Think about the last time you needed a tradie for something bigger than an emergency. You probably looked at a few websites, checked some reviews, maybe talked it over at dinner, and then got distracted for a week before doing anything about it.
Your customers are exactly the same. Most of the people who visit your website or watch your videos won't get in touch on the first go. Retargeting is how you stay in front of them until they're ready.
01What retargeting actually is
Retargeting, or remarketing as Google calls it, means showing ads specifically to people who have already interacted with your business. They might have visited your website, watched one of your videos, liked your Facebook page or opened a lead form without finishing it.
Because these people already know who you are, the ads tend to be cheaper and the enquiries tend to be warmer. You're not introducing yourself anymore. You're just reminding them you exist.
02Where retargeting works
You can retarget people across a few different places:
- Facebook and Instagram, using people who visited your site or watched your videos
- Google's Display network, showing banner ads on websites and apps they visit
- YouTube, showing short videos to people who've been on your site
- Google Search, bidding a bit harder when past visitors search for your trade again
For most tradies, Facebook and Instagram retargeting is the place to start. It's simple to set up, the audiences build quickly from video views, and the ads look natural in people's feeds.
03What to show people the second time round
The worst thing you can do is show someone the exact same ad they've already ignored. Retargeting is a chance to tell them something new that helps them trust you.
Good retargeting ads for trade businesses include:
- Reviews from real customers, ideally with photos of the finished job
- A short video introducing the owner or the team
- Before and after shots of jobs similar to what they looked at
- A clear reminder of what happens next, like "free quote within 48 hours"
If someone looked at your roofing page, show them roofing. If they looked at kitchens, show them kitchens. Matching the ad to what they were interested in makes a big difference.
04Don't be creepy about it
Everyone's had that experience of looking at a pair of shoes once and being followed around the internet by them for three months. It's annoying, and it doesn't make you want to buy the shoes.
Set a sensible time window based on how long your customers take to decide. Emergency work might only need a week. A kitchen renovation could be worth following up for a couple of months. And cap how often each person sees your ads so you stay remembered without wearing out your welcome.
05Retargeting needs traffic to work
One thing to know going in: retargeting only works if people are already visiting your website or seeing your content. If your site gets a handful of visitors a month, there's not much of an audience to retarget yet. That's why it usually runs alongside campaigns that bring in new people, like Google search ads or Facebook lead ads.
06Getting the tracking right
Since Apple's privacy changes, website retargeting on Facebook needs a bit more setup than it used to. The Meta Pixel on its own misses a lot of visitors. Setting up the Conversions API alongside it recovers much of that data. Video viewer and page engagement audiences are barely affected, which is another reason video works so well for tradies.
If you're already paying for ads and not retargeting, you're leaving easy jobs on the table. Have a look at our Facebook retargeting and Google remarketing pages, or get in touch and we'll check what your current traffic could be doing for you.
Want marketing that actually works this way?
10 Quote Guarantee: you pay nothing until we deliver 10 quotes.
