Acquiring new users is just the first step in the mobile app world. However, keeping those users active and interested is equally important for any app’s success. This is where retargeting campaigns come into play. Retargeting allows you to reconnect with all those users who have previously shown interest in your app, keeping them engaged.

Running retargeting campaigns is a must-have strategy for mobile apps across verticals. Here’s why: 

• Boost Conversions: Retargeting can help move users to the next step of the funnel and maximize LTV. Whether it’s completing a purchase, subscribing, or reaching a new level, retargeting encourages users to take action.
• Upsell Opportunity: With retargeting campaigns, you can present users with a relevant offer that appeals to them and maximizes LTV.
• Increase Brand Recognition: Users are more likely to remember and consider your app when exposed to retargeting campaigns that reinforce brand presence.
• Reduce Churn: You can remind inactive users of your app’s value to encourage them to return and engage with it.
• Optimize Ad Spend: Retargeting campaigns focus on high-intent users who have already shown interest in your app, which increases the efficiency of your advertising budget.

To maximize the effectiveness of your mobile retargeting efforts, follow these actionable tips:

1. Segment and Target Your Audience Effectively: Identify user groups based on their in-app behavior, such as abandoning a cart, completing a tutorial, or being inactive for a defined period of time. Leverage in-app events, demographics, and behavioral data to refine your targeting and reach the right users at the right time.
2. Use Tailored and Dynamic Creatives: Showcase products or features relevant to each user segment. Personalization is key to capturing attention and driving engagement, which can lead to significant performance improvements.
3. Implement Accurate Attribution: Properly integrate your DSP with your MMP to ensure a robust attribution system is in place to measure the impact of your retargeting campaigns. This allows you to optimize your strategies and allocate your budget effectively.
4. Conduct a Match Rate Analysis: Work with a partner to assess the match rate of your audience list, determining, before you even spend a dollar, what percentage of users can be identified within the partner’s bid stream.

Pro Tip: Retargeting audience lists should always be dynamic. Ensure your marketing dollars are used most efficiently by leveraging MMP audience tools or a trusted partner’s audience builder.

• Re-engagement Rate: The percentage of targeted users who interact with the app again after seeing a retargeting ad. A higher re-engagement rate signifies the effectiveness of your campaign.

• Cost per Re-engagement (CPR): The amount spent on bringing a user back into the app. Lower CPR values indicate a more efficient campaign.

Establishing clear and measurable KPIs provides a framework and structured approach for evaluating your retargeting campaign success and identifying areas for improvement.

Considering the user’s lifecycle is one of the most important aspects of running successful retargeting campaigns.  It will allow you to tailor the message to match where users are and deliver a highly relevant ad. 

These are the stages of a user lifecycle in which retargeting can be most effective:

• Early Lapsed Users (new users who dropped off)
• At-Risk Users (declining engagement but not yet lost)
• Dormant Users (previously engaged but now inactive)

Pro Tip: Maximize retargeting by prioritizing recent app interactions for higher re-engagement, using machine learning to optimize ad frequency, and tailoring ad intensity to match user intent signals.

Creatives play a central role in retargeting performance. Crafting compelling ads that match the users’ lifecycle and resonate with their behavior can take your advertising efforts to the next level. Here are some tips to consider: 

• Use high-quality, engaging visuals showcasing a unique value. 
• Appeal to users’ feelings, tapping into their emotions with messaging that resonates with their in-app behaviors and interests.
• Create a sense of urgency with limited-time offers and countdowns to encourage immediate action. 
• Customize the messaging with data-driven audience segmentation to match users’ journeys,

Smadex’s platform offers a complete suite of advanced tools to run successful retargeting campaigns. 

• Our proprietary retargeting-specific algorithms optimize campaigns, ensuring you reach the right users at the right time with the right messaging. 
• By working closely with our in-house Creative Studio, we can craft ads that truly resonate with your audience, helping you drive better engagement and maximize your retargeting campaign success. Our multi-geo capabilities allow you to target users across different regions, tailoring retargeting campaigns to local language and cultural preferences while boosting engagement.
• Lastly,  our custom audience segmentation enables us to build highly targeted groups based on user behavior and in-app events.