd.com/u/reaperinvest) - Updated: 2026-09-22 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/reaperinvest/retargeting-strategy --- # Retargeting Strategy ## When to Use This Skill Use this skill when you need to: - Design retargeting campaigns across Meta, Google, or other ad platforms - Segment retargeting audiences by behavior and funnel stage - Create messaging strategies specific to where prospects dropped off - Set frequency caps and exclusions to avoid ad fatigue **DO NOT** use this skill for cold audience targeting, email retargeting sequences, or organic remarketing. This is for paid ad retargeting of website visitors and engaged audiences. --- ## Core Principle RETARGETING IS NOT SHOWING THE SAME AD TO EVERYONE WHO VISITED YOUR SITE — IT IS DELIVERING THE RIGHT MESSAGE BASED ON HOW FAR THEY GOT IN YOUR FUNNEL AND WHY THEY STOPPED. --- ## Phase 1: Brief ### Required Inputs | Input | What to Ask | Default | |-------|------------|---------| | **Website traffic** | "How many monthly website visitors do you get?" | No default — must be provided | | **Pixel/tracking** | "Do you have Meta Pixel and/or Google Tag installed?" | Needs verification | | **Conversion action** | "What counts as a conversion? (purchase, signup, booking)" | Purchase | | **Funnel stages** | "What pages do people visit before converting?" | Homepage → Product → Checkout | | **Ad platforms** | "Where will you run retargeting? (Meta, Google, both)" | Meta (Facebook/Instagram) | | **Budget for retargeting** | "What budget can you allocate to retargeting specifically?" | 20% of total ad budget | **GATE: Confirm before designing the retargeting architecture.** --- ## Phase 2: Audience Segmentation ### Retargeting Audience Tiers ``` ## Audience Segments **Tier 1: Cart/Checkout Abandoners** (Hottest) - Definition: Added to cart or reached checkout but didn't purchase - Window: Last 7 days - Priority: Highest — closest to conversion - Budget: 40% of retargeting budget **Tier 2: Product/Sales Page Viewers** - Definition: Viewed product or sales page but didn't add to cart - Window: Last 14 days - Priority: High — showed strong interest - Budget: 25% of retargeting budget **Tier 3: Content Engagers** - Definition: Read blog posts, watched videos, or spent 30+ seconds on site - Window: Last 30 days - Priority: Medium — interested but not ready - Budget: 20% of retargeting budget **Tier 4: General Visitors** - Definition: Any website visitor not in Tiers 1-3 - Window: Last 60 days - Priority: Lower — awareness level - Budget: 15% of retargeting budget ``` ### Exclusions ``` ## Critical Exclusions - Recent purchasers (last 30 days) — do NOT retarget buyers with the same product - Existing customers — separate them into cross-sell audiences if applicable - Bounced visitors (under 5 seconds on site) — they left immediately, not worth retargeting - People who already converted on this campaign ``` **GATE: Approve audience segments before writing ad creative.** --- ## Phase 3: Messaging by Segment ### Tier 1: Cart Abandoners ``` Ad angle: Urgency + objection handling Copy: "You left something behind. Complete your order and get [incentive]." Creative: Show the specific product they abandoned (dynamic ads) CTA: Return to Cart Incentive: Free shipping, 10% off, or limited-time bonus Frequency cap: 1 impression per day ``` ### Tier 2: Sales Page Viewers ``` Ad angle: Social proof + benefit reinforcement Copy: "Still thinking about [product]? Here's what [customer name] said about it..." Creative: Testimonial-focused image or video CTA: Learn More / Shop Now Frequency cap: 1 impression per day ``` ### Tier 3: Content Engagers ``` Ad angle: Value-first + soft CTA Copy: "Liked our guide on [topic]? Here's how to take the next step..." Creative: Educational content or lead magnet offer CTA: Download / Sign Up / Read More Frequency cap: 1 impression every 2 days ``` ### Tier 4: General Visitors ``` Ad angle: Brand awareness + credibility Copy: "[Brand] helps [audience] achieve [result]. See how." Creative: Brand story or overview video CTA: Learn More Frequency cap: 1 impression every 3 days ``` ### Dynamic Retargeting (E-commerce) If applicable, set up dynamic product ads: - Show the exact products they viewed - Include price, product image, and short description - Add "Back in stock" or "Low stock" urgency if true --- ## Phase 4: Polish ### 1. Frequency Management ``` ## Frequency Caps - Cart abandoners: max 1/day for 7 days, then stop - Sales page viewers: max 1/day for 14 days - Content engagers: max 1/every 2 days for 30 days - General visitors: max 1/every 3 days for 60 days If frequency exceeds 4 without conversion, move to a "cool down" period (exclude for 14 days). ``` ### 2. Creative Refresh Schedule - Refresh ad creative every 2-3 weeks - Rotate between 3-4 creative variations per audience - Retire creatives when CTR drops below 0.5% ### 3. Performance Benchmarks | Metric | Cold Audience | Retargeting | Target | |--------|-------------|-------------|--------| | CTR | 0.5-1.5% | 2-5% | Higher for retargeting | | CPC | $1-3 | $0.50-2 | Lower for retargeting | | Conversion rate | 1-3% | 5-15% | Much higher for retargeting | | ROAS | 1-3x | 5-15x | Retargeting is your best ROAS | --- ## Anti-Patterns - **One audience, one ad for everyone** — a first-time visitor and a cart abandoner need completely different messages. - **No frequency caps** — showing the same ad 20 times creates annoyance, not conversions. Cap at 1-2 per day. - **Retargeting buyers with the same product** — congratulations, you already sold them. Exclude purchasers or move them to cross-sell campaigns. - **Too-long retargeting windows** — someone who visited 90 days ago has forgotten you. Windows longer than 60 days for most segments waste budget. - **No pixel installed** — you cannot retarget without tracking. Install pixels before driving any paid traffic. --- ## Recovery - **Low website traffic (under 1,000/month):** Retargeting audiences will be too small. Focus on building traffic first, then activate retargeting when audiences reach 1,000+ per segment. - **No pixel data yet:** Install the pixel now and let it collect data for 2-4 weeks before launching retargeting campaigns. - **High frequency, low conversions:** The messaging is wrong or the audience has decided no. Refresh creative, change the offer, or exclude and move on. - **Ad fatigue across all creatives:** Pause retargeting for 2 weeks to let audiences cool down, then re-launch with completely new creative angles.