What is retargeting?

Retargeting is a form of advertising where you specifically reach people who previously came into contact with your brand, for example by visiting your website. Instead of a cold audience, you address a warm audience that already knows you. Through retargeting you stay visible to those who showed interest but did not yet make an enquiry, on channels such as social media and the search network.

How does retargeting actually work?

When someone visits your site, that visit is registered via a script or pixel. Based on that, you can later show ads to precisely that group. In practice you create segments such as:

• Visitors of a specific service page.
• People who started a form but did not finish it.
• Existing contacts you want to reactivate.

The more specific the segment, the more relevant your message can be.

What is the difference between retargeting and remarketing?

In practice the terms are often used interchangeably. Retargeting usually refers to paid ads aimed at previous visitors, while remarketing is used more broadly, sometimes also for re-approaching via email. The underlying idea is identical: reactivate people who already know you. The full explanation is covered in our guide on remarketing.

Why does retargeting work well for B2B?

B2B purchases have a long decision cycle: a first visit rarely leads straight to an enquiry. Retargeting keeps you in view throughout that process, so you stay top of mind when the decision-maker is ready to get in touch. At Customer Impact we use retargeting to turn interest into real enquiries, not to stack up impressions. We work only for B2B companies, never for webshops, and always steer on customers and revenue rather than vanity metrics.